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Beyond Diachronic Explanations: A Discussion of Agreement in Six Arabic Varieties

Rouillier, Connor Caston
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2465-5098
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu171318179987437

Abstract Details

2024, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures.
Work on the Agreement systems of Modern Arabic varieties often provides diachronic explanations for the variations seen in modern Arabic varieties, leaving aside how the variation manifests. For example, Bettega and D’Anna (2022) have argued that an individuation system operated in a prior state of Arabic, and the current agreement patterns represent the gradual loss of this system. Versteegh (1984) has argued that Arabic was simplified due to contact, and agreement patterns reflect that contact. Grammarians of modern Arabic varieties often compare it to Modern Standard Arabic, focusing on the difference between the modern varieties and the standard. I explore the linguistic situation of 6 varieties (Modern Standard Arabic, Beirut, Cairo, Doha, Rabat, Tunis) using a parallel multi-dialectal corpus. Through this exploration, I argue that the focus on diachronic development is premature. Instead, in order to understand the development of agreement, we must first understand the variation present in the synchronic situation. In particular, the data shows that there is a continuum of agreement systems from those most like Modern Standard Arabic with defective agreement to those without evidence for the Modern Standard Arabic system. However, this data does not suggest that the systems differ in geographical distance as would be predicted by areal diffusion. Instead, animacy is shown to affect the selection of agreement in Modern Standard Arabic, Cairo, and Doha. I argue that the deflected agreement rule of Modern Standard Arabic has been overly used as a foil to the rules of the dialects and claim that in order to understand the development of agreement in Arabic, we must look at its variation in modern varieties.
Ahmad Al-Jallad (Advisor)
Andrea D. Sims (Other)
Maarten Kossmann (Committee Member)
Brian D. Joseph (Committee Member)
55 p.
Linguistics; Middle Eastern Studies; Near Eastern Studies
Subject-Verb Agreement; Arabic; Parallel Corpus

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Rouillier, C. C. (2024). Beyond Diachronic Explanations: A Discussion of Agreement in Six Arabic Varieties [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu171318179987437

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rouillier, Connor. Beyond Diachronic Explanations: A Discussion of Agreement in Six Arabic Varieties. 2024. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu171318179987437.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rouillier, Connor. "Beyond Diachronic Explanations: A Discussion of Agreement in Six Arabic Varieties." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu171318179987437

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu171318179987437
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.