Motion Verbs In Modern Standard Arabic

Languages vary in their linguistic expression of motion, leading to a typology based on different mappings of motion event elements onto linguistic elements: satellite-framed languages vs. verb-framed languages. This book addresses the linguistic expression and lexicalization patterns of motion in Modern Standard Arabic, incorporating Arabic into the typology of motion.

The first two chapters provide an introduction and a detailed theoretical background on the conceptualization of motion and universally acknowledged patterns of lexicalization. Chapters three, four, and five offer a thorough analysis of Arabic according to the typology of motion elements: Motion, Figure, Ground, Path, and Manner. Chapter six concludes the analysis with valuable insights into motion expression in Arabic and the semantic features of Arabic motion verbs.

Previously an assistant professor of linguistics at King Abdulaziz University, Salha Alqarni works now at the University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is the first author to incorporate Arabic into the international typology of motion events in her PhD dissertation under the same title in 2010, which was received well by the reviewers. She has written a number of articles about other aspects of Arabic as well.