Abstract
This paper attempts to examine some argument-structure-reducing operations in Standard Arabic (SA for short). It is proposed here that some affixes (viz. prefixes and infixes) can decrease the argument structure (or valence) of the subclass of change-of-state (COS for short) verbs in the language under study. More specifically, these affixes function as unaccusativizers or decausativizers in that they can derive unaccusative COS verbs from causative COS verbs by suppressing the external argument of the latter verbs and syntactically promoting the direct object to subject position. Crucially, the ability of these affixes to affect the argument structure and the morphosyntactic realization of arguments is not limited to SA, but it has been attested in some other languages, such as Italian, Russian, Chichewa, Spanish, French, Eastern Armenian, West Greenlandic, and Tzutujil, among others.
 
Highlights
This paper examines some argument-structure-reducing processes in Standard Arabic (SA for short), compared to other languages. (Note 1) It is proposed that some affixes can alter the argument structure; i.e., the number of arguments a predicate takes, and argument realization of the subclass of causative COS verbs in the language under study
It follows from the above discussion that I have identified three derivational patterns yielding three categories of unaccusative COS verbs in SA: (i) the subclass of verbs formed by the addition of the prefix n- at the beginning of the causative COS verbal stem, (ii) the category of verbs formed by the addition of the prefix ta- at the beginning of the causative COS verbal stem, and (iii) the subset of verbs formed by the insertion of the infix –ta- in the causative COS verbal stem accompanied by a vocalic change
This conclusion might lead one to raise the issue of the universality of valence-decreasing operations and mechanisms and its possible implications for linguistic typology, in correlation with what Babby (2009) insightfully puts forward: Languages typically have a closed class of productive, diathesis-altering, paradigm-creating affixes (-af), which have their own diathesis. Since these affixes both alter V’s initial diathesis and head their own projections in the syntax, diathesis theory provides a natural setting in which an important lexalist dictum can be formalized: in addition to parameter-setting, the morphosyntactic differences we observe among languages can in large part be attributed to the language-specific properties of their diathesis-bearing affixes. (p.13). It has been argued in this paper that unlike Hallman’s (2006) account which claims that causative verbs are derived from unaccusative verbs in Arabic by the processes on ablaut and gemination, it has been argued that there still is a subclass of unaccusative COS verbs in SA which is systematically derived from causative COS verbs by the addition of some affixes, be they prefixes such as n- and ta- or infixes such as -ta
Summary
This paper examines some argument-structure-reducing processes in Standard Arabic (SA for short), compared to other languages. (Note 1) It is proposed that some affixes (viz. prefixes and infixes) can alter the argument structure (or valence); i.e., the number of arguments a predicate takes, and argument realization of the subclass of causative COS verbs in the language under study. This paper is structured as follows: section 1 discusses how unaccusative COS verbs (Note 2) are derived in SA. Section addresses the derivation of the subclass of unaccusative COS verbs in this language. Before starting to discuss the behavioral patterns of unaccusative COS verbs in SA, the theoretical background of the present study is offered
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