Clausal Complementation in Arabic (A Minimalist Approach)

This work is concerned with sentential complementation in two varieties of Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic and Moroccan Arabic. The description of the multi-clausal structures and the analyses suggested are formulated within the developing framework of Chomsky's Minimalist Programme. It focuses on the various verbs that subcategorize for clausal complements and studies the different cross-clausal relations holding between elements in the matrix and the subordinate clauses. In particular, it discusses such phenomena as Raising-to-Subject and Raising-to-Object constructions as well as Control relations (Obligatory, Optional and Arbitrary). Raising and Control are trans-clausal facts. They show how complex sentences are formed and how elements in the matrix clause syntactically and semantically relate to elements in the subordinate clause. This book represents an attempt at unravelling the complexity of sentential complementation and gaining a better understanding of the phenomena involved. Linguists and language enthusiasts will find ample Arabic data to reflect on. Linguistic students will benefit from the analytical argumentation and the extensive discussion of the linguistic facts.