Croft’s cycle in Arabic
The negative existential cycle in a single language
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10296198 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Wilmsen (0000-0003-0432-3600, Department of Arabic and Translation Studies, American University of SharjahP.O. Box 26666, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 493-535 |
| Publication date | 2020-04-26 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Linguistics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0024-3949 • E-ISSN: 1613-396X |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/ling-2020-0021 |
| OpenAlex | W3009493461 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 13 |
The negative existential cycle has been shown to be operative in several language families. Here it is shown that it also operates within a single language. It happens that the existential fī that has been adduced as an example of a type A in the Arabic of Damascus, Syria, negated with the standard spoken Arabic verbal negator mā , does not participate in a negative cycle, but another Arabic existential particle does. Reflexes of the existential particle šay ( y )/ šē / šī / ši of southern peninsular Arabic dialects enter into a type A > B configuration as a univerbation between mā and the existential particle ši in reflexes of maši . It also enters that configuration in others as a univerbation between mā , the 3rd-person pronouns hū or hī , and the existential particle šī in reflexes of mahūš / mahīš . At that point, the existential particle šī loses its identity as such to be reanalyzed as a negator, with reflexes of mahūš / mahīš negating all manner of non-verbal predications except existentials. As such, negators formed of reflexes of šī skip a stage B, but they re-enter the cycle at stage B > C, when reflexes of mahūš / mahīš begin negating some verbs. The consecutive C stage is encountered only in northern Egyptian and southern Yemeni dialects. An inchoate stage C > A appears only in dialects of Lower Egypt
Arabic · Existentialism · Identity (music) · Linguistics · Language, Linguistics, Cultural Analysis · Philosophy · Swearing, Euphemism, Multilingualism · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
| Citations per year | 0.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2022 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |