Arabic Grammar Summary

Summarizing the Goal of Arabic Grammar

The science of the Arabic language known as نحو – basically translated as grammar and syntax – is a topic through which we learn to correctly convey meaning in Arabic, form coherent sentences, and protect ourselves from verbal error. This also helps in reading texts without the aid of diacritic vowelling and in understanding such texts as well. Where Lexicology and Arabic Morphology are concerned with being able to work with the internals of words, grammar is concerned with being able to work with the endings of words in order to read and comprehend in a sentential milieu.

 In order to satisfy both goals of reading and comprehension, grammar treats one, and only one, topic; grammatical inflection. Grammar discusses which words in the language inflect and which do not. Of those that do not inflect, what are they and why don’t they inflect? Of those that do inflect, what are they and how do they inflect? Moreover, what situations cause this inflection?

Answering the questions above partly entails the analysis of nominal and verbal sentences. In analyzing these, all occasions under which words change inflection are discussed. Discussing these occasions involves further scrutiny into phrasal structures and like topics. Once these questions above have been answered, a student is now able to correctly vowel and comprehend texts and thus both goals of grammar have been satisfied. Moreover and consequently, all of grammar has been exhausted.

Finally, there are two techniques used to parse sentences. Both of these are used to firmly, effectively, and expediently realize the two goals of grammar with students in practice. They are also used as tests to gage the understanding of a student. For exposure to these, one is encouraged to join Arabic classes. Click the banner below and fill the short form below to learn more:

Which Words Inflect and Which do not, and Why?

Why don’t some words inflect?

Some words do not inflect because the purpose of inflection is to be able to differentiate the many uses of a single word (e.g. as a subject, as an object, etc). If a word is not used in these ways, then it does not need to be differentiated and it is called truly indeclinable. This includes:

·         the imperative verb (active second-person conjugations only)

·         the perfect verb

·         all particles

There are some words that do need a method of differentiation between their many uses. However, not all of these may inflect. This is because they resemble truly indeclinable words. For example:

·         nouns may resemble particles by virtue of number of letters, meaning, governing and not being governed, or not affording a complete meaning on their own

o   thus the nouns that are indeclinable are: all pronouns, nouns with verb meanings, onomatopoeias, and some others

·         the imperfect verb conjugations 6 and 12 resemble conjugation 6 of the perfect table

·         emphatic tables resemble imperative emphatics, and they in turn resemble second-person active imperatives in meaning

Why do some words inflect?

Words that need a method of differentiation between their many usages are declinable. But some words that do not need this also become declinable as a result of reverse resemblance.

·         the declinable imperfect verb is declinable because it resembles the active or passive participles in about 6 ways

·         moreover, the imperfect verb sometimes falls into cases where the interpretation of the sentence can be grossly divergent without the aid of declension

Of the Words that Inflect, How do They Inflect?