On the Scalar Nature of Arabic Diminutives
The Case of the fuʿayl Template
In: Brill's Journal of Afroasiatic Languages and LinguisticsSearch for other papers by Olga Kagan in
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This paper investigates the semantics of the Arabic diminutive (DIM) created with the use of the fuʿayl template. DIM may contribute a wide range of sub-meanings, including smallness in size, low quantity, low quality, spatial and temporal proximity, etc. We put forward a scalar analysis according to which DIM systematically maps an argument of the stem to a relatively low degree on a scale. In particular, this degree is lower than the standard of comparison, independently supplied either by the context or by the linguistic environment. The scale in question, we argue, is not lexicalized by DIM but rather contributed by the stem to which DIM applies. The contrast between the various sub-meanings of DIM is thus reduced mainly to the differences between the environments in which it appears.
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See Lasersohn (1999) and Morzycki (2011) for an alternative way of treating imprecision.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
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On the Scalar Nature of Arabic Diminutives
The Case of the fuʿayl Template
In: Brill's Journal of Afroasiatic Languages and LinguisticsSearch for other papers by Olga Kagan in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Mostafa Qtit in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
This paper investigates the semantics of the Arabic diminutive (DIM) created with the use of the fuʿayl template. DIM may contribute a wide range of sub-meanings, including smallness in size, low quantity, low quality, spatial and temporal proximity, etc. We put forward a scalar analysis according to which DIM systematically maps an argument of the stem to a relatively low degree on a scale. In particular, this degree is lower than the standard of comparison, independently supplied either by the context or by the linguistic environment. The scale in question, we argue, is not lexicalized by DIM but rather contributed by the stem to which DIM applies. The contrast between the various sub-meanings of DIM is thus reduced mainly to the differences between the environments in which it appears.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 476 | 57 | 13 |
| Full Text Views | 243 | 2 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 28 | 3 | 0 |
