Elementary Arabic Morphology 3
Generic and Proper Nouns
What is a generic noun?
What is a proper noun and how many types of proper nouns are there?
What is the ruling regarding a compound proper noun?
Does a proper noun become indefinite?
A generic noun is a word that is applicable for every instance of it and does not indicate one instance disregarding another, for example: کتاب.
A proper noun is a word that indicates one instance of a genius without regarding another. There are two types of proper nouns; a singular proper nouns, for example: سلیم, and compound which is either by a compliment to a prefixed noun, for example: عَبد الله, a real compound, for example: بَیتَ لحم, or attribute, for example: تأبَّط شراً.
The ruling regarding a compound due to a compliment to a prefixed noun is that the prefixed word is put into whatever state that the previous situation calls for and the compliment is put into the genitive state, for example: جاء عبدُاللهِ. The ruling regarding the real compound noun is that the first word is indeclinable with a fathah and the second letter is declinable, for example: أعجبتني بَیتَ لحمُ. The ruling regarding the compliment due to being an attribute is that both words accept the signs of whatever state they are in, for example: تأبَّطَ شراً. Proper nouns are also divided into metonymy, which start with āb or um, for example: أبو یوسف and nicknames, which can either be positive or negative, for example: المصطفی which is the nickname of the last Prophet, Muhammad (s).