Default Number and Gender in Arabic Verbal Agreement

Abstract

This paper delves into the intricate details of agreement in number and gender in both Standard Arabic and other Arabic dialects. Although Standard Arabic is the variety understood by all Arabic speakers and serves as the language of literacy, scientific discourse, and religious practice, the diversity of Arabic extends far beyond Standard Arabic. It encompasses a wide range of dialects that differ significantly across regions and communities. The primary objective of this paper is to explore the concept of default number and gender in Arabic varieties, with a specific focus on investigating agreement in number and gender within subject-verb (SV) and verb-subject (VS) word order alternations. This investigation is crucial, as this variation in word order is evident in both Arabic varieties and Standard Arabic. The study is based on original data elicited through sentence judgment tasks with ten native speakers of the Northern variety of Saudi Arabic. The findings suggest that in verbal agreement, default number and gender are influenced not only by word order but also by factors such as the subject’s number and its reference to human entities. These patterns are interpreted within the frameworks of markedness theory and the animacy hierarchy, which help explain why singular and masculine forms function as unmarked defaults and why human referents trigger fuller agreement. By exploring these dynamics, the paper aims to enhance understanding of verbal agreement in Arabic, offering insights into the intricate interplay of default number and gender within this linguistic framework.