A Contrastive Study on Noun Diminutive Formation in Tafili Spoken Arabic and Jijilian Spoken Arabic

Mahmoud Qudah,Isra’A Isam Al-Hanaktah,Bashar Mohammad Al-Kaseasbeh

doi:10.22158/lecr.v1n1p51

Abstract

The present study aims at contrasting the patterns governing noun diminutive formation between Tafili Spoken Arabic (TSA), a dialect in Jordanian Arabic (JA), and Jijilian Spoken Arabic (JSA), a dialect in Algerian Arabic, and then accounting for that within the framework of Optimality Theory (OT). Throughout the analysis of the collected data, it is found that the diminutive forms in both dialects are based on a change in the phonological processes of a word by insertion, deletion or changing of some phonological segments. However, the present study has disclosed that noun diminutive forms in TSA result from the application of the following phonological processes: vowel epenthesis, vowel shortening, glide insertion, vowel syncope, and the insertion of the glottal stop at the beginning of words. Whereas noun diminutive forms in JSA result from the application of the following phonological processes: vowel syncope, vowel epenthesis, vowel shortening, glide insertion, degemination and metathesis. The application of OT to account for those phonological processes indicates that they happen from a continual conflict between some markedness constraints and faithfulness constraints. The researchers recommend for another study to be applied investigating and contrasting the patterns governing noun diminutive formation between other two dialects by accounting for that within the framework of OT.

Highlights

The analysis of diminutive is considered as one of the phenomena of morphology which has had some attention in Classical Arabic (CA) and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
The present study aims at contrasting the patterns governing noun diminutive formation between Tafili Spoken Arabic (TSA), a dialect in Jordanian Arabic (JA), and Jijilian Spoken Arabic (JSA), a dialect in Algerian Arabic, and accounting for that within the framework of Optimality Theory (OT)
Whereas noun diminutive forms in JSA result from the application of the following phonological processes: vowel syncope, vowel epenthesis, vowel shortening, glide insertion, degemination and metathesis

Summary

Introduction

The analysis of diminutive is considered as one of the phenomena of morphology which has had some attention in Classical Arabic (CA) and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It is the language that is taught in all levels of education and it has no local variety It is used in its exact form all over the Arab world, right from the way it developed from CA. 2) maintain that the diminutive is a word-formation used to express some meanings that can be translated as “little” and it can be formed literally or metaphorically as a term of endearment. This term is used to express a degree of the root meaning slightly, smallness of the object or quality named encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment. It is of paramount importance to mention that diminutive formation in TSA and JSA could be explained under the banner of the Optimality Theory (OT)

Objectives

Methods

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Conclusion