Analysis of Noun Phrase and Verb Phrase Structures in Modern Standard Arabic by using X-bar Approach

Abstract

This research demonstrates the existence of nominal and verbal phrases in Arabic. The presence of nominal phrases is revealed through grammatical evidence. The Arabic form considered is Modern Standard Arabic, and X-bar theory is used to explore these phrases. Arabic structures are presented in phonetic transcripts, assigned morpho-syntactic features, and given English translations. The analysis covers NP and VP, verb features, VP ellipsis, and the application of X-bar theory to Arabic. It has been shown that complements and adjuncts stand in different syntactic relations to the head noun within the NP. A complement constituent in Arabic is a sister of the head noun and must be adjacent to the head and precede the adjunct category. The complement and adjunct positions spell out syntactic processes such as preposing, postposing, questioning, and pronominalisation. These processes provide empirical evidence for the complement/adjunct distinction, leading to the conclusion that Arabic has a hierarchical three-level phrase structure and an intermediate X′ level. This study shows that NP and VP categories in Arabic fit into the X′ schema proposed for universal syntactic structure. Arabic data also show that head words are projected into phrases, which are projected into sentences. Sentences in Arabic, as in other languages, are structured from phrases, and phrases are grammatical categories filling syntactic positions within sentences.