Book contents
- Frontmatter
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Contents
- Introduction
- 1 On learning languages in general
- 2 The nature of Arabic and the character of this course
- 3 Arabic script (13); The alphabet (14–17); Roots and patterns (18); Layout and punctuation (19)
- 4 The families B, J, D and R
- 5 The families S and thick S/T
- 6 The families ‘/F and K
- 7 The orphans and rejects
- 8 The vowels in Arabic: Short vowels (44–5); Diphthongs (46); Long vowels (47–8); Stress (49)
- 9 A final review of sounds and signs: Hamza (53); Madda (54); Wasla (55); Shadda (56); Bound-t (57); Names of consonants (58); Names of vowels (59)
- 10 Standard Verb in māḍī (62–7); Standard Noun (68–73)
- 11 Plurals (75–6); Sentence types: Verbal Sentence (77–8); Nominal Sentences (79–80); Nominal Absolutes (81); Summary of points (82)
- 12 Agreement (83–5); The Construct (86–8)
- 13 Standard Verb in muḍari' (91–3); Independent personal pronouns (94–5); Attached personal pronouns (96–8)
- 14 Sound Plurals (100–2); Dual nouns (103); Subjunctive and Jussive modifications of muḍāri' (104–6); Ambiguities in endings alif, -W, -Y, and -T (107)
- 15 Diptotes (109–10); Demonstratives (111–13); Imperatives (114–15); Participles and maṣdars
- 16 Derived Form II (121–2); Derived Form III (123–4); Derived Form IV (125–6)
- 17 Derived Form V (128–9); Derived Form VI (130–1); Wāw of Circumstance (132); Negatives (133–7)
- 18 Derived Form VII (139); Derived Form VIII (140); Derived Form X (141–2); Positive time-indicators (143)
- 19 Passives (145–6); Plurals of four-consonant nouns (147); Nouns of Time and Place (148); Nouns of Instrument (149)
- 20 Conditional and Quasi-Conditional Sentences (151–7); Colours and Defects (158); Elatives (159–60)
- 21 Minor peculiarities in verbs (162–5); Peculiar common nouns (166); Some essential distinctions (167)
- 22 Hollow Roots: Māḍī and muḍāri' of Form I (169–72)
- 23 Hollow Roots: Participles 1 (174); Maṣdar I (175); Forms II, III, V and VI (176)
- 24 Hollow Roots: Forms VII and VIII (178); Forms IV and X (179); Hollow Passives (180)
- 25 Weak Roots: General (182); Māḍī 1 (183); Muḍāri' I (184–5); Active Participles I (186); Passive Participles I (187); Miscellaneous noun-patterns (weak) I (188)
- 26 Weak Roots: Derived Forms in general (190); Form II (191); Form III (192); Form IV (193)
- 27 Weak Roots: Form V (195); Form VI (196); Form VII (197); Form VIII (198); Form X (199); Weak Passives (200)
- 28 Roots with multiple peculiarities (202–3); Cardinal numbers in combination (205); Government of cardinals (206); Polarity in cardinals (207); Cardinals 3–10 (208); 11–19 (209); 20 upwards (210); Ordinals, units and whole tens (211); Ordinals 11–19 (212); Fractions (213); Basic roots (215)
- Postscript
- Texts and analyses
- Vocabulary
11 - Plurals (75–6); Sentence types: Verbal Sentence (77–8); Nominal Sentences (79–80); Nominal Absolutes (81); Summary of points (82)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Contents
- Introduction
- 1 On learning languages in general
- 2 The nature of Arabic and the character of this course
- 3 Arabic script (13); The alphabet (14–17); Roots and patterns (18); Layout and punctuation (19)
- 4 The families B, J, D and R
- 5 The families S and thick S/T
- 6 The families ‘/F and K
- 7 The orphans and rejects
- 8 The vowels in Arabic: Short vowels (44–5); Diphthongs (46); Long vowels (47–8); Stress (49)
- 9 A final review of sounds and signs: Hamza (53); Madda (54); Wasla (55); Shadda (56); Bound-t (57); Names of consonants (58); Names of vowels (59)
- 10 Standard Verb in māḍī (62–7); Standard Noun (68–73)
- 11 Plurals (75–6); Sentence types: Verbal Sentence (77–8); Nominal Sentences (79–80); Nominal Absolutes (81); Summary of points (82)
- 12 Agreement (83–5); The Construct (86–8)
- 13 Standard Verb in muḍari' (91–3); Independent personal pronouns (94–5); Attached personal pronouns (96–8)
- 14 Sound Plurals (100–2); Dual nouns (103); Subjunctive and Jussive modifications of muḍāri' (104–6); Ambiguities in endings alif, -W, -Y, and -T (107)
- 15 Diptotes (109–10); Demonstratives (111–13); Imperatives (114–15); Participles and maṣdars
- 16 Derived Form II (121–2); Derived Form III (123–4); Derived Form IV (125–6)
- 17 Derived Form V (128–9); Derived Form VI (130–1); Wāw of Circumstance (132); Negatives (133–7)
- 18 Derived Form VII (139); Derived Form VIII (140); Derived Form X (141–2); Positive time-indicators (143)
- 19 Passives (145–6); Plurals of four-consonant nouns (147); Nouns of Time and Place (148); Nouns of Instrument (149)
- 20 Conditional and Quasi-Conditional Sentences (151–7); Colours and Defects (158); Elatives (159–60)
- 21 Minor peculiarities in verbs (162–5); Peculiar common nouns (166); Some essential distinctions (167)
- 22 Hollow Roots: Māḍī and muḍāri' of Form I (169–72)
- 23 Hollow Roots: Participles 1 (174); Maṣdar I (175); Forms II, III, V and VI (176)
- 24 Hollow Roots: Forms VII and VIII (178); Forms IV and X (179); Hollow Passives (180)
- 25 Weak Roots: General (182); Māḍī 1 (183); Muḍāri' I (184–5); Active Participles I (186); Passive Participles I (187); Miscellaneous noun-patterns (weak) I (188)
- 26 Weak Roots: Derived Forms in general (190); Form II (191); Form III (192); Form IV (193)
- 27 Weak Roots: Form V (195); Form VI (196); Form VII (197); Form VIII (198); Form X (199); Weak Passives (200)
- 28 Roots with multiple peculiarities (202–3); Cardinal numbers in combination (205); Government of cardinals (206); Polarity in cardinals (207); Cardinals 3–10 (208); 11–19 (209); 20 upwards (210); Ordinals, units and whole tens (211); Ordinals 11–19 (212); Fractions (213); Basic roots (215)
- Postscript
- Texts and analyses
- Vocabulary
Summary
75.Formation of plurals. Arabic plurals are formed in one of two ways: either by adding certain prescribed endings, like the English -s or -en; or by breaking up the singular pattern, and building an entirely new pattern on the same radical letters. The latter type of plural is called “broken”, the former by contrast is known as “sound” or “intact”. While the Sound Plurals are easy to learn, they apply only to a comparatively small range of nouns; we shall therefore defer consideration of them till later. The Broken Plurals, applying to the vast majority of Arabic nouns, need to be learned automatically as one learns the noun itself. They vary from noun to noun, but certain broad areas of predictability can be made out: generally speaking, and within limits, the shorter the singular, the more uncertain the plural. Some nouns have more than one Broken Plural, or both a Sound and a Broken Plural (or plurals): sometimes one predominates. Experience, and constant reference to dictionaries, are the only guides here.
76.Three common Broken Plurals. The following are the commonest Broken Plurals formed from three-consonant nouns with one or two short-vowels (using KTB for basic radicals): 'aKTāB, KuTūB and 'aKTuB. The word for “month”, shahr, most commonly takes the last two, shuhūr and ashhur (remember that we do not usually bother to transliterate the hamza initially, since it must be there if the word appears to begin with a vowel – see paras. 53(a) and 54).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Arabic GrammarA First Workbook, pp. 42 - 46Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1980