Feminine Endings Research Articles

The syntax of the diminutive morpheme-aajin Egyptian Arabic, Syrian Arabic, and Jordanian Arabic

AbstractThis article investigates the morphosyntactic behavior of the diminutive morpheme-aajin three Arabic dialects (Egyptian Arabic, Syrian Arabic, and Jordanian Arabic). It argues that this morpheme is categorially a head that projects Size Phrase (cf. De Belder, Marijke. 2008. Size matters: Towards a syntactic decomposition of countability. In Natasha Abner & Jason Bishop (eds.),Proceedings of the 27th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, 116–122. Somerville: Cascadilla Proceedings Project). In so doing, this analysis obviously challenges (Fassi Fehri, Abdelkader. 2018.Constructing feminine to mean: Gender, number, numeral, and quantifier extensions in Arabic. Lanham: Lexington Books) recent proposal that (non-)concatenative diminutives in Arabic are modifiers that are adjoined to categorized words when they indicate smallness in size. Additionally, this article provides an account of the observation that the diminutive morpheme-aajcan only appear with the feminine ending and a certain group of nouns, including collective aggregates (e.g., fruits and vegetables) and granular aggregates (e.g., grains, nuts, and seeds). We show that words suffixed with the diminutive morpheme-aajcan only give rise to an individuation reading (not a partition or non-count reading). This is syntactically interpreted as indicating that Size Phrase (headed by-aaj) is always dominated in Arabic grammar by Division Phrase (cf. Borer, Hagit. 2005.In name only. Oxford: Oxford University Press), whose presence derives an individuation reading.

Does the use of Gender-Fair Language Impair the Comprehensibility of Video Lectures? – An Experiment Using an Authentic Video Lecture Manipulating Role Nouns in German

Gender-fair language makes women and other genders, their interests, and their achievements more visible and is particularly relevant to grammatical gender languages such as German, in which most nouns and personal pronouns are assigned to a specific gender. The present study tested the often repeated critical claims that gender-fair language impairs the comprehensibility and aesthetic appeal of videos. In an experiment with N = 105 students, participants watched a video on self-determination theory, either with masculine-only forms or using the glottal stop, a form of spoken gender-fair language that inserts an abrupt and sustained closure of the vocal cords in the larynx between the masculine form or the stem and the feminine ending of words (e.g. in German “Leserʔinnen”, ∼feʔmale readers). Subsequently, participants completed a questionnaire regarding the video's comprehensibility. The results show no statistically significant impairment regarding the general subjective comprehensibility (partial η2 < .01), the ease of ascribing meaning to the words (partial η2 < .01), the ease of decoding the syntax of the sentences (partial η2 = .03), or the aesthetic appeal of the videos (partial η2 = .02). The critics’ claims are therefore questioned.

Trochaic tetrameter in Russian folk spiritual verses of late tradition: Some issues of metrics and rhythmics

The article represents the first experience in analyzing the metrical and rhythmical organization of Russian folk spiritual verses written in trochaic tetrameter in the 19th–20th centuries. These verses existed not only orally, but in writing as well. The criteria for the selection of folklore material and its preparation for research are substantiated. The sample consists of 4447 lines, 93 texts were analyzed. The analysis is based on the principles of the “Russian method”. The purpose of the article is to test the hypothesis about different rhythmical structure of lines with feminine and masculine endings. According to this hypothesis, accentual dissimilation is progressive in feminine lines and regressive in masculine lines, which is also confirmed by some literary and folklore materials. The array of lines was differentiated by feminine and masculine rhymes; rhythmical tendencies were identifi ed on the basis of a separated analysis. The metrical repertoire of the bearers of the folklore tradition was revealed; the nomenclature of rhythmical forms was identified; accentual profi les were created; the data are presented in 25 tables. The research has shown that in lines of diff erent types the principle of regressive accentual dissimilation is observed, but in masculine lines dissimilation is more intense than in feminine lines. An important feature of the rhythm of spiritual poetry is the abundance of misplaced accents (emphatic syncopations). Taking into account the mobility of stress in folklore, I propose three models of rhythmical analysis. The fi rst model is based on the hypothesis of regular syncopations; the second one proposes the correction and exclusion of some cases of syncopations; the third one takes into account the regular shifts of stress to a metrically strong position, with elimination of all misplaced accents. As far as I could discover, an adequate characteristic of the rhythm of folklore verse does not require constant “fine tuning”. It is quite possible to use the basic model with checking the accentual variants by dictionaries.

The Ninth Symphony of Beethoven, Its Rich History

Adrienne Rich’s poem “The Ninth Symphony of Beethoven Understood at Last as a Sexual Message” has become a fixture in musicological accounts of Beethoven and the Ninth ever since its introduction to the discipline in an influential essay by Susan McClary. But though Rich’s work has been cited in numerous books and articles in the intervening decades, it has remained yoked to McClary’s text, with critics rarely considering the poem on its own terms. This paper considers what is at stake in our discipline’s reliance on Rich’s “Beethoven” poem. After taking stock of its use at the hands of musicologists since the publication of Feminine Endings, asking to what end authors reference Rich’s work, it returns to the poem in order to stage a more explicit confrontation with its text, reestablish its connections to contemporary discussions of Beethoven and feminism, and consider its significance to musicology.

The Feminine Ending -at in Shammari Arabic: a Response to Marijn Van Putten

Abstract Attempting to interpret palatalization of the feminine marker -at to -ay in the Shammari dialect of Najd, Putten (2017) assumes that such change constitutes evidence that this dialect cannot be derived histori-cally from Classical Arabic, and that its development did not participate in the at > ah change in all positions. In this response, I view this change to follow the same path Classical Arabic came across, but with an additional internal change peculiar to this variety. I argue for an intermediate stage of -at > -ah > -ay in the Shammari dialect of Najd. Therefore, I consider this phenomenon an initial stage of imāla (an incipient imāla) wherein palatalization diffuses within certain lexically-conditioned categories.

Fletcher’s Versification

The essay deals with Fletcher’s versification compared to his contemporaries and co-authors. Fletcher had the most feminine endings compared to other playwrights, more compound feminine endings, and more heavy (stressed) feminine endings. He had few run-on lines: run-on lines and compound feminine endings are in reverse proportion. The main features outlined in the paper are the distribution of stressing and strong syntactic breaks in the line, types of line endings, and the syntactic and semantic function of enclitic micro-phrases. Fletcher’s verse had undergone an evolution, from Bonduca and Valentinian (1610–13) to The Island Princess (1621–23), e. g. the changed place of strong syntactic breaks. Analysis of Massinger’s verse confirmed Oras’s impression that it was prose-like: Massinger often squeezed two syllables into the same metrical slot; he had little hemistich segmentation; and he often divided his lines syntactically; the second part of the divided line ran-over onto the next line, thus effacing the division of his verse into lines. Unlike Shakespeare’s enjambments, which are composed with masculine endings and with an unstressed monosyllabic grammatical word placed on position 10, Massinger’s syntactic breaks in midline and run-on lines occur with compound light feminine endings.

Gahwat al-murra: the N + DEF-ADJ syntagm and the *at>ahshift in Arabic

AbstractMultiple varieties of Arabic attest a definite noun + adjective syntagm in which only the adjective is marked morphologically with the article, e.g., Lebanesebēt iz-zġīr“the small house”. The feminine ending*-ahis everywhere realized -(v)t, e.g., Baghdadisint il-māḍye“last year”. Most have assumed that it was originally appositional, and re-analysed as a construct, prompted perhaps by the loss of case (Hopkins 1984; Pat-El 2017). A few scholars (Reckendorf 1921; Retsö 2009) have argued that this syntagm was originally construct. In this article I draw on relevant Arabic data, including parallels with dialectaltanwīn, as well as comparative Semitic evidence, to argue that this syntagm is, diachronically and synchronically, one of apposition and not annexation. I propose that the feminine-athere represents a retention of proto-Arabic*-at, which was protected by the close relationship between a noun and following attribute. I conclude with a discussion of historical and comparative implications.

O dodecassílabo iâmbico misto: uma proposta para a adaptação do verso branco épico inglês ao português

A tradução do verso branco épico usualmente toma duas formas: fidelidade formal à contagem silábica como recriação do pentâmetro em decassílabos ou fidelidade semântica como transposição adaptativa em versos livres. Ambos os modos causam detrimento aos efeitos particulares da forma original por não transporem à língua de chegada as qualidades essenciais do verso branco inglês: o ritmo cadenciado e constante e a tensão entre o ritmo métrico e o ritmo sintático-semântico. Em nosso artigo, buscamos estudar as qualidades e efeitos que tornam o verso branco épico distinto de outras formas métricas, explorando os mecanismos do pentâmetro iâmbico, seus limites e mutações dentro da tradição inglesa, e como esse verso opera em composições não-rimadas de caráter narrativo e meditativo, nas quais as diferenças entre prosa e poesia tornam-se mais tênues e a métrica toma um caráter ao mesmo tempo menos marcado e mais fundamental. Após esse levantamento, propomos uma nova variação do verso branco em português, o dodecassílabo misto, composto de ritmo iâmbico, formado pela alternância de sílabas átonas e tônicas ou subtônicas, e dodecasílabos acéfalos quando o verso precedente é grave. Ilustramos nosso estudo do verso branco com passagens de The Prelude, de William Wordsworth, e traduzimos trechos da mesma obra segundo nossa medida métrica para determinar sua eficácia. Como resultado, notamos que nossa forma adaptada mostra-se capaz de acomodar aquelas qualidades consideradas essenciais ao verso branco, reformulando, em português, efeitos poéticos frequentemente perdidos no processo de versão de obras inglesas, como o ritmo regular binário e o momento de leitura vertido de um verso a outro de modo integrado. Concluímos, dessa maneira, que uma abordagem não-tradicional das potencialidades métricas da língua portuguesa, em diálogo com os moldes da poesia inglesa, é capaz de abrir novas perspectivas tradutórias para pesquisadores em língua portuguesa e trazer a lume qualidades de tradições métricas distintas que podem oferecer novas ferramentas a seus tradutores.

Is un stylo sharper than une épée? Investigating the interaction of sound symbolism and grammatical gender in English and French speakers.

While the arbitrariness of language has long been considered one of its defining features, there is growing evidence that non-arbitrariness also plays an important role. Here we investigated two sources of non-arbitrariness: systematicity (via grammatical gender) and iconicity (via shape sound symbolism). We manipulated these two elements orthogonally, allowing us to examine the effect of each. In Experiment 1, we found that French speakers associated nonwords containing feminine (masculine) endings with round (sharp) shapes. French speakers also associated nonwords containing round-sounding (sharp-sounding) phonemes with round (sharp) shapes. This was repeated using auditory presentation with both an English-speaking (Experiment 2a) and French-speaking (Experiment 2b) sample. As predicted, the English speakers showed no effects of grammatical gender, while the French speakers did. These results demonstrate that speakers of a language with grammatical gender associate different properties to words belonging to different genders. The results also show that sound symbolism can emerge in stimuli with existing associated information (i.e., endings indicative of grammatical gender, and the association that they evoke). Finally, while previous studies have looked at effects of arbitrary and non-arbitrary mappings contained in a single stimulus, this is the first study to demonstrate that different kinds of non-arbitrary mappings can have an effect when appearing in the same stimulus. Together these results add to our understanding of the importance of non-arbitrariness in language.

A linguaxe non sexista no CORGA: descrición e reflexión sobre as variantes empregadas

Nas últimas décadas un sector da poboación entende que o masculino se considera termo non marcado da oposición xenérica por seren tradicionalmente os homes os que posuían o poder, e non sente que as diferentes identidades xenéricas estean representadas no masculino empregado como termo non marcado. Asistimos pois á loita para acadar a igualdade entre homes e mulleres tamén dende a lingua, por unha banda facendo visible o xénero feminino, e pola outra anulando a distinción xenérica como elemento clasificador dual. Entre as opcións que se propoñen para acadar estes fins destacan a duplicación dos termos (os alumnos e as alumnas, as alumnas e os alumnos), a escolla dun termo xenérico (o alumnado) e a introdución de grafías innovadoras: os/as alumnos/as, as/os alumnas/os, @s alumn@s, xs alumnxs e, a máis recente, es alumnes. Neste traballo, tras unha breve panorámica explicativa, describiremos o uso destas formas no galego escrito actual a través dos datos recollidos no Corpus de Referencia do Galego Actual (CORGA), e proporemos abrir un debate lingüístico sobre o establecemento dun novo valor na categoría gramatical xénero e a súa posible inclusión nas gramáticas descritivas.

Power and Equity in the Academy: Change from Within

Power and Equity in the Academy: Change from Within

Feminine Endings in The Duchess of Malfi

This article takes as its starting point a convention in prosody that stylistically pushes the feminine and femininity to the margin of the poetic line and excludes them from the metrical norm. Extending that principle to the play, it offers a reflection on the way endings are made distinct for female and male protagonists, and thereby paradoxically opens a space for the feminine and femininity within the text, even if that space can only be reached in loss and death.

The feminine endings*-ayand*-āyin Semitic and Berber

AbstractThis paper examines the evidence for the marginal feminine endings*-ay-and*-āy-in Proto-Semitic, and the feminine endings*-eand*-ain Proto-Berber. Their similar formation (*CV̆CC-ay/āy), semantics (verbal abstracts, underived concrete feminine nouns) and plural morphology (replacement of the feminine suffix by a plural suffix with -w-) suggest that this feminine formation should be reconstructed to a shared ancestor which may be called Proto-Berbero-Semitic.

Henry VIII, All is True?

WRITING about All is True; or, Henry VIII, Gary Taylor and Rory Loughnane state, ‘In the New Oxford Shakespeare we identify Shakespeare as sole author of 1.1, 1.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.2.1–204, and 5.1; Fletcher is wholly or primarily responsible for the remainder, and is therefore the dominant author, as he is again in Two Noble Kinsmen.’1 As a member of the New Oxford’s Attribution Advisory Board, MacDonald P. Jackson was influential in confirming the attributions to Shakespeare and Fletcher made by James Spedding in 1850.2 In his note of 2013, Jackson cites the percentages of feminine endings in the nine disputed passages which I reversed (Fletcher to Shakespeare and Shakespeare to Fletcher) and showed that they accord more closely with Spedding’s findings.3 ... Jackson also demonstrates that phrases of 2–6 words and 12 words demarcated by punctuation in the Arden 2 edition of the play favour Spedding’s attribution of the nine disputed passages. Rather than embark on a detailed critique of Jackson’s case, I would observe that it is based on univariate descriptive statistics gathered from 1874 (Furnivall) to 1997 (Jackson)—the most recent published six years earlier than my foundational chart for Henry VIII, incorporating multivariate inferential statistics.4

The Feminine Ending -at as a Diptote in the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text and Its Implications for Proto-Arabic and Proto-Semitic

Abstract This paper examines the feminine ending -at in the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text. It argues that from the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text, and various data of comparative linguistic evidence, it is likely that the language of the Qurʾānic Consonantal Text goes back to a variety of Arabic where the feminine ending was treated as a diptote. It is moreover argued, that this feminine ending was likely also diptotic in Proto-Arabic.

The Archaic Feminine Ending -at in Shammari Arabic

The Archaic Feminine Ending -at in Shammari Arabic

Finding Your Voice and Writing Well: Situating Others Within the Text

Finding Your Voice and Writing Well: Situating Others Within the Text

Feminine Endings and Function Words inKing John

In my note ‘Feminine Endings in King John ’ ( N&Q , ccliv (2009), I presented a table (578) to which Michael Best in his Internet Edition of King John objected thus, ‘However, his [Merriam’s] division of King John into multiple, relatively short components, attributing these in part to two different hands, does not provide clear evidence of multiple authorship.’ 1 The table in question displays twenty-six sections (plus one half-section), of which twelve are assigned to Shakespeare and fourteen to an unidentified co-author. The table presents the numbers of lines for each section and their respective number of feminine endings. Best understood the table to imply that the partition of King John was substantively based on the distribution of feminine endings shown. He believed that the small sample sizes involved, averaging 784 words (tokens) each, were ‘clearly too short to be amenable to statistical analysis’. It cannot be emphasized enough that the segmentation and attributions are the work of a study made two years before ‘Feminine Endings in King John ’ and were effected with regard to function words. 2 It is possible nevertheless to combine evidence from three independent sources, including feminine endings, to confirm the case for multiple authorship in King John .

Is It Time to Re-thinkKing John?

One of Shakespeare’s least performed plays is King John , a drama indicted by E. K. Chambers for being an ‘incoherent patchwork’. Stylometric evidence over an extended period suggests a division of authorship that sheds light on the play’s ambiguous allegiance to its eponymous hero. The play displays a distinctive cross pattern, both contextually and linguistically. A variety of methods are described here. They include the use of the relative frequency of most common words, the distribution of irregular lines (feminine endings), and the average length of all words in modern spelling. There is also a two-fold cluster analysis with R Stylo, a programme which combines variable extraction with statistical analysis in a single process. This is a promising and accessible means for independent replication. The authorship of King John is a question that can progress towards a solution with modern methods.

A sociophonetic account of morphophonemic variation in Palestinian Arabic

This study presents findings from sociolinguistic fieldwork on Palestinian Arabic in the Gaza Strip and Jordan. The sample includes 30 speakers representing three age groups, both genders, and three Palestinian communities: indigenous Gaza City residents, refugees from Jaffa who live in Gaza City, and Gaza City refugees living in Jordan. Linear mixed effects analyses are presented on the vowel raising of the Arabic feminine ending /ah/. The traditional dialect of Gaza realizes this morpheme consistently as [a] (Bergsträsser 1915), with all other Levantine city dialects raising the feminine ending to [e] or [i] except after back consonants (Al-Wer 2007). Similarly, the traditional Jordanian dialect in the area in which Gaza City refugees live also raises this vowel to [e] (Herin 2014). Results indicate robust sociophonetic variation in the realization of this vowel across these communities. Jaffa refugees in Gaza, whose traditional dialect realizes this vowel as [e], are found to be lowering their realization of this vowel with each successive generation, with younger speakers showing a phonetic realization similar to young indigenous Gazans. Simultaneously, Gaza refugees in Jordan show higher phonetic realizations across generations, indicating convergence toward the local realization of this vowel in Jordanian Arabic.