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Part of
Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics XXXI: Papers from the annual symposium on Arabic Linguistics, Norman, Oklahoma, 2017
Edited by Amel Khalfaoui and Youssef A. Haddad
[Studies in Arabic Linguistics 8] 2019
► pp. 31–50

Diminutive formation in a Libyan dialect with some phonological implications

Detailed studies of diminutives in Arabic dialects are uncommon. In this article, after discussing the diminutive in Classical Arabic, Coastal Dhofari Arabic, and Moroccan Arabic, we present a detailed description of diminutives in Asābʽā Arabic, a rural Libyan dialect. We note two diminutive templates in Asābʽā Arabic: CCeeC and CCayX. Further, we document a subtype of the CCeeX template applicable to base words that begin with a labial consonant followed by a long vowel, e.g. [faar] ‘mouse’, which has the diminutive [ʔuf.feer] rather than [fweer]. We suggest that this is an OCP effect influencing (non-identical) adjacent labials. We also discuss other implications of the diminutive in Asābʽā Arabic, including the nature of its diachronic relationship with the Classical Arabic diminutive.

Keywords: diminutive, classical Arabic, Libyan Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, Coastal Dhofari Arabic, affricates
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Brief description of the diminutive in Classical Arabic and two other varieties
    • The diminutive in Classical Arabic
    • The diminutive in contemporary Arabic dialects
    • The diminutive in Coastal Dhofari Arabic
    • The diminutive in Moroccan Arabic
  • 3.Diminutive in the rural Asābʽā dialect of northwest Libya
  • 4.Some phonological issues
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 8 July 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sal.8.02gad
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