In:The New Arabic Lexicon and its Words: Root-based and templatic morphosyntax
Abdelkader Fassi Fehri
[Language Faculty and Beyond 21] 2026
► pp. v–x
Published online: 23 March 2026
https://doi.org/10.1075/lfab.21.toc
https://doi.org/10.1075/lfab.21.toc
Table of contents
Acknowledgements
xi
Chapter 1.Introducing the new Arabic Lexicon and its words
1
1.1The modern comparative linguistics turn
2
1.1.1Non-concatenative morphology and the non-vocalized property
2
1.1.2Distinct roles of consonants and vowels in building up roots, categories, and argument structure
5
1.1.2.1The marginal role of the verb in derivations
5
1.1.2.2Root derivation as basic, and ‘lexical relatedness’
7
1.1.2.3The role of the consonant sequence
in basic word formation 8
in basic word formation 8
1.1.2.4The consonant sequence in complex word formation: Causative, inchoative, and reflexive roots
8
1.1.2.5The roles of vowels in basic and complex
word formation 8
word formation 8
1.1.2.6The role of vowels in categorization and inflection
9
1.1.2.7The division of labor as Arabic/Semitic property
and variation 9
and variation 9
1.1.3Morphological templates and syntax
10
1.1.4Word semantics
11
1.2Further characteristics of roots, templates, and Arabic words
12
1.2.1Roots
12
1.2.2Templates
14
1.2.3Traditional grammar: More than one kalimat ‘morpheme’
in a word 14
in a word 14
1.2.4Two conceptions of roots: Root-based and stem-based
15
1.2.5Categorization, context, and meaning
17
1.3The anatomy of the verb features and its argument configurations
20
1.3.1From root to category
20
1.3.2The anatomy of the verb stem
21
1.3.3Event nouns and adjectives
23
1.3.4Complex forms
23
1.3.5Syntactic categories? What are they?
24
1.3.6The root/stem/category issue
26
1.3.7A Templatization root constraint
26
1.4The DM framework and architecture
27
1.4.1Distributed morphology
27
1.4.2Fragments of the Arabic lexicon and the ACVL
28
1.5The MP
29
1.5.1Basic foundations and principles
29
1.5.1.1Economy
29
1.5.1.2Merge
30
1.5.1.3Phases
30
1.5.1.4Agree and feature checking
31
1.5.1.5Bare phrase structure
31
1.5.1.6Interfaces and full interpretability
31
1.5.2The architecture of grammar
32
1.5.3The language faculty
33
1.5.4Beyond the language faculty
34
Chapter 2.Psych construction types in Arabic as root-based
38
2.1Essential issues
38
2.1.1Three essential challenges
40
2.1.2Root-pattern morphology
40
2.1.3Distributed Morphology and the root/template divide
40
2.1.4Psych constructions
41
2.2First motivation
41
2.2.1Belletti & Rizzi’s tripartite verbal classification
41
2.2.2Categorial flexibility of roots
43
2.2.3Verbless psych constructions
43
2.2.4The ‘psy-chose’ argument
44
2.3Complex motivation
44
2.3.1On the lack of evidence for denominal or deadjectival processes
45
2.3.2Causative formation
45
2.3.3Non-concatenative morphology
47
2.3.4Multiple categorized CV skeletons produce
a lot of undesirable redundancy 48
a lot of undesirable redundancy 48
2.3.5Morhosyntactic psych alternations and semantic composition
50
2.3.5.1Causative form IV
50
2.3.5.2Causative form II
51
2.3.5.3Apophonic causative form I
52
2.3.5.4Inchoative/anticausative form VII
53
2.3.5.5Reflexive/reciprocal form VIII
54
2.4Valency affixes are roots, not templates, or categorizers
56
2.4.1Derivational affixes are roots, not categories
56
2.4.2Rooted psych structures
57
2.4.3Passives
59
2.5Psych event nominals
63
2.5.1SExp nominals only?
63
2.5.2OExp nominals are not felicitous
64
2.5.3DExp nominals are not felicitous either
65
2.5.4Morphologically complex psych nominals
are productively felicitous 66
are productively felicitous 66
2.6Further motivation and a new classification
68
2.6.1The LocExp class
68
2.6.2Monovalent SubjExp
69
2.6.3A new quadripartite classification
71
2.7Recap and conclusion
72
Chapter 3.Perception eventualities and their root-based morphosyntax
74
3.1Main issues
76
3.1.1Lexicalization of perception, polycategoriality,
and roots of senses 76
and roots of senses 76
3.1.2A basic tripartite classification
78
3.1.3Body parts or organs as roots
81
3.1.4manner and instrument as roots
83
3.1.5Argument structure and complementation
86
3.1.5.1(In)Transitivity
86
3.1.5.2Complementation
86
3.1.6Morphosyntactic alternations: Root affixes and category affixes
87
3.2The root-based constructional approach
89
3.2.1Basic semantics
90
3.2.2Basic trees/structures, and syntactic classes
92
3.3Cognitive events
95
3.3.1Productivity along three templates
95
3.3.2Productivity along three templates
97
3.4Summary and conclusion
99
Chapter 4.Adjectives, derivations, gradation,
and other functional domains 101
and other functional domains 101
4.1Preliminaries: Arabic adjective words and classes
101
4.1.1Derivation of adjectives
102
4.1.2Post-nominal and prenominal contrasts
103
4.1.3A third derivational class: The elative comparative
105
4.1.4Superlative formation
107
4.1.5Argument structure of QA adjectives
108
4.1.6Some properties of RA adjectives
110
4.1.7A fourth derivation class: Participial adjectives
111
4.1.8Some unifying formal syntactic features of adjective words
112
4.2Adjectives in the Deg/Q gradation/scale system
112
4.2.1Essentials of comparative morphosyntax
112
4.2.1.1Essential components of the comparative construction
113
4.2.1.2Forming the synthetic elative
114
4.2.2Basic semantics
115
4.2.3Degree Quantifier as heading DegP and QP
117
4.2.4Argument structure of morphological comparatives
120
4.2.5More on the structure of CC
121
4.2.6Parallels between QA/PA adjectives and synthetic/periphrastic comparatives
122
4.2.7Min DP: What is it? Properties and tropes
122
4.3Adjectives as states, their argument structure,
and the Asp/T (v/voice) system 124
and the Asp/T (v/voice) system 124
4.3.1Status with respect to the Davidsoninan eventuality argument
124
4.3.2Essential structural differences between adjectives and PA’s
127
4.3.3Psych adjectives, their arguments, and structures
129
4.3.4Stimulus/Experiencer alternations
131
4.3.5More limitations on adjective structures
134
4.3.6No adjectives for external roles
134
4.4Further discussion
135
4.4.1States or degrees?
135
4.4.2Further elaboration on the semantics of comparatives:
Deriving from root or category 137
Deriving from root or category 137
4.4.3Scales and segments?
140
4.5Color adjectives, and other color categories
140
4.5.1Color adjectives
141
4.5.2Nouns and event nouns
142
4.5.3Color verbs
143
4.5.4Participles
144
4.5.5Gradability and CC
144
4.6Conclusion
145
Chapter 5.Nominals, nominalizations, and complex derivations
147
5.1Basic issues
148
5.1.1No morphological evidence for the category change?
148
5.1.2Lexically related pairs through simple or complex roots
149
5.1.3Traditional thought and the source of derivation issue
151
5.1.4Basic structures, classes and properties
153
5.1.4.1A recap of Fassi Fehri’s (1990, 1993) CCH approach:
three classes of masdar’s 153
three classes of masdar’s 153
5.1.4.2Thematic and aspectual properties
158
5.1.4.3Further properties of DNs
159
5.1.5Event nominals with no overt internal argument
161
5.1.6Genitive objects
163
5.1.7The root analysis and the AspH
164
5.1.8Case inheritance, accusative and dative, and the Root analysis
165
5.2Three approaches of derived nominals in the literature
167
5.2.1Three classes of Arabic complex nominals
167
5.2.1.1Class I and Class II nominals
167
5.2.1.2Class III nominals
169
5.2.2Three approaches compared: CCH, Root/AspH, and Allosemy
171
5.2.2.1At the origins of the three approaches
171
5.2.2.2Grimshaw’s typology of DNs
172
5.2.2.3The ambiguity problem
175
5.2.3Marantz’s contextual allosemy
176
5.2.3.1Marantz (2013)
176
5.2.3.2Wood’s allosemy and the derivation of nominals
178
5.2.4More on contextual allosemy
179
5.3Deriving nominals without CCH or category typing
181
5.3.1Masdar forms and morphosemantics
181
5.3.1.1Properties of roots
182
5.3.1.2Properties of templates/affixes
184
5.3.1.3Distinct category typing and allosemy
184
5.3.1.4Allomorphy of functional morphemes
185
5.3.2Polysemy or homonymy of DN affixes?
185
5.4Summary and conclusion
188
Chapter 6.Passives, participles, nominals, and voice
189
6.1Essential properties of passives
193
6.1.1Delimiting the domain of inquiry: basic and non-basic passives
193
6.1.2Three passive constructions
194
6.1.3Specific word formation and morphology
197
6.1.4The passive morpheme: Voice, Asp, or (fused) Vasp?
200
6.1.5Thematic and argumental properties
202
6.1.6Binding properties and the implicit argument
205
6.1.7Case inhibition
206
6.2Classes of passives, their structures, and competing theories
210
6.2.1Two Competing Theories: ArgT and VaspT
211
6.2.2Passives, morphological passives, and categorization
212
6.2.3A comparison with Embick (2004) Homonymy and affixation
216
6.2.4.1Causative, inchoative, and reflexive
219
6.2.4.2Middles and passives
221
6.3lmplementing VoiT or VaspT
224
6.3.1Thematic identification
224
6.3.2lmpersonal passives and the 1 AEX
227
6.3.3Aspectual properties of the passive affix
228
6.3.3.1The compositional nature of the passive aspect
228
6.3.3.2Statives as a source of Arabic verbal passives
229
6.4Recent elaborations on the passive theory (VoiP or PassP),
and variation 231
and variation 231
6.4.1Collins (2005)
231
6.4.2Alexiadou et al (2020)
232
6.4.3Passive formation and variation (Greek vs English)
235
6.4.4SA and MA
236
6.5Summary and conclusion
238
Chapter 7.Results and conclusion
240
References
243
Abbreviations
265
Index
269
