Noun modifiers and the n preposition in Siwi Berber (Egypt)
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Valentina Schiattarella
Abstract
The three most common strategies used to modify a head noun, namely through a possessive, an adjective and a relative clause construction feature in Siwi the use of the preposition n. Its presence is obligatory in the possessive constructions, but only present before an adjective or a relative clause in some contexts, depending on the level of restriction that the speaker wants to place on the head noun. The aim of the article is to describe the use and function of n in all three contexts of noun modification in Siwi and present supplementary data that helps the understanding of the global function of this preposition.
Abstract in Modern Standard Arabic
تصف الورقة البحثية وظيفة الحرف n في التراكيب الثلاثة الأكثر استخداماً في تقييد معنى الاسم، أي الإضافة والصفة (النعت) وجملة الوصل باللغة السيوية، وهي لغة أمازيغية يتم التحدث بها في واحة سيوة (مصر).
توضح المقالة أن حرف الجرn إلزامي فقط مع الإضافة (اسم + n + اسم)، بينما يعتمد وجوده مع تراكيب كالصفة (النعت) وجملة الوصل على درجة التحديد التي يريدها المتحدث على الاسم.
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank all the speakers who worked with me during my stays in Siwa, the reviewers for their extremely valuable comments and remarks and Amina Mettouchi and Catherine Taine-Cheikh for the suggestions they gave me. I am very grateful to the late Lionel Galand for sharing with me his knowledge on the subject during my PhD years.
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