Elementary Arabic Morphology 2
Sound and Unsound
What is the form for a triliteral verb?
What is a double-letter verb?
What is a verb with a glottal stop in its root?
How many kinds of verbs with a glottal stop in its root are there?
How many kinds of unsound verbs are there?
What is a verb that has two weak letters called?
When is a verb truly unsound or doubled? Or when does it truly have a glottal stop?
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.
A double-letter verb is a verb that has two identical letters in its root. For example: فَرَّ(he ran away).
A verb that has a glottal stop is a verb that has a glottal stop in its root. For example: أکَلَ(he ate).
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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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.