Full metadata
Title
Negative polarity items and negative concord in modern standard Arabic
Description
This thesis explores the distribution of certain lexical items in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and their relationship with two linguistic phenomena, negative concord (NC) and negative polarity items (NPIs). The present study examines two central questions: the first question investigates whether or not MSA shows the patterns of negative concord languages. The second question concerns the distribution of N-words and NPIs in MSA, and in which environments they appear. To answer the research questions, the thesis uses the framework of generative grammar of Chomsky (1995) and The (Non)veridicality Approach by Giannakidou (1998, 2000, 2002). The data reveal that MSA shows the patterns of strict negative concord languages that are suggested by Giannakidou (2000) in the sense that the negative particle obligatorily co-occurs with the N-words which strengthen the degree of negation, and never lead to a double negation interpretation. Moreover, the data show that there is only one pure NPI which appears optionally in two environments, antiveridical and nonveridical environments, and it is disallowed in veridical environments. On the other hand, the investigated indefinite nouns show a mixed picture since they work differently from their counterparts in Arabic dialects. Their descendants in Arabic dialects appear as NPIs while they tend to be indefinite nouns rather than NPIs in MSA.
Date Created
2013
Contributors
- Alanazi, Muqbil (Author)
- Gelderen, Elly van (Thesis advisor)
- Gillon, Carrie (Committee member)
- Major, Roy (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Topical Subject
Resource Type
Extent
viii, 61 p. : 1 col. map
Language
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Primary Member of
Peer-reviewed
No
Open Access
No
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.17973
Statement of Responsibility
by Muqbil Alanazi
Description Source
Retrieved on Nov. 27, 2013
Level of coding
full
Note
Partial requirement for: M.A., Arizona State University, 2013
Note type
thesis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-61)
Note type
bibliography
Field of study: English
System Created
- 2013-07-12 06:25:24
System Modified
- 2021-08-30 01:41:14
- 2 years 8 months ago
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