On the Issue of Distinguishing between Basic and Augmented Elements of the Arabic Word (Based on Ibn Ya‘īš’s Treatise “Šarḥ al-Mufaṣṣal”)

Abstract

The article examines how to distinguish basic and augmented elements of the Arabic word. The phenomenon of az-ziyāda (addition of a segment) is studied through the thirteenth-century Arab grammarian Ibn Ya‘īš’s treatise “Šarḥ al-Mufaṣṣal”. The identification of augmented ḥurūf is illustrated by hamza. The main criteria are derivation, evidence from words of the same pattern, and the frequency with which a ḥarf is basic or augmented in a given position. The article also examines the hierarchy of nouns according to their ability to change morphological structure: triradical nouns rank highest, followed by quadriradical and quinqueradical nouns. Special attention is paid to initial hamza. Three types of structural defectiveness in nonverbal nouns with an initial prothetic hamza are identified: elision of the third radical; assimilation of the vowel of the second radical to that of the third; and an atypical pattern whose use is restricted to a particular context.