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In:Afroasiatic: Data and perspectives
Edited by Mauro Tosco
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 339] 2018
► pp. 61–83

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Reconsidering the ‘perfect’–‘imperfect’ opposition in the Classical Arabic verbal system

Published online: 1 February 2018
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https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.339.05mar
Abstract
A basic premise that prevails in Western grammatical descriptions is that the Classical Arabic verbal system is based on an asymmetrical opposition between two basic components: the ‘perfect’ faʿala and the ‘imperfect’ yafʿalu. The present study re-examines the validity of this premise, in view of several paradigmatic and syntagmatic characteristics of the verbal forms, in particular their syntactic distribution at the level of the clause and at the level of the text, their compatibility with modifying particles and with (verbal or nominal) clause patterns, and their interaction with various lexical classes. The study shows that the opposition between faʿala and yafʿalu is restricted to only some environments that, besides these two forms, comprise other verbal forms as well. The (a priori) postulation of an invariable meaning of each form and a fixed opposition between them is replaced by the delineation of various syntactic environments (‘contexts’) that include or preclude an opposition between the forms.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.A brief account of the ‘perfect’–‘imperfect’ opposition in the literature
  • 3.Methodological problems
  • 4.Reconsidering the faʿ ala–yafʿ alu opposition in Classical Arabic
    • 4.1Syntactic environment
    • 4.2Compatibility with particles
    • 4.3Clause types (‘word-order’)
    • 4.4Lexical classes
    • 4.5Textual domains
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
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