[...]... in the context of simple clauses concerns the structure of the so-called verbless sentences and whether they contain a null VP constituent (2) 2 In this book we will deal only with the sentential syntax of Modern Standard Arabic and other Arabic varieties Thus, we do not include a discussion of the Construct State and the syntax of DPs 4 Issues in the Syntax of Arabic (2) ˇ ʔal-kitaab-u zadiid-un the- book-Nom... introduce the key empirical generalizations that characterize the syntax of the various Arabic dialects under consideration, and which we develop in the present book, taking into consideration previous work in the area.2 1.2.1 The syntax of the A-domain 1.2.1.1 Clause structure There are a number of issues that arise in the context of Arabic clauses The first issue concerns the structure of the clause,... 1.1.1 The development of Arabic Classical Arabic evolved from the standardization of the language of the Qur’an and poetry This standardization became necessary at the time when Arabic became the language of an empire, with the Islamic expansion starting in the seventh century In addition to Classical Arabic, there were regional spoken Arabic varieties It is a matter of intense debate what the nature of. .. nature of the historical relation between Classical Arabic and the spoken dialects is (Owens 200 7) Modern Standard Arabic emerged in the nineteenth century at a time when Arabic was gaining the status of official language in the Arab world, and coinciding with the emergence of Arab nationalism (see Suleiman (200 3) and references therein) The process of modernization of the language started in the early... equal command of the Standard dialect and their colloquial dialect Language choice in the Arab world is not only determined by the factors that influence the functional distribution of the various Arabic varieties; it also has a political association, since Modern Standard Arabic has become a symbol of the unity of the Arab world (Suleiman 200 3) 1.2 General characteristics of the syntax of Arabic In this... role in “preserving” the Arabic 1 Issues in the Syntax of Arabic 2 language from dialectal and foreign influence, and adapting it to the needs of modern times Unsurprisingly, in spite of the unifying work of those academies, one can still observe regional variations in Modern Standard Arabic 1.1.2 The Modern Arabic dialects and Modern Standard Arabic The linguistic space of the Arabic- speaking world,... yesterday ‘They wrote the book yesterday.’ Lebanese Arabic There are at least two possible approaches to analyze the perfective form of the verb in Arabic On one hand, one could advance the view that the suffix on the verb in the perfective realizes both tense and agreement.11 On the other hand, one could argue that the suffix on the verb in the perfective realizes only agreement and that the verb in Arabic. .. Moroccan Arabic Palestinian Arabic Moroccan Arabic Palestinian Arabic Chapter 3 takes up the discussion of subject positions in various Arabic varieties in detail Contra proposals that have argued that the postverbal subject is in the specifier of the VP projection, we will discuss data that suggest that it is outside 1.2 General characteristics of the syntax of Arabic 5 the VP With regard to the preverbal...1 Issues in the syntax of Arabic 1.1 The Arabic language(s) Arabic belongs to the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic (HamitoSemitic) family of languages, which includes languages like Aramaic, Ethiopian, South Arabian, Syriac, and Hebrew A number of the languages in this group are spoken in the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, and Africa It has been documented that Arabic spread with the Islamic... introduction to the sociology of Arabic we highlighted the complex relationships that exist between Modern Standard Arabic and the various Arabic vernaculars This complexity can also be found in the variation observed between the grammars of the different Arabic varieties In this book, we focus mainly on the description of grammatical structures in Standard Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, and Lebanese Arabic However, . The Syntax of Spanish K. Kiss: The Syntax of Hungarian S. Mchombo: TheSyntaxofChichewa H. Thrainsson: The Syntax of Icelandic P. Rowlett: The Syntax of French R. D. Borsley et al.: TheSyntaxofWelsh C. characteristics of the syntax of Arabic 2 1.2.1 The syntax of the A-domain 3 1.2.2 The syntax of the A  -domain: unbounded dependencies in Arabic 7 2 Clause structure in Arabic 12 2.1 Introduction 12 2.2 The. sentential syntax of Modern Standard Arabic and other Arabic varieties. Thus, we do not include a discussion of the Construct State and the syntax of DPs. 4 Issues in the Syntax of Arabic (2)