In:Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics XXXI: Papers from the annual symposium on Arabic Linguistics, Norman, Oklahoma, 2017
Edited by Amel Khalfaoui and Youssef A. Haddad
[Studies in Arabic Linguistics 8] 2019
► pp. 31–50
Diminutive formation in a Libyan dialect with some phonological implications
Published online: 8 July 2019
https://doi.org/10.1075/sal.8.02gad
https://doi.org/10.1075/sal.8.02gad
Abstract
Detailed studies of diminutives in Arabic dialects are uncommon. In this article, after discussing the diminutive in Classical Arabic, Coastal Dhofari Arabic, and Moroccan Arabic, we present a detailed description of diminutives in Asābʽā Arabic, a rural Libyan dialect. We note two diminutive templates in Asābʽā Arabic: CCeeC and CCayX. Further, we document a subtype of the CCeeX template applicable to base words that begin with a labial consonant followed by a long vowel, e.g. [faar] ‘mouse’, which has the diminutive [ʔuf.feer] rather than [fweer]. We suggest that this is an OCP effect influencing (non-identical) adjacent labials. We also discuss other implications of the diminutive in Asābʽā Arabic, including the nature of its diachronic relationship with the Classical Arabic diminutive.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Brief description of the diminutive in Classical Arabic and two other varieties
- The diminutive in Classical Arabic
- The diminutive in contemporary Arabic dialects
- The diminutive in Coastal Dhofari Arabic
- The diminutive in Moroccan Arabic
- 3.Diminutive in the rural Asābʽā dialect of northwest Libya
- 4.Some phonological issues
- 5.Conclusion
Acknowledgements References
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