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This study examines the syntax of sluicing in Omani Arabic to uncover its morpho-syntactic properties and underlying source. It also attempts to account for the apparent preposition stranding (p-stranding) effects displayed by Omani Arabic sluicing, which indicates that the language is a counterexample to the p-stranding generalisation (Merchant, 2001). The paper concludes that sluicing exists in the language and it is derived from regular wh-questions by wh-movement and TP ellipsis at PF. Furthermore, Omani Arabic displays pseudo-sluicing (i.e., an elliptical cleft wh-question), which can also be derived via wh-movement from spec-TP to spec-CP plus TP deletion at PF. Finally, the study argues that the apparent cases of sluicing under p-stranding are actually pseudo-sluicing. The drop of copular pronouns in the sluiced clause and omission of the preposition with the relative clause lead to the illusion that sluicing in Omani Arabic exhibits p-stranding effects.
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The article consistently examines the phonetic, grammatical and lexical features of Omani Arabic as a dialect strongly contrasting the literary variant ( al-fuṣḥā ) compared to other dialects of the Arabian Peninsula. For the first time the authors propose a thesis that the basic factors of Omani Arabic formation were associated with the key historical events that occurred in this part of the Arabic world in the last centuries - from the settlement of the genuine Arabic tribes in the Arabian Peninsula to migration waves to Oman from the Asian region. The authors show the uniqueness of Omani Arabic, which easily assimilates lexical units borrowed from the non-European languages and emphasize the relevance and incompleteness of this process.
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[Continuing with the theme of the Arabic-speaking world, here’s a post originally published in June 2012] Much attention in the conventional media has been focused on the “Arab Spring” events of the past year and a half. However, not all Arab countries have participated in the turmoil. One notable exception is Oman, currently one of […]
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This thesis describes the phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicon of the Arabic variety spoken in the al-ʿAwābī district (northern Oman). This district played an important role in the history of the Ibadism and of Oman in general, especially in the period when Rustāq was capital of the Sultanate (c. 1600 CE). The prominence of the dialect spoken in this area finds evidence in the work Ein arabischer Dialekt gesprochen in ‘Oman und Zanzibar written by Carl Reinhardt in 1894, which constitutes the starting point of this thesis and material for comparison. Reinhardt’s work was presented as a linguistic guide to German soldiers quartered in the Sultanate and in Zanzibar, when part of East Africa was a German colony. This thesis considers the lexical and grammatical core of Reinhardt’s work and aims to reanalyse it considering the vernacular used by present-day inhabitants of al-ʿAwābī town and Wādī Banī Kharūṣ. Chapter 1 offers an overview of the linguistic situation of Oman within the Arabian Peninsula and of the al-ʿAwābī district itself, including remarks on the fieldwork site and the methodology used for this research. Chapter 2 is an account of the phonological characteristics of the dialect spoken in the district, followed by the nominal and verbal morphology (Chapters 3 and 4, respectively), and the syntax (Chapter 5) of the al-ʿAwābī district vernacular. In addition to this core, a prominent part is dedicated in this thesis to the analysis of the rich cultural lexicon used in the district (Chapter 6): foreign borrowings, quadriliteral roots indicating plant and animal names, traditional medicine, clothing, accessories, etc., culminating in the compilation of a lexical glossary organised in roots (Annex 2). Annex 1 presents an overview of the history of the Sultanate, whereas Annex 3 inlcudes a traditional song, and local proverbs.
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