Introduction

The science of the Arabic language known as نحو – basically translated as grammar and syntax – is a topic through which we learn to correctly convey meaning in Arabic, form coherent sentences, and protect ourselves from verbal error. This also helps in reading texts without the aid of diacritic vowelling and in understanding such texts as well. Where Lexicology and Morphology are concerned with being able to work with the internals of words, grammar is concerned with being able to work with the endings of words in order to read and comprehend in a sentential milieu.

In order to satisfy both goals of reading and comprehension, grammar treats one, and only one, topic; grammatical inflection. Grammar discusses which words in the language inflect and which do not. Of those that do not inflect, what are they and why don’t they inflect? Of those that do inflect, what are they and how do they inflect? Moreover, what situations cause this inflection?

Answering the questions above partly entails the analysis of nominal and verbal sentences. In analysing these, all occasions under which words change inflection are discussed. Discussing these occasions involves further scrutiny into phrasal structures and like topics. Once these questions above have been answered, a student is now able to correctly vowel and comprehend texts and thus both goals of grammar have been satisfied. Moreover and consequently, all of grammar has been exhausted.

Finally, there are two techniques used to parse sentences. Both of these are used to firmly, effectively, and expediently realize the two goals of grammar with students in practice. They are also used as tests to gage the understanding of a student. For exposure to these, one is encouraged to join Arabic classes.

Which Words Inflect and Which do not, and Why?

حرف				مبني
فعل	ماضي			مبني
	مضارع	all emphatics		مبني
		other tables	conjugations 6 & 12	مبني
		other tables	other conjugations	معرب
	امر			مبني
اسم	certain categories (e.g. pronouns)			مبني
اسم	all other nouns			معرب

Why don’t some words inflect?

Some words do not inflect because the purpose of inflection is to be able to differentiate the many uses of a single word (e.g. as a subject, as an object, etc). If a word is not used in these ways, then it does not need to be differentiated and it is called truly indeclinable. This includes:

· the imperative verb (active second-person conjugations only)

· the perfect verb

· all particles

There are some words that do need a method of differentiation between their many uses. However, not all of these may inflect. This is because they resemble truly indeclinable words. For example:

· nouns may resemble particles by virtue of number of letters, meaning, governing and not being governed, or not affording a complete meaning on their own

o thus the nouns that are indeclinable are: all pronouns, nouns with verb meanings, onomatopoeias, and some others

· the imperfect verb conjugations 6 and 12 resemble conjugation 6 of the perfect table

· emphatic tables resemble imperative emphatics, and they in turn resemble second-person active imperatives in meaning

Why do some words inflect?

Words that need a method of differentiation between their many usages are declinable. But some words that do not need this also become declinable as a result of reverse resemblance.

· the declinable imperfect verb is declinable because it resembles the active or passive participles in about 6 ways

· moreover, the imperfect verb sometimes falls into cases where the interpretation of the sentence can be grossly divergent without the aid of declension

Of the Words that Inflect, How do They Inflect?

			الإعراب
	الاسم المتمكن		جر (genitive)		نصب (accusative)		رفع (nominative)
	Visible change using all three short vowels
Type 1	1 المفرد المنصرف الصحيح 2 المفرد الجاري مجرى الصحيح 3 الجمع المكسّر المنصرف		ـٍ		ـً		ـٌ
	Visible change using some short vowels
Type 2	الجمع المؤنث السالم 4			ـٍ		ـٍ		ـٌ
Type 3	غير المنصرف، لا يعرف باللام ولا يضاف اليه 5			ـَ		ـَ		ـُ
	Visible change using all three long vowels
Type 4	المكبرة الموحدة المضافة الى غير ياء المتكلم 6	أب أخ حم هن فم ذو		ي		ا		و
	Visible change using some long vowels
Type 5	مثنى 7 كلا وكلتا المضافتان الى ضمير 8 اثنان واثنتان 9			ي		ي		ا
Type 6	الجمع المذكر السالم 10 عشرون الى تسعون 11 اولو 12			ي		ي		و
	Completely invisible change of short vowels
Type 7	غير الجمع المذكر السالم، المضاف الى ياء المتكلم 13 الاسم المقصور 14			ـٍ		ـً		ـٌ
	Partially invisible change of short vowels
Type 8	الاسم المنقوص 15			ـٍ		ـً		ـٌ
	Partially invisible change of long vowels
Type 9	الجمع المذكر السالم المضاف الى ياء المتكلم 16			ي		ي		و

		الاعراب
	الفعل المضارع	جزم (jussive)	نصب (subjunctive)	رفع (indicative)
Type 1	المفرد الصحيح بغير نون الرفع 1	ـْ	ـَ	ـُ
Type 2	المعتل الواويّ بغير نون الرفع 2 المعتل اليائي بغير نون الرفع 3	حذف اللام	ـَ	ـُ
Type 3	المعتل الالفيّ بغير نون الرفع 4	حذف اللام	ـَ	ـُ
Type 4	المضارع مع نون الرفع 5	حذف النون	حذف النون	ن

The reason why a noun would fall into noun-type 5 is that one of the following characteristics applies to it

· it is a name or adjective with a deviated construction

· it is a name which is feminine by means of an explicit ة or an assumed ة, or it is feminine by means of an الف مقصورة or an الف ممدودة

· it is a foreign name

· it is pluralized using a منتهى الجموع pattern

· it is a hyphenated name

· it is a name or adjective with an extra ـان at the end

· it is a name or adjective on the pattern of a verb

What Grammatical Positions Cause Inflection?

This is where we discuss nominal and verbal sentence as well as types of phrases. Because it is the manner in which a word occurs in a phrasal or sentential milieu – e.g. as the subject, as the object, etc – that causes change in inflection which is then somehow reflected at the end of the word.

Reasons why a word, phrase, or embedded sentence becomes nominative

· in nominal sentences

o it is the topic

o it is a comment

o it is the topic of a sentence abrogated by كان or one of its sisters

o it is the topic of a sentence abrogated by the ما or لا which resemble ليس

o it is a comment of a sentence abrogated by إنّ or one of its sisters

o it is a comment of a sentence abrogated by the لا of class negation

· in verbal or verb-like sentences

o it is the subject

o it is the ergative subject

Reasons why a word, phrase, or embedded sentence becomes accusative

· in nominal sentences

o it is a comment of a sentence abrogated by كان or one of its sisters

o it is a comment of a sentence abrogated by the ما or لا which resemble ليس

o it is the topic of a sentence abrogated by إنّ or one of its sisters

o it is the topic of a sentence abrogated by the لا of class negation

· in verbal or verb-like sentences

o it is an object

o it is a cognate adverb

o it is a temporal or locative adverb

o it is a causative adverb

o it is the adverb of accompaniment

· in phrases

o it is a circumstantial adverb

o it is an exceptive

o it is a elucidatory adverb

Reasons why a word, phrase, or embedded sentence becomes genitive

· in phrases

o it is the second part of a genitival phrase

o it is the object of a preposition

Reasons why a verb becomes indicative

· it is neither subjunctive nor jussive

Reasons why a verb becomes subjunctive

· it is preceded by أنْ, either explicitly or hidden after لِـ, حتى, and certain other particles

· it is preceded by لن

· it is preceded by كي

· it is preceded by إذن

Reasons why a verb becomes jussive

· it is preceded by لم

· it is preceded by لما

· it is preceded by the لـ of imperative

· it is preceded by لا of prohibitive

· it is preceded by the conditional إنْ, whether it be explicit o implicit

Grammatical case may also be extended from one noun or verb to another in the following ways

· through the use of adjectives, which must match their noun in grammatical case

· through the use of demonstrative pronouns, whose words must match the pronoun in case

· through conjunction

· through apposition

· through clarifying apposition

Phrases

Phrases usually consist of two or three parts.

Second Part

Link

First Part

صفة	موصوف	Adjectival
matches the noun	subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
noun or sentence, rarely phrase	usually a noun, can be a phrase	Nesting Capabilities

مضاف إليه	مضاف	Genitival
always genitive	subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
noun, phrase, or sentence	noun	Nesting Capabilities

مشار إليه	اسم إشارة	Demonstrative
matches the pronoun	subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
noun or phrase	fixed set of nouns	Nesting Capabilities

صلة	موصول	Relative-Pronominal
	subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
sentence	fixed set of nouns	Nesting Capabilities

معطوف	و، ف، إلخ	معطوف عليه	Conjunctive
matches the first part		subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
usually the same as the first part	fixed particles	word, phrase, or sentence	Nesting Capabilities

بدل	مبدل منه	Appositional
matches the first part	subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
usually the same as the first part	word, phrase or sentence	Nesting Capabilities

معطوف بعطف البيان	معطوف عليه	App.-Conjunctive
matches the first part	subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
word or phrase	word or phrase	Nesting Capabilities

تأكيد	مؤكد	Emphatic
matches the first part	subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
word or matches the first part	word or phrase	Nesting Capabilities

مستثنى	إلا	مستثنى منه	Exceptive
usually accusative		subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
noun or phrase		noun or phrase, or hidden	Nesting Capabilities

تمييز	مميز	Elucidatory
accusative	subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
usually a noun	word or phrase	Nesting Capabilities

حال	ذو الحال	Circumstantial
usually accusative	subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
word, sentence, rarely a phrase	noun or phrase	Nesting Capabilities

صلة الموصول الحرفي	حرف مصدري	Gerundival
subject to the milieu		Grammatical Case
sentence	fixed particles	Nesting Capabilities

مجرور	جار	Prepositional
always genitive		Grammatical Case
nouns, phrases, nominal sent.	fixed particles	Nesting Capabilities

منادى	حرف النداء	Vocative
usually accusative		Grammatical Case
noun or phrase	fixed particles	Nesting Capabilities

مقسم به	حرف القسم	Testimonial
genitive		Grammatical Case
noun or phrase	fixed particles	Nesting Capabilities

معمول	شبه الفعل	Verb-Like
depends on its position	subject to the milieu	Grammatical Case
noun or phrase	certain nouns acting like verbs	Nesting Capabilities