Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Antigemination as Morphosemantic Integrity in Arabic Dialects

Rowan, Kirsty

Authors

Kirsty Rowan



Contributors

Clive Holes
Editor

Rudolf de Jong
Editor

Abstract

Resistance to syncope in certain data from Arabic dialects motivated the proposal for antigemination as a function of the Obligatory Contour Principle (OCP). More recent revisions to the OCP as being operative in this phonological process have claimed that the non-application of syncope is due to homophony avoidance or resistance to paradigm collapse. The present analysis considers the importance of the morphosemantic properties of the forms which block syncope. The approach seeks to unify the targets of resistance to syncope (Forms II and III) in the discussion of gemination as encoding plurality. The cross-linguistic implications for the claims made here is that phonological processes will be prohibited from applying if their application results in morphosemantic information being jeopardised.
This study investigates the problem of antigemination in certain Arabic dialects. I put forward the view that any proposal for the occurrence of antigemination should not be purely formally driven within an isolated phonological framework, but should also address a systematic study into the morphosemantic properties of the particular forms. This is dependent on acknowledging that there is a morphosemantic association between the verbal forms II and III, with particular reference to the reduplicative structure exhibited by geminate consonants and lengthened vowels. While this paper is not meant to be an exhaustive account of the morphosemantic or morphosyntactic properties of the Arabic verbs, I try to highlight the issue that considerations on these properties are dependent for an explanation of antigemination.

Citation

Rowan, K. (2013). Antigemination as Morphosemantic Integrity in Arabic Dialects. In C. Holes, & R. de Jong (Eds.), Ingham of Arabia: A collection of articles presented as a tribute to the career of Bruce Ingham (216-232). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004256194_012

Publication Date Jan 1, 2013
Deposit Date Jun 6, 2014
Pages 216-232
Series Title Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics
Series ISSN 0081-8461
Book Title Ingham of Arabia: A collection of articles presented as a tribute to the career of Bruce Ingham
ISBN 9789004256170
DOI https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004256194_012
Keywords OCP antigemination Arabic phonology


Downloadable Citations