The semantics of (fii) in taizzi dialect: A cultural variation perspective
In this paper, we adopt the framework of Cognitive Grammar developed by Langacker (1987) to provide a unified account of the different senses of the Arabic preposition (fii) as used in the Taizzi dialect, one of the dialects spoken in Yemen. The use of (fii) in the Taizzi dialect differs from its...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit UKM
2012
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4914/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4914/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4914/1/pp%2520443_456%2520new.pdf |
| Summary: | In this paper, we adopt the framework of Cognitive Grammar developed by Langacker
(1987) to provide a unified account of the different senses of the Arabic preposition (fii)
as used in the Taizzi dialect, one of the dialects spoken in Yemen. The use of (fii) in the
Taizzi dialect differs from its use in other dialects of Arabic or even Standard Arabic.
That is, (fii) is cognitively characterized differently in the Taizzi dialect from (fii) in other
Arabic dialects or (fii) in Standard Arabic. It remains a fact that despite the number of
studies that dealt with prepositions, in general; prepositions received little attention and
semantic analyses of prepositions remain inadequate (Cienki, 1989; Hamdi, 2002; Lunt,
1982). With regard to prepositions of Arabic, the main problem with the previous studies
that dealt with them, in general, is that they examined them from a grammatical point of
view focusing on their functions rather than their meanings. Moreover, these studies dealt
with prepositions as used in Standard Arabic and were basically established upon the
views of old Arab grammarians. The data presented and analyzed in this paper show that
speakers of the Taizzi dialect developed the use of (fii) and extended its semantics to
cover cognitive domains different from its use in Standard Arabic or other dialects of
Arabic. However, what proves to be true about the use of (fii) in the Taizzi dialect need
not necessarily be so about other dialects of Arabic. This reflects the cultural variance of
prepositional usage in the Taizzi dialect in particular and other dialects of Arabic in
general. The paper demonstrates that though speakers of the Taizzi dialect use (fii) in
cognitive domains different from its use in Standard Arabic they still cognitively
characterize the relation holding between the Trajector (TR) and the Landmark (LM) as a
containment relation. |
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