Predictive-based syntagms in Kamali Arabic compared with similar patterns in English

Abstract

The present work is mainly concerned with the syntactic structures of the predicative-based syntagms in I4amali Arabic. The constituents within these syntagms are further analysed until the relations between pleremes (i. E. the minimal syntactic entities) are arrived at. It also offers description of similar structures in English, and brief comparisons between the structures of the two languages in question.

Linguistic description has been defined as "the application of a particular linguistic theory to a selected field of linguistic phenomena". (Mulder 1975). The theory applied in this work, to both English and Kamali Arabic, is Mulder$s axiomatic functionalist approach to syntax.

This thesis falls into four parts. The first part is divided into two chapters the first of which offers a brief introduction to the basic principles of axiomatic functionalism, and to the relations between linguistic theory, linguistic descriptions and the speech phenomena; and the second provides explanations to the essential notions in syntax. The second part, dealing with syntactic relations in Kamali Arabic, comprises three chapters. Chapter I is concerned with the verbal, and non-verbal, predicative-based syntagms, chapter II with the functional syntagms, and chapter III with the nominal syntagms. The third part, dealing with syntactic relations in English, comprises four chapters. Chapter I deals with the verbal predicative-based syntagms, chapter II With the copulative predicative, III with functionals, and IV with nominals.

The fourth part, offering comparisons between English and Kamali Arabic, is divided into three chapters. Chapter I offers comparisons between the predicative-based syntagms, and between their constituents. Chapter II between functionals, and III between nominals.