Fii uses across Arabic varieties (OFAI Lecture by Margerita Pallottino)

Fii uses across Arabic varieties
Dr. Margherita Pallottino, Univ. of Geneva / OFAI
05 June 2024

The particle fii (etymologically the preposition ‘in’, with allomorph bi-) is universally attested across Arabic varieties. Alternative uses of this element have been identified in single dialects. For instance in the Levantine dialects fii is used in existential constructions (Jarad, 2015) or as a modal (Cowell, 1964), whereas in the North African region fii is an ingredient of progressive constructions (Brahim, 2007). The existing literature gives us a picture of the multifunctionality of fii in Arabic but it does not provide any indication about the geographical distribution of these usages, nor about the possible correlations among them. The research described in this talk fills this gap surveying 11 different uses of fii previously described in the literature, across 11 different Arabic varieties extending from Morocco to Iraq. The resulting picture shows a leopard-spot distribution of certain functions of fii suggesting that other forces drive the emergence of fii usages across varieties beside the influence of geographically proximity. The main question tackled by this talk is, therefore, which factors can explain the distribution of fii functions. The validity of the competing hypotheses, historical accident or grammar driven, are evaluated with mathematical methods run on the data gathered in the study.

[Abdulrahman-wvtm]

Hello can you breifly explain what does this has to do with me as an iraqi? :) thanks