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Arabic Indefinites, Interrogatives, and Negators: A Linguistic History of
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Arabic Indefinites, Interrogatives, and Negators: A Linguistic History of Western Dialects Hardcover - 2014 - 1st Edition

by David Wilmsen


From the publisher

This book traces the origins and development of the Arabic grammatical marker s/si, which is found in interrogatives, negators, and indefinite determiners over a broad dialect area that stretches from the southern Levant to North Africa and includes dialects of Yemen and Oman. David Wilmsen draws on data from old vernacular Arabic texts and from a variety of Arabic dialects, and shows that, contrary to much of the literature on the diachrony of this morpheme, s/si does not derive from Arabic say 'thing'. Instead, he argues that it dates back to a pre-Arabic stage of West Semitic and probably has its origins in a Semitic demonstrative pronoun. On this theory, Arabic say could in fact derive from s/si, and not vice versa. The book demonstrates the significance of the Arabic dialects in understanding the history of Arabic and the Semitic languages, and claims that modern Arabic dialects could not have developed from Classical Arabic. It will be of interest to historical linguists of all persuasions from graduate level upwards, particularly all those working on Arabic and other Semitic languages.

Details

  • Title Arabic Indefinites, Interrogatives, and Negators: A Linguistic History of Western Dialects
  • Author David Wilmsen
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition number 1st
  • Edition 1
  • Pages 352
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Oxford University Press, USA, U.S.A.
  • Date 2014
  • Features Bibliography, Index
  • ISBN 9780198718123 / 0198718128
  • Weight 1.2 lbs (0.54 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 in (23.37 x 15.75 x 2.54 cm)
  • Themes
    • Aspects (Academic): Historical
    • Cultural Region: Middle Eastern
  • Library of Congress subjects Arabic language - Dialects - Grammar, Arabic language - Interrogative
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2014937425
  • Dewey Decimal Code 492.77

About the author


David Wilmsen is Professor of Arabic in the Department of Arabic and Near Eastern Languages at The American University of Beirut. He has spent 40 years studying Arabic, and 20 years living in Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon. He has previously held posts at The American University in Cairo and Georgetown University, and his work has been published in a number of journals including Zeitschrift fur Arabische Linguistik, Journal of Semitic Studies, and Arabica.
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ARABIC INDEFINITES, INTERROGATIVES, AND NEGATORS: A LINGUISTIC HISTORY OF WESTERN DIALECTS
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ARABIC INDEFINITES, INTERROGATIVES, AND NEGATORS: A LINGUISTIC HISTORY OF WESTERN DIALECTS

by Wilmsen, David

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Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover. Octavo, 245 pages. In Very Good condition with Very Good minus condition. Black spine with yellow text. Dust jacket has mild edge and shelf wear. Textblock clean. Shelved ND-B. 1379643. FP New Rockville Stock.
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Arabic Indefinites, Interrogatives, and Negators: A Linguistic History of Western Dialects

Arabic Indefinites, Interrogatives, and Negators: A Linguistic History of Western Dialects

by Wilmsen, David

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Oxford University Press, 2014. First Edition. Hardcover. Like New/Like New. 9x1x6. Dark blue hardback with gilt lettered spine: firm and square, strong joints, no bumps. Complete with original dustjacket: showing well, no tears, no chips. Contents crisp, tight and clean; no pen-marks. Not from a library so no such stamps or labels. Looks and feels unread. Size: 240mm x 160mm. Fully indexed. Thus a nearly new, if not new copy.
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Arabic Indefinites, Interrogatives, and Negators: A Linguistic History of Western Dialects (Oxford Studies in Diachronic and Historical Linguistics)

by Wilmsen, David

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U.S.A.: Oxford University Press, 2014. First Edition. . Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. 245pp.
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ARABIC INDEF INTER NEG OSDHL14 C
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ARABIC INDEF INTER NEG OSDHL14 C

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