Stability in Subject-Verb Word Order

From Contemporary Arabian Peninsular Arabic to Biblical Aramaic

Dados Bibliográficos

ID3777784
AutoresJonathan Owens (0000-0002-9807-4889, autor correspondente), Robin Dodsworth (0000-0002-7734-8334)
Ano2009
Volume51
Fascículo2
Páginas151-175
Data de publicação2009-06-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoAnthropological linguistics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0003-5483 • E-ISSN: 1944-6527
EditoraProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/anl.0.0014
OpenAlexW1967589951
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas7

This article differs from traditional treatments of subject-verb word order in Semitic in two respects. First, we take as our point of departure a detailed study of word order in contemporary Arabian Peninsular Arabic, which shows that the respective order of the subject and verb in that variety is determined by morpholexical and by discourse-immanent factors. From this starting point, we work backwards, applying the same analytical framework to subject-verb word order in Biblical Aramaic. Secondly, we use corpus-based quantitative methods and regression analysis to determine the degree of similarity between Arabian Peninsular Arabic and Biblical Aramaic. It emerges that, for all intents and purposes, subject-verb word order in Arabian Peninsular Arabic and Biblical Aramaic are governed by an identical set of morpholexical and discourse constraints. Historical explanations for these results are discussed; it is emphasized that, whether the patterns are due to common inheritance or to diffusion, a complex pattern of word order determination is sustained over at least 2,500 years of chronological time

Arabic · Classical Arabic · Linguistics · Order (exchange) · Semitic languages · Subject (documents) · Verb · Word order · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Computer Science · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Language, Linguistics, Cultural Analysis · Philosophy