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The morpho-syntax of question particles in Standard Arabic
Abdul-Hafeed Fakih1, Ali Abbas Falah Alzubi1, Sami Algouzi1
1Department of English, College of Languages and Translation, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
Standard Arabic yes-no questions utilize particles that are base-generated in [Spec-CP] and do not move. These particles mark interrogativity without triggering syntactic movement in minimalist syntax.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Syntax
- Morphology
Background:
- Wh-questions in Standard Arabic (SA) are well-studied, but yes-no questions and their particles remain underexplored in minimalist syntax.
- Existing research lacks detailed analysis of SA question particles within Chomsky's Phase Theory, particularly their derivation and morpho-syntactic representation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the morpho-syntax of SA question particles within minimalist syntax.
- To determine if SA question particles move to [Spec-CP] during yes-no question formation.
- To analyze the role and placement of SA question particles in clause structure using Phase Theory.
Main Methods:
- Adoption of Chomsky's Phase Theory to analyze Standard Arabic data.
- Examination of the syntactic behavior and morpho-syntactic properties of question particles.
Main Results:
- Standard Arabic question particles do not undergo syntactic movement to [Spec-CP] in yes-no questions.
- These particles are base-generated in [Spec-CP].
- Question particles function as morphological affixes marking interrogativity, lacking agreement and tense features that would trigger movement.
Conclusions:
- SA question particles are base-generated in [Spec-CP] and do not move, differing from patterns observed in other languages like English.
- The analysis provides a neat account of SA question particles within Chomsky's Phase Theory.
- This study contributes to a deeper understanding of yes-no question formation in Standard Arabic within minimalist syntactic frameworks.
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