Arabic Word Classes: Classification by Early Arab Grammarians

Arabic Word Classes Arabic Word Classes Q: HOW DID EARLY ARAB GRAMMARIANS CLASSIFY WORD CLASSES?

The early Arab grammarians The early Arab grammarians have described Arabic as have described Arabic as having three word classes having three word classes ism ism noun, noun, fi`l and and arf arf particle fi`l verb particle verb

WHAT SUBCLASSES ARE WHAT SUBCLASSES ARE THERE WITHIN THE THERE WITHIN THE NOUN CLASS? NOUN CLASS?

The noun word class has The noun word class has SEVEN SEVEN subclasses: subclasses: 1.adjectives 1.adjectives 2. numerals 2. numerals 3. demonstratives 3. demonstratives 4. relative pronouns 4. relative pronouns 5. interrogative pronouns 5. interrogative pronouns 6. participles 6. participles 7. verbal nouns 7. verbal nouns

Nouns are inflected for: Nouns are inflected for: 1 1. . Number Number 2 2. Case . Case 3 3. Gender . Gender 4 4. Definiteness . Definiteness

Verbs are inflected for: Verbs are inflected for: 1. person 1. person 2. number 2. number 3. gender 3. gender 4. tense 4. tense 5. mood 5. mood 6. voice 6. voice

Particles are uninflected Particles are uninflected and have a number of subclasses: adverbs adverbs prepositions prepositions conjunctions conjunctions interrogatives interrogatives interjections interjections

Q: WHAT ROLE DOES Q: WHAT ROLE DOES INFLECTION PLAY IN INFLECTION PLAY IN ENGLISH? ENGLISH?

Inflection plays a minor role in English, which has only seven or eight inflectional suffixes

( (i i) ) - -s/ s/- -es 3rd person singular present tense of es 3rd person singular present tense of the verb, e.g., cut the verb, e.g., cut- -s, go s, go- -es, judge verbs show that this present tense morpheme verbs show that this present tense morpheme has three allomorphs: /s/, /z/, / has three allomorphs: /s/, /z/, /iz iz/. /. (ii) (ii) - -(e)d past tense of the verb, e.g., jump (e)d past tense of the verb, e.g., jump- -ed, play play- -ed, wait ed, wait- -ed. These verbs show that this ed. These verbs show that this morpheme has three allomorphs: /t/, /d/, /id/. morpheme has three allomorphs: /t/, /d/, /id/. (iii) (iii) - -(e)d past participle of the verb. e.g., walk (e)d past participle of the verb. e.g., walk- -ed. play play- -ed. es, judge- -s. These three s. These three ed, ed. ed.

(iv) iv) - -ing (v) (v) - -s/ s/- -es plural noun, e.g., cat es plural noun, e.g., cat- -s, dog This morpheme also has three This morpheme also has three allomorphs ing present participle of the verb, e.g., go present participle of the verb, e.g., go- -ing ing. . es. s, dog- -s, church s, church- -es. allomorphs: : /s/, /z/, /s/, /z/, / /iz iz/. /. (vi) (vi) - -s genitive (possessive) case, e.g., cat's, John's, s genitive (possessive) case, e.g., cat's, John's, judge's. This morpheme also has three judge's. This morpheme also has three allomorphs /s/, /z/, / /s/, /z/, /iz iz/. /. (vii (vii- -viii) viii) - -er er, , - -est est comparative and superlative forms of comparative and superlative forms of the adjective, e.g., quick the adjective, e.g., quick- -er er, quick allomorphs: : , quick- -est. est.

WHAT IS AN ALLOMORPH? WHAT IS AN ALLOMORPH?

These suffixes, which are These suffixes, which are added to word stems, added to word stems, have two characteristics have two characteristics in common in common

First, First, they never change the they never change the grammatical category of the grammatical category of the word to which they are word to which they are attached attached. For example, the . For example, the words " words "boy boy" and " " and "boys both nouns both nouns boys" are " are

Secondly, Secondly, they always come final they always come final in a word. in a word. That is, That is, they always seal off a word seal off a word. For example, if a . For example, if a word has both a derivational word has both a derivational suffix and an inflectional one, the suffix and an inflectional one, the latter follows the former, e.g., latter follows the former, e.g., judg judg- -ment ment- -s s. . they always

English has other past tense and past English has other past tense and past participle morphemes besides the participle morphemes besides the regular inflectional suffixes mentioned regular inflectional suffixes mentioned above, e.g., above, e.g., - -en en (eaten) (broken) (eaten) (broken) ablaut / vowel change(sing, sang, sung) ablaut / vowel change(sing, sang, sung) suppletion suppletion / complete change (went) / complete change (went) zero (put) (cut) zero (put) (cut)

Q: WHAT ROLE DOES Q: WHAT ROLE DOES INFLECTION PLAY IN INFLECTION PLAY IN ARABIC? ARABIC?

Arabic is a highly inflectional language: Arabic is a highly inflectional language: *Nouns, pronouns and adjectives are inflected for number, gender, case and definiteness *Verbs are inflected for person, number, gender, tense, mood and voice. *These inflectional affixes assign syntactic functions to word classes. *The grammatical relationships that hold between the different sentence constituents are marked by inflectional affixation.

The inflectional markers of The inflectional markers of the nominal category of the nominal category of case case and the verbal and the verbal category of category of mood constitute 'al constitute 'al- -' 'i`raab mood i`raab

The nominal category of The nominal category of case includes: case includes: NOMINATIVE CASE NOMINATIVE CASE ACCUSATIVE CASE ACCUSATIVE CASE GENETIVE CASE GENETIVE CASE

The verbal category of The verbal category of mood includes: mood includes: INDICATIVE MOOD INDICATIVE MOOD SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD JUSSIVE MOOD JUSSIVE MOOD