The Feature Structure of Functional Categories A Comparative Study of Arabic Dialects

by Benmamoun, Elabbas

• ISBN13: 9780195119954
• ISBN10: 0195119959
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-02-24
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Focusing on the relation between functional categories and lexical and phrasal categories in Arabic dialects, Benmamoun proposes that universally functional categories are specified for categorial features which determine their relation with lexical categories. Language variation is attributed to differences with respect to the categorial feature specifications of functional categories and how they interact with lexical categories. The book brings new insights to issues related to the syntax of functional categories, the relation between syntax and the morpho-phonological component, and comparative syntax.

Table of Contents

Comparative Arabic Syntax	3	(14)
Main Empirical Generalizations	3	(8)
The Syntax of Tense in Arabic	3	(3)
The Syntax of Sentential Negation in Arabic	6	(3)
Agreement Asymmetries	9	(2)
Theoretical Assumptions and Implications	11	(6)
The Syntax of Functional Categories	12	(2)
Theoretical Implications	14	(3)
Part I The Feature Structure of Tense	17	(50)
The Tense Systems of Egyptian Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, and Standard Arabic	19	(18)
Verb Morphology in Standard Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, and Egyptian Arabic	19	(5)
Standard Arabic	19	(3)
Moroccan Arabic and Egyptian Arabic	22	(2)
The Typology of Tense in Arabic	24	(4)
The Past Tense	24	(4)
The Syntactic Status of the Imperfective	28	(3)
Distribution of the Imperfective Verb	28	(2)
The Imperfective Verb as Default Form of the Verb	30	(1)
The Present Tense	31	(2)
The Future Tense	33	(1)
Imperatives	34	(1)
Conclusion	35	(2)
The Categorial Features of Tense	37	(14)
Typology of the Categorial Features of Tense	37	(1)
The Feature Structure of the Arabic Tense System	38	(10)
Verbless Sentences as Small Clauses	39	(3)
The Null Copula Analysis	42	(1)
Verbless Sentences Have a Functional Projection but no Verbal Predicate	43	(5)
A Theory of the Categorial Features of Tense	48	(2)
The Present Tense	48	(1)
The Past Tense	49	(1)
The Future Tense	50	(1)
Conclusion	50	(1)
Checking the Categorial Features of Tense	51	(16)
Verb Movement and Negation	52	(1)
Independent Negatives	53	(3)
Idiomatic Expressions and Word Order Asymmetries	56	(2)
The Morphological Distribution of the Person Prefix	58	(4)
Word Order Alternations	62	(2)
Position of the Subject in Verbless Negative Sentences	64	(2)
Conclusion	66	(1)
Part II The Feature Structure of Negation	67	(52)
Sentential Negation in the Modern Arabic Dialects	69	(25)
Representation of Sentential Negation	69	(9)
Distribution of the Two Negative Morphemes ma and s	70	(1)
s as Spec of NegP	71	(2)
Arguments against s as Spec of NegP	73	(3)
ma---s as a Complex Head of NegP	76	(2)
The Feature Structure of Negation	78	(12)
The Categorial Feature of Sentential Negation	78	(2)
Checking the Categorial Feature of Negation	80	(10)
Merger between Negation and Non-Verbal Predicates: Syntax or PF?	90	(3)
Conclusion	93	(1)
Negation in Standard Arabic	94	(17)
laa, lam, and lan	94	(5)
Representation of laa and Its Variants	95	(1)
Complementary Distribution between Tensed Negatives and Tensed Verbs	96	(1)
Problems with the Minimality Based Analysis	97	(1)
laa and its Variants Do Not Select a VP	98	(1)
Complementary Distribution, Feature Checking and Morphological Blocking	99	(3)
Merger and Feature Checking	99	(2)
The Derivation of Tensed Negatives	101	(1)
The Negative laysa	102	(5)
laysa as Head of NegP	103	(1)
Agreement on laysa	103	(2)
laysa and Its Absence in the Context of Tensed Verbs	105	(1)
Projections, Competition, and Last Resort	106	(1)
maa	107	(2)
Conclusion	109	(2)
Negation and Imperatives	111	(8)
The Syntactic Distribution of the Imperative	111	(1)
Positive Imperatives vs. Negative Imperatives	112	(2)
Previous Accounts of the Difference between Negative Imperatives and Positive Imperatives	114	(2)
Analysis of the Difference between Positive and Negative Imperatives	116	(1)
Conclusion	117	(2)
Part III Agreement Asymmetries	119	(38)
Subject Verb Agreement Asymmetries	121	(19)
Agreement Paradigms	121	(1)
Previous Accounts	122	(4)
Two Agreement Paradigms	122	(3)
Partial Agreement as Agreement with Expletive	125	(1)
Full Agreement as Incorporated Pronominal	126	(1)
Distribution of Number Agreement	126	(2)
Analysis of the Distribution of Number Agreement	128	(4)
Absence of the Number Suffix due to Merger between the Verb and Subject	129	(1)
Distribution of Person Agreement	130	(1)
Verb/Subject Merger: Syntactic or PF	131	(1)
Merger and Adjacency	132	(1)
Agreement in Moroccan Arabic	132	(1)
Agreement and Interpretation	133	(3)
Agreement Between Demonstratives and Nouns	136	(3)
Conclusion	139	(1)
Agreement Asymmetries in DPs	140	(17)
The Construct State	141	(4)
Properties of the Construct State	141	(2)
Structure of the Construct State	143	(1)
Previous Analyses	143	(2)
Merger of the Members of the Construct State	145	(7)
Against Lexical Merger	145	(4)
Against Syntactic Merger	149	(3)
Members of the Construct State Merge Post-Syntactically	152	(1)
Merger vs. Percolation	153	(2)
Conclusion	155	(2)
Notes	157	(10)
Bibliography	167	(8)
Index	175