Arabization and derivation in quadrilateral verbal nouns: a study on three newspapers

Said AlGorn

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the semantic development, specifically the Arabization versus the derivation, of quadrilateral verbal nouns and trilateral verbal nouns augmented by one letter in Modern Standard Arabic (“MSA”). These types of verbal nouns are commonly used in written and spoken Arabic today and it is of great importance to anyone studying the Arabic language to understand the development of these forms. The main sources used in this study were issues form three Arabic language newspapers, nemely Asharq Al-Awast, Okaz and Al-Ahram. The method used in this analysis consisted first of identifying verbal nouns in the source newspapers and then comparing the rates of occurance of these words across these periodicals. These verbal nouns were then cross-referenced in dictionaries, including العرب لسان , as representative of old, Arabic-Arabic dictionaries, المعجم الوسيط , as representative of modern, Arabic-Arabic dictionaries, and القريب المورد and Hans Wehr, as representative of modern, Arabic-English dictionaries and a subsequent comparison across dictionaries was carried out. The analysis resulted in the conclusion that derivation is more common than Arabization in MSA and that derivation leverages many patterns, the most common of which include: (taf3il) تفعيل and (fa3lanat) فعلنة , while Arabization mostly leverages the pattern of (fa3lalat) فعللة . In addition, these types of verbal nouns appear more frequently in Asharq Al-Awast, as compared to the other newspapers, and in the modern ArabicEnglish dictionaries, as compared to the Arabic-Arabic dictionaries.

Date of Award

6-1-2010

Online Submission Date

September 2012

First Advisor

Ibrahim, Zeinab

Second Advisor

Badawi, Mohammed

Document Type

Thesis

Extent

131 p.

Library of Congress Subject Heading 1

Arabic language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers.

Library of Congress Subject Heading 2

Arabic language -- Phonology.

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy. The author has granted the American University in Cairo or its agents a non-exclusive license to archive this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study, and to make it accessible, in whole or in part, in all forms of media, now or hereafter known.

IRB

Not necessary for this item

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