Syntactical Aspects of Negation in Syriac

Abstract

This paper aims to present an analysis of the system of negation in Early Classical Syriac. According to the analysis suggested here, Syriac uses different negation morphemes for different types of predicates and for different types of syntactical structures. The morpheme lā negates predicates whose person component is inside them, called inherent predicates. The morpheme lā hwā negates predicates which need an external mark of person in order to constitute nexus (the connection between the subject and the predicate), called non-inherent predicates. The morphemes lāhwā and law form negative cleft sentences in sentences with both predicates. The position of 'īt and its negations in this system will also be discussed. The system of negation morphemes and syntagms will be shown to exhibit clearly the differences between the two types of predicates, much more than their affirmative counterparts.