Arabic Verb Forms as used in the Quran

qshaarani Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:07:31 -0700

don't like the romanized letters , otherwise, wonderful effort coming in the month of Ramadan.

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--- On Mon, 8/30/10, Kais Dukes <k...@kaisdukes.com> wrote: From: Kais Dukes <k...@kaisdukes.com> Subject: Arabic Verb Forms as used in the Quran To: comp-quran@comp.leeds.ac.uk Cc: fsai...@students.bbk.ac.uk Date: Monday, August 30, 2010, 8:23 AM

Hello All, Fatma, a PhD researcher at Birkbeck, has kindly put together a brief document on Arabic verb forms. I'm planning to include this in the next release of the Quranic Arabic Corpus website. The Quranic Arabic Corpus website (http://corpus.quran.com) already has some guidelines on Arabic grammar and annotation, and this new section on verb forms

would be a great addition. Thanks Fatma ! Kind Regards, -- Kais Dukeshttp://www.kaisdukes.com NOTE: This is included as a Word Document (attached) but I've also included the text from the Word document below (minus the formatting): ---------------------------------Arabic roots for beginners (trilateral and quadrilateral radicals) Arabic language is unique in the way that it forms its words,

concepts and verbs, through a system known as derivation. The idea is that all words are derived on a stem or template that is fixed by a certain number of letters or radicals; often referred to as trilateral and quadrilateral radicals. Arabic shares this quality with other Semitic languages such as Hebrew, which has seven different verb forms. The basic rule of the language is that all (most as there are some exceptions) words are derived from this three-root

(trilateral, see fig.1- F-3 -L meaning to do) or a four-root letter (quadrilateral) system, the roots convey a basic concept which then allows for more complex semantic concepts to be derived whether these are verbs or nouns. Based on this system nouns and verbs can have up to fourteen to fifteen forms; though ten is the norm for most roots. For example, take the three-root concept of D-R-S which gives the basic

meaning of to study. By adding letters to the three-root template (before, in between or after the radicals in the stem) other more complex meanings are formed such as; school, teacher, lessons and even legislation. See fig 2. Below, where the xs are the extra letters that can be added to the original 3 letters; and they do not have to all added at the same time- notice that the root is still intact it has not changed. The root letters can be doubled in

some forms, and the other letters can be elongated or doubled. Once again based on this system nouns (singular, dual, plural) and verbs (singular, dual, plural, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person, imperatives and verbal nouns) are derived in an almost mathematical way, leaving no room for confusion as to the desired meaning of the word. Of course the ideal model of this derivation is the Quran and as you look through the Quran you will see these

in play- I will try to quote all examples from the Quran so that it becomes easy to see the forms. These derived forms allow for the language to reflect the state of how, in particular an action (verb) was performed. There is even a reference to how many individuals participated in the action and if it was reciprocal or not. FORMS To make clear what is being said lets take a three-root template

(it is not always the rule that one template can be derived in all the derivations) and derive it in all ten (possibly more) forms. I will use Roman numbers (as is the convention in Arabic Grammar books) and Arabic ones in brackets: Our root letters are capitalized and their meanings will be in brackets, all examples are taken from the Quran and you refer to these in context. tables I have, under the Form column, included the template of the form In the

so that if you read any book on grammar you will find the same templates, and any letter in capital is the original 3/4 radical root of the verb. I will try to find an example (the Arabic is underlined in each example) for each form and meaning(s) the forms, but if I do not then the general example should hopefully suffice. Not all books separate the meanings of the forms the way it is done here, and this is a matter of style, though all grammarians agree that these

are the realizations of the forms, see the sources at the end. Form Meaning Form I (1) F-a-3-a-L-a write) "he wrote". Verbs of this form are generally transitive, meaning they require an object. So he wrote a book or he ate an apple, however it is possible to have intransitive (require no object) K-a-T-a-B-a (to The simplest form, Verb (derived form) Examples

verbs in this class as well. Example: (2:79) So woe to those who write the scripture Form II (2) F-a-33-a-L-a M-a (to teach) is already transitive becomes doubly so, as it takes a meaning of "make do" or "make become", so the meaning could be to make one learn i.e. teach. This form reflects meaning in three ways: 1. verb Intensity of the to 3-a-LL-aA verb that

(repetition or the energy in which the action is performed)2. made himself do (to make himself) 3. another) 3:48 And He will teach him writingIntensity: An example can be taken from Surah 12: 24 And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him. She closed the doors... The verb here shows the Causative (to make Causative Example: He

intensity and the repetition in the verb, she closed all the doors and bolted them. Form III (3) F-aa-3-a-L-a L-a (to fight ) implies that there is someone or something else present and that the action is performed upon him/her/it. This forms reflects meaning in three ways: 1. Active participle 2. Mutual action, he made him do the same Causative example: 12:26 Causative to be Q-aa-T-aThis form

 And a witness from her family testified.The active participle is derived from form I SH-a-H-i-D-a to witness/be present, which is also in this very same verse. So here it is almost as if to say he caused himself to witness. Mutual action example: 2:224 And fight in the cause of Allah...Fight here requires someone to be fought with, and so the action is mutual. Form IV (4)

a-F-3-a-L-a a (to destroy) similar to the

a-H-L-a-KIt is

2nd form in that it makes intransitive verbs transitive, and transitive verbs doubly so. This form has the meaning of: 1. He made himself Reflexive do/perform 2.

causative- he made himself do Transformative (to a place or a state) Example: 2:205 destroy cropsHe made himself destroy the crops. Example: 12:25

" What is the recompense of one who intended evil for your wife...?The verb here is the causative; he made himself want to harm. Example: 5:30 And his soul permitted to him the murder of his brother, so he killed him and became among the losers. He was not of the losers before this action of killing but now was transformed into that state.

Form V (5) t-a-F-a-33-a-L-a a-DH-a-KK-a-R-a (to receive admonition) Form 5 is linked to Form 2, whatever action is done through a Fa33aLa (see form2 above) verb, the tafa33ala (this form) is from the point of view of the object of that verb. This usually reflects the reflexive and /or effective meaning, he made himself or he made noun undergo such and such. Example: 2:269 t-

 And no one will be reminded except those of understanding So Dh-a-KK-a-R-a to remind is form II and now in Form V it is from the point of view of the object so he received the reminder/ admonition. Example: 47:15 rivers of milk the taste of which never changes... The verb here is t-a-GH-a-YY-a-R-a to undergo change, so these rivers in paradise do not undergo any change

of state or taste even if ones tries to do that (in relation to form II: GHa-YY-a-R-a to cause to change). Form VI (6) t-a-F-aa-3-a-L-a Form 6 is the reflection of how the object underwent the action of Form 3 (F-aa-3-a-L-a). Notice that as in Form 5, this is obtained by adding ta- before the verb. Since form 3 implies an action done on someone, form 6 implies t-a-DH-aaH-a-R-a (to support one another)

reciprocity as in the English sentence "they looked at each other". The subject cannot be singular in this function of the form. For example, t-a-K- aa-T-a-B-a itself would mean "they corresponded with each other" (they wrote to each other). Here they support one another in this particular action. This usually reflects the meaning of:1. Pure mutuality t-a-B-aa-D-aL-a he exchanged takes one object OR ta-3-aa-W-a-N-a he became

assisting. More than one party needs to be involved in this action 2. he made himself be doing. He made himself appear to forget Pure mutuality example: 2:85 ..Cooperating [with one another] against them in sin and aggression. Example: 78:1 About what are they asking one another? Conative example: 46:16 Conative- he made himself Pretension be doing/ doer. 3.

 ...[we will] overlook their misdeeds, [their being] among the companions of Paradise Pretension: He made himself appear to be ignorant Form VII (7) i-n-F-a-3-a-L-a a-B-a (to turn away) one expresses submission to an action or effect -- in the case of an animate being, an involuntary submission. The form reflects meaning on two i-n-Q-a-LThis

levels: 1. oneself be put through)2. I)

Reflexive (to let Angentless

passive (non-reciprocal of form Reflexive Example: And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allah at all... Agentless passive: 73:18 The heaven will break apart therefrom; ever is His promise fulfilled. The verb is i-n-F-a-T-a-R-a to be taken apart. Of course in the

Quranic sense the Agent of the action is Allah so the skies do not split without a cause. But here it serves the heavens submission to be broken apart. Form VIII (8) i-F-t-a-3-a-L-a simple K-a-T-a-B-a he wrote, where the object of Form 1 becomes its own object. Reflects 2 meanings: 1. Reflexivea. oneself do) Conative b. Causative (to make It's generally the reflexive of the

2.

Reciprocal

a.

Conative example: Say, "Make no excuse - never will we believe you. >From the verb i-3-T-a-R-a-DH-a to excuse oneself, so here it comes as a 2nd >person do not excuse yourselves. b. Causative example:

Then you took [for worship] the calf after him, while you were wrongdoers. Here they made themselves take, a conscious effortful action.

2.ReciprocalThey fought one another Form IX (9) i-F-3-a-LL-a i-S-W-a-DD-a to turn black in colour This form usually reflects the meaning of:1. Stativity Usually refers to bodily defects and colours. i-3-W-a-JJ-a to be crocked/lame Colour: 3:106

On the Day [some] faces will turn white and [some] faces will turn black...

From X (10)
i-s-t-a-F-3-a-L-a i-s-t-a-H-

Z-a-Z-a-a at

to make oneself mock

The tenth form consists of

nine radicals, and usually reflects the meaning of someone seeking something. Usually the form reflects the meaning of: 1. to effortfully made come out (i.e. he extracted) 2. Reflexive causative: (mock) i-s-t-a-H-Z-a-A-a he made himself deride 2a: Reflexive transformative: he made be himself be noun: i-s-t-a3-R-a-B-a he made himself an Arab3. Causative: i-s-t-KH-R-a-J-a

Causative to do to the self: He made the object do himself (=the subject) or He sought to be done by the object. i-s-t-GH-F-a-R-a he sought to be forgiven by someone else. Reflexive causative example: And already were messengers ridiculed before you, but those who mocked them were enveloped by that which they used to ridicule. The verb i-s-t-a-H-Z-a-A-a appears

twice in this verb, once as a past passive and secondly as a present tense plural masculine verb. Causative example: 4:106 And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful Example: 2:45 And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah] Table 1: 10 verb forms

(trilateral) Form Meaning I (1) Verb (derived form) Examples F-a-3-L-a-L-a D-a-H-R-a-

J-a he rolled T-a-M-A-a-N-ahe reassured II (2) t-a-F-a-3-L-a-L-a a-D-a-h-R-a-J-ahe rolled (intransitive)t-a-T-a-M-A-a-N-ahe became reassured Reflexive 2. Reflexive causative Example: 4: 103 But when you become secure, reestablish [regular] prayerIII(3)i-F-3-a-N-L-a-L-a 1. t-

i-F-R-a-N-Q-a-3-a he popped/cracked Reflexive IV (4) i-f-3-a-L-a-LL-a i-T-M-A-aNN-a to be in a state of reassurance i-Q-SH-a-3-a-RR-a to be in a state of shuddering or shivering Stative Example: 13:28 whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah.Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured

Example: 39:23 The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah. Table 2: 4 verb forms (Quadrilateral) taken from Arabic tripod Quadrilateral verbs are much rarer than trilateral verbs, the way to check the original number of roots is to use the templates. That way you can see whether it is trilateral or quadrilateral

and what form it takes, because this will determine the meaning.

Sources:
Wright, W (2005) Arabic grammar. New York :Dover Publications Fischer, W (2002) A grammar of Classical Arabic. Translated by J. Rogers. New Haven: Yale University Hani Deekhttp://arabic.tripod.comAl Hazimi, U (1937) Matn al Binaa fi sarf. Cairo