Elementary Arabic Morphology 2

Sound and Unsound

  1. What is the form for a triliteral verb?

  2. What is a double-letter verb?

  3. What is a verb with a glottal stop in its root?

  4. How many kinds of verbs with a glottal stop in its root are there?

  5. How many kinds of unsound verbs are there?

  6. What is a verb that has two weak letters called?

  7. When is a verb truly unsound or doubled? Or when does it truly have a glottal stop?

  8. The form of a triliteral verb is: فَعَلَ. The first letter is called the first root letter, the second is called the second root letter and the third is called the third root letter.

  9. A double-letter verb is a verb that has two identical letters in its root. For example: فَرَّ(he ran away).

  10. A verb that has a glottal stop is a verb that has a glottal stop in its root. For example: أکَلَ(he ate).

  11. There are three types of verbs that have a glottal stop in their root:

• Glottal stop of the first root letter: أخَذَ(he took)

• Glottal stop of the second root letter: سَألَ(he asked)

• Glottal stop of the third root letter: نَشَأ(he emerged)

  1. There are three types of weak verbs:

• Quasi-sound verb: when the weak letter is in the first root letter: وَعَدَ (he promised)

• Hollow verb: when the weak letter is in the second root letter: قَالَ(he said)

• Defective verb: when the weak letter is in the third root letter: دَعَا(he supplicated)

  1. A verb that has two weak letters is called a cluster verb. There are two kinds of cluster verbs:

• A cluster verb that has a weak letter in the first and third root letters. For example: وَفَی(he completed)

• A cluster verb that has a weak letter in the second and third root letters. For example: شَوی(it roasted)

  1. A verb truly has a glottal stop or is truly a double-letter verb when the glottal stop or the two identical letters are in the root of the verb, not including added letters. So:

• انطَلَقَ this verb does not have a glottal stop because its root is طلق.

• قَدَّمَ this verb is not a double-letter verb because its root is قدم.

• قاتَلَ This verb is not an unsound verb because its root is قتل.