Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgments
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Issues in the Syntax of Sentential Negation
- Chapter 2 Locus of Negation in Syntactic Structure
- Chapter 3 Semantic and Pragmatic Effects of Negative Markers
- Chapter 4 Licensing Negative Sensitive Items
- Chapter 5 Distribution of the Negation Strategies
- Chapter 6 The Jespersen Cycle of Negation
- Chapter 7 Summary and Conclusions
- Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 1 - Issues in the Syntax of Sentential Negation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 April 2021
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgments
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Issues in the Syntax of Sentential Negation
- Chapter 2 Locus of Negation in Syntactic Structure
- Chapter 3 Semantic and Pragmatic Effects of Negative Markers
- Chapter 4 Licensing Negative Sensitive Items
- Chapter 5 Distribution of the Negation Strategies
- Chapter 6 The Jespersen Cycle of Negation
- Chapter 7 Summary and Conclusions
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Negative markers and clausal structure
The three major categories of negative markers found in Arabic are single negation, bipartite negation and enclitic negation. This chapter introduces these three categories in a descriptive manner, making minimal theoretical reference only when necessary. The distinctions made between these categories are relevant to the organization of the book and its discussion of empirical and theoretical issues. Contrasts in the distribution of these negative markers among the three varieties of Arabic under investigation in this book clearly show that negation in Arabic can occupy various syntactic positions, but that there are word order restrictions that regulate these occurrences.
Single negation
The three Arabic varieties under investigation have negative markers that precede the verb. Jordanian Arabic (JA), Standard Arabic (SA) and Qatari Arabic (QA) have the negative marker maa. Crucially, negative markers do not have to be adjacent to the verb in any of the three varieties. It is widely assumed that negative markers have to be adjacent to the verb and that the preverbal negative marker maa is a proclitic attached to the verb. Consider the following examples where adverbs and definite subjects, for example, cannot intervene between the negative marker and the verb.
(1) a. maa (*Zeid) (*fiʕlan) bi-saafir (JA)
NEG (*Zeid) (*really) ASP-travel.3MSG.IPFV
(Zeid) (fiʕlan) kul yoom
(Zeid) (really) every day
‘Zeid doesn't really travel every day.’
b. ma (*Zeid) (*fiʕlan) y-saafir (QA)
NEG (*Zeid) (*really) ASP-travel.3MSG.IPFV
(Zeid) (fiʕlan) kul yoom
(Zeid) (really) every day
‘Zeid doesn't really travel every day.’
c. la (*Zaydun) (*bilfiʕli) yusaafiru (Zaydun) (bilfiʕli) (SA)
NEG (*Zeid) (*really) travel.3MSG.IPFV (Zeid) (really)
kulla yawm
every day
‘Zeid doesn't really travel every day.’
Nonetheless, indefinite subjects can intervene between the negative marker and the verb.
(2) a. ma ħada bi-saafir kul yoom (JA)
NEG one ASP-travel.3MSG.IPFV every day
‘No one travels every day.’
b. ma ħadd y-saafir kul yoom (QA)
NEG one ASP-travel.3MSG.IPFV every day
‘No one travels every day.’
c. la ʔahad-a yusaafiru kulla yawm (SA)
NEG one travel.3MSG.IPFV every day
‘No one travels every day.’
Interestingly, adverbs can also intervene between the negative marker and the verb in such contexts:
(3) a. ma ħada fiʕlan bi-saafir kul yoom (JA)
NEG one really ASP-travel.3MSG.IPFV every day
‘No one really travels every day.’
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- A Multi-locus Analysis of Arabic NegationMicro-variation in Southern Levantine, Gulf and Standard Arabic, pp. 1 - 16Publisher: Edinburgh University PressPrint publication year: 2018