Rethinking Agreement in Spoken Arabic:

مرکز و کتابخانه مطالعات اسلامی به زبان های اروپایی

منو

" Rethinking Agreement in Spoken Arabic: "
Simone Bettega

Document Type	:	AL
Record Number	:	1064380
Doc. No	:	LA108009
Call No	:	‭10.1163/24685631-12340074‬
Language of Document	:	English
Main Entry	:	Simone Bettega
Title & Author	:	Rethinking Agreement in Spoken Arabic: [Article] : The Question of Gender\ Simone Bettega
Publication Statement	:	Leiden: Brill
Title of Periodical	:	Annali Sezione Orientale
Date	:	2019
Volume/ Issue Number	:	79/1-2
Page No	:	126–156
Abstract	:	This paper proposes a re-discussion of the question of the number of genders in Arabic. Only varieties of Arabic that display gender distinction in the plural are considered here. In these varieties, it is argued, all nouns fall into one of three distinct agreement classes (or genders), and this in spite of the fact that only two separate genders surface at the morphological level. In other words, a discrepancy exists between the number of target genders and that of controller genders. This situation is not unique to Arabic, and finds parallels in other languages of the world. In addition, the article discusses the role of feminine singular agreement with plural controllers. This type of agreement is not restricted to any particular controller type and always exists in variation with plural agreement. Therefore, it is not to be regarded as a separate agreement category, but rather as an indicator of the referent’s level of individuation. Finally, the last section of the article concentrates on the possible diachronic implications of the analysis proposed above
Descriptor	:	African Studies
Descriptor	:	agreement
Descriptor	:	Arabic linguistics
Descriptor	:	gender
Descriptor	:	General
Descriptor	:	Najd
Location & Call number	:	‭10.1163/24685631-12340074‬