Morphological reduplication in Jordanian Arabic: form and function

Abstract

This study investigates the phenomenon of morphological reduplication in Jordanian Arabic in light of morphological doubling theory, offering an extensive examination of this type of reduplication in terms of form and function. Data is collected through observation of native speakers on Facebook, local television series, and in face to face daily interaction with people. Morphological reduplication is categorized as involving either the doubling of a semantically empty stem to create a morpheme, or the doubling of a monosyllabic morpheme to achieve specific pragmatic functions. The findings reveal that reduplication is an active and highly productive process in Jordanian Arabic, shedding light on its prominent role in language use and communication. This study not only contributes to a deeper understanding of the typological aspects of morphological reduplication, but also provides valuable insights into the specific characteristics of reduplication in Jordanian Arabic.

Keywords:

• Morpheme repetition
• morphological reduplication
• productivity
• syllable repetition

Reviewing Editor:

• Jeroen van de Weijer, College of International Studies, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China

Subjects:

• Language & Linguistics
• Grammar, Syntax & Linguistic Structure
• Linguistic Theory
• Semantics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Table 5. Reduplicants that express violence.

Table 6. Reduplicants signifying repetition, speed, and continuity.

Notes

1 The Arabic voiced uvular stop (q), has two different pronunciations in JA depending on the dialect. In the Rural variety, it is pronounced as the velar stop (g), while in the Urban variety, it is pronounced as the glottal stop (ʔ). Consequently, throughout this study, when discussing examples containing the velar stop (g) in the Rural variety, the equivalent pronunciation in the Urban variety is the glottal stop (ʔ).

2 Some meanings might overlap, but the focus in this study is on the dominant meaning or pragmatic function.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Khaled H. Abu-Abbas

Khaled H. Abu-Abbas, An associate professor of linguistics at Jordan University of Science and Technology with a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Kansas since 2003. My major research interest is in phonology within Optimality Theory, stress and assimilation processes assignment in Arabic,and sociophonetics.

Amal R. Alomari

Amal R. Alomari, Recently received my Masters degree in Linguistics from Jordan University of Science and Technology. Currently involved in teaching English for speakers of Arabic. I’m particularly interested in Morphology, sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics.