Unusual Nominal Patterns in Arabic: A Morphophonological Study of Selected Forms

Abstract

This study investigates a selection of unusual nominal patterns in Arabic, namely faʿyal, faʿnūl, fuʿʿīl, fuʿallin, mufʿūl, and faʿfaʿīl, through a combined morphological and phonological perspective. It seeks to examine the reasons behind labeling these patterns as gharīb (unusual), as well as the implications of scholarly disagreement concerning their classification. The significance of the study lies in the central role of morphological judgments in regulating linguistic usage, as such judgments determine the acceptability or rejection of specific patterns within the language. Adopting a descriptive–analytical methodology, the study examines classical linguistic sources and analyzes scholarly positions regarding the degree to which these patterns may be considered unusual. The findings indicate that the characterization of a nominal pattern as unusual may result from disagreement over its derivational origin, its association with obsolete or abandoned patterns in Arabic, its emergence through lexical borrowing from other languages, or its transformation due to phonological processes such as assimilation, dissimilation, or vowel harmony. The study also concludes that the limited number of lexical items attested for unusual patterns correlates with the semantic markedness and strangeness of their meanings.