The polyfunctional lexeme /fard/ in the Arabic dialects of Iraq and Khuzestan

Bettina Leitner,Stephan Procházka

doi:10.1163/18776930-20210005

Bettina Leitner, Stephan Procházka

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1163/18776930-20210005

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Abstract

Abstract The primary aim of this paper is to explore the functions of the word /fard/ in Iraqi and Khuzestani Arabic. The study is based on the analysis of various text corpora and the elicitation of further examples from native speakers of the varieties investigated. The analysis of these data has shown that /fard/ is a polyfunctional item. Its various functions are the result of several grammaticalization processes. In the first stage, the noun “individual” has become a quantifier that expresses singularity. From this stage it developed into an intensifier, a marker of approximation and the scalar adverb “only.” It has been demonstrated that, from its use as a presentative marker, it developed toward an indefinite article. In contrast to the definite article, which is a grammatical category in nearly every variety of Arabic, the use of an indefinite article is rarely found in spoken Arabic. In Iraqi and Khuzestani Arabic, /fard/ is an indefinite article that possesses a wide range of applications and only a limited set of constraints. Its use, however, remains optional to a very high degree. Its main function is that of a presentative—i.e., introducing a new referent into a discourse. In addition, it also functions as an individuation marker, as a marker for expressing the speaker’s epistemic status (knowledge/ignorance) regarding a referent, and indicating free choice from a set of potential referents. Related to this last function is its use as a mitigating device in imperatives and polite requests.

Highlights

Introduction of narratives and anecdotesThe use of /fard/ as a presentative marker is highly conventionalized at the beginning of fairy tales, traditional narratives and anecdotes
It can be supposed that the poly-functional character of /fard/ is the result of more or less independent grammaticalization processes, all of which began in the first stage, when it became a quantifier that marks singularity (§ 2.1)
In the World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, the Iraqi /fard/ is mentioned as an example of the grammaticalization process “one” → “indefinite article” (Kuteva et al 2019: 300). This entry suggests that Iraqi and Khuzestani Arabic share the common development whereby indefinite articles derive from the numeral “one.” This pathway of grammaticalization is found in the great majority of languages (De Mulder and Carlier 2011: 520)

Summary

Constraints and restrictions

The meaning of the source item of a grammaticalization often persists in the sense that the grammaticalized item is not used in functions that are incompatible with its original meaning (Hopper and Traugott 2003: 96). 3.3.1 Marking of uncountable singular nouns In Iraqi and Khuzestani Arabic, this usage of /fard/ is restricted to its function as an intensifier (§2.2) In most cases, such utterances contain adverbs or phrases that express intensification and reinforce the intensifying value. /fard/ is not another example of a source item for the grammaticalization of indefinite pronouns such as English someone, French quelqu’un and German irgendeiner (see Kuteva et al 2019: 301) That is because it is not /fard/ ‘one single,’ but /wāḥid/ ‘one’ that serves as the base word; /fard/ only modifies this and other pronouns according to its grammaticalized usage.

Analysis and discussion

Findings

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Summary