ARBC0225A/LNGT0225A: Arabic Linguistics/Spring 2012
Assignment #4: Due on Wednesday May 2nd, either in class, or by e-mail no later than 5pm.
Delay policy applies.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Even though I allowed extensions in the past, you do need to turn
this particular homework on time, so you can have a few days to get your ADAP
presentation ready as well as finish the writing of your ADAP report. So, start working on
this assignment as soon as NOW!
Instructions: Please read thoroughly and carefully!
- Important Note: As with homework assignment #3, you have to answer the questions on this
assignment in the provided empty table cells. Answers given in any other form will NOT be
accepted. Please do not edit the .doc file or delete the questions. Simply type your answers in the
empty cells.
- This homework assignment consists of SIX exercises, most of which has sub-questions. Read
each exercise carefully and make sure you answer all the sub-questions.
- The assignment is worth 50 points (and 5% of your overall grade in this course, so please turn
in “neat” work). The number of points each question is worth is given next to the question.
- You may either type your answers in the assignment’s .doc file, and then send it to me by email, or you can turn in a hard copy of your answers. However, if you decide to turn in a hard
copy, please make sure you submit legible handwritten answers, use a pen (not a pencil), and
leave wide margins for me to write comments in.
- If you plan to e-mail me the homework, please make sure to name the file
‘assignment4_your_last_name’.
- Finally, please make sure you write and sign (either by hand or electronically) the Honor Code
Pledge on the homework here before turning it in.
‫بالتوفيق إن شاء هللا‬
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Exercise #1: Predicting nouns!
(10 points)
Based on our discussion of CA noun morphology in class and in the textbook, answer the
following questions. Then, use Hans Wehr to check if your predictions are correct. Comment on
any discrepancies you find between your predictions and the words you find in the dictionary.
Question
Predictions
Are your predictions correct?
1. If ‫ رَكَع‬means ‘to kneel,’ what do
you expect ‘kneeling’ to be?
2. If ‫ فَلَح‬means ‘to farm,’ what do you
expect ‘farming’ to be?
3. What do you expect ‘a person who
does farming for living’ to be
called?
4. The verb ‫ أبحر‬from the root ‫بحْ ر‬
(= ‘sea’) means ‘to travel by sea.’
What do you expect the word
meaning ‘sailor’ to be?
5. What do you expect ‘lake’
(literally, ‘a little sea’) to be?
6. If ‫ قَبَر‬means ‘to bury (the dead),’
what do you think ‫ مَقبَرة‬means?
7. If ‫ حَلَق‬means ‘to shave,’َ what do
you expect the word for ‘barber’ to
be?
8. If ‫ جَراحة‬means ‘surgery,’ what do
you expect the word for ‘surgeon’
to be?
9. If ‫ ضَحَك‬means ‘to laugh,’ what do
you expect ‘a laugh’ (that is, ‘an
instance of laughing’) to be?
10. If ‫ غَسَل‬means ‘to wash,’ what do
you expect the word meaning
‘laundromat’ (literally, ‘a place for
washing’) to be?
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- Comment on any findings from Exercise #1 here.
Exercise #2: Semantics of construct states!
(5 points)
Identify the semantic relation between the first and second elements of a construct state ‫ إضافة‬in
each of the noun phrases given in the following table. The semantic relations are given to you
below, for convenience.
Semantic relations in construct state noun phrases:
(i) identity
(ii) partitive/quantitative relationship
(iii) possession
(iv) agent relationship
(v) object relationship
(vi) ‫إضافةَغيرَحقيقية‬
Semantic Relation
Construct state noun phrase
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َ
َ ‫مشاهدةَالتلفزيون‬
َ
َ ‫عالقةَحب‬
َ
َ ‫رئيسَأمريكا‬
َ
َ ‫عملَالواجب‬
َ
َ ‫رَبعَساعة‬
َ
َ ‫لطيفَالكالم‬
َ
َ ‫سفرَالطالب‬
َ
َ )assistantَ=َ‫مساعدَاألستاذَ(مساعد‬
َ
َ ‫شوربةَخضار‬
Exercise #3: Compounding Tenses!
(5 points)
Translate the following English sentences into CA/MSA, in light of our discussion of compound
tenses.
English
Arabic
1. By June of 2013, I will have worked 5
years at this university.
2. When we got to class, the teacher had
already started the lecture.
3. He had studied English before his family
moved to the United States.
4. They were going to study in Egypt, but
now they will go to Jordan instead.
5. He was watching TV when his wife came
back from work.
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‫!‪Exercise #4: Going Negative‬‬
‫)‪(5 points‬‬
‫‪Negate each of the Egyptian Arabic sentences in Column A and write the full negative sentence‬‬
‫‪in Column B. If there are multiple ways to negate a sentence, state them all.‬‬
‫‪Column B‬‬
‫‪Column A‬‬
‫باذاكرَكلَيومَفيَالمكتبة‪َ .‬‬
‫َ‬
‫هادخلَكليةَالطبَالسنةَالجايةَ(الجايةَ=َالقادمة)‪َ .‬‬
‫َ‬
‫فيهَمشاكلَكتيرةَفيَاالقتصادَاالمريكي‪َ َ.‬‬
‫َ‬
‫أختيَمدرسةَفيَمدرسةَثانوية‪َ .‬‬
‫َ‬
‫أحمدَنام‪َ َ.‬‬
‫َ‬
‫اناَواصدقائيَبنلعبَرياضةَكلَأسبوع‪َ .‬‬
‫َ‬
‫هيَأجملَبنتَفيَالجامعة‪َ َ.‬‬
‫َ‬
‫عندهمَ‪َ3‬امتحاناتَاألسبوعَالجايَ(الجايَ=َالقادم)‪َ َ.‬‬
‫َ‬
‫أناَمشغولَجداَ‪َ َ.‬‬
‫َ‬
‫عالقتيَبيهمَانقطعت‪َ َ.‬‬
‫َ‬
‫‪5‬‬
Exercise #5: (In)definiteness!
(10 points)
For each of the blanks in the following MSA sentences, write ‫ الـ‬where required. In Column B,
for each case you use ‫الـ‬, state the reason why ‫ الـ‬is required, based on our discussion of
definiteness in class and in the textbook. The first word is done for you as an example.
Column B
Column A
Final noun in a definite construct stateَ:‫الناس‬
َ‫َولكنَهناك‬،‫كلَالـناسَيقولونَإنهمَيريدونَ__سالم‬
َ )‘world’َ=َ‫َ(عالم‬.‫__حروبَكثيرةَفيَ__عالَم‬
ََ،‫شاهدتَأمسَ__برنامجاَعنَ__تاريخَ__شرقَ__أوسط‬
َ َ.‫لكنَفيَالحقيقةَماَأحببتَ__برنامج‬
َ
َ‫َجميلة‬natureَ‫__خريفَهوَفصليَ__مَفضلَألنَ__طبيعة‬
َ‫َأيضاَ__دراسةَتبدأَفيَ__جامعاتَوأتعرف‬.‫و__جوَلطيف‬
َ َ.‫علىَ__أصدقاءَجدد‬
َ
Exercise #6: The Writing Code!
Based on the information and discussion presented in The Writing Code, answer the following
questions.
A. What is cuneiform writing? When and where did it develop? What kind of writing system is
it?
(5 points)
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B. What is the rebus principle? How would you write the following two Arabic words using the
rebus principle?
(2.5 points)
‫‘( أَحباب‬loved ones’) [Hint: Look for ‫ أَح‬in the dictionary.]
‫‘( عجماء‬beast’)
[Hint: Look for ‫ عاج‬in the dictionary.]
C. Do you think the root-and-pattern morphology of Arabic words makes it easier or harder to
represent Arabic words in a pictographic writing system? Explain your answer. (2.5 points)
D. What is a syllabary? State briefly how Sequoyah used it to invent a writing system for
Cherokee. Then, in light of our discussion of syllable structure in Arabic, can Arabic be
written using a syllabary? Why? Why not? Support your answer with examples from Arabic
words such as ‫كتابَ–َجامعةَ–َانقطاعَ–َقرأت‬, etc., and their syllable structures.
(5 points)
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