Grammaticalization in MSA: The Case of 9abra as a Preposition

Abstract

This study examined the use of the linguistic form 9abra (through) in Modern Standard Arabic within the framework of grammaticalization using authentic data available online. The goal of the study is to investigate the actual usage patterns of this form and its evolution into a grammaticalized preposition with different semantic sense. The study revealed that the form was grammaticalized in the 19th and early 20th centuries as a form of contact-induced grammaticalization (Heine 2005). The paper presented formal and functional motivations for considering the form as a grammaticalized preposition and the changes that accompanied its grammaticalization. The study showed that 9abra has evolved from the spatial to the temporal domain and then was further abstracted to mean instrument (means) along with its spatial and temporal reference. Following Heine's model of grammaticalization processes (Heine 2003), the study also showed that the path of grammaticalization involved decategorialization, desemanticization, and expansion. It is hoped that this study has made  a contribution to Arabic prepositions and to grammaticalization research.