The Doors of Morphology in Ancient Times
This article aims to provide an overview of the various categories of morphology as understood by ancient scholars.
Morphological Framework According to Sibawayh
One of the foremost figures in the field of morphology is Sibawayh, may God have mercy on him. In his seminal work, he established a category titled “The Forms of Names, Attributes, and Verbs, both Irregular and Regular.” He also explored the variations of irregular forms that differ from their regular counterparts, a concept termed “morphology and verbs” by grammatical scholars.
Sibawayh classified morphology into four categories as follows:
- The structures of names and verbs and the places of addition within them
- Harmonic changes and substitutions
- Assimilation
- Exercises and applications
Morphological Framework According to Al-Mazani and Al-Farsi
Following Sibawayh, Al-Mazani authored a dedicated work on morphology titled “Morphology.” He adhered to the categories mentioned by Sibawayh while adding sections on deletion and changes due to vowel and consonant shifts. Subsequently, Al-Farsi compiled a book on morphology, named “The Supplement,” which included 17 categories, as follows:
- The meeting of two silent letters.
- Pausing.
- Initiation.
- Simplification of the hamzah.
- Dual forms and pluralization.
- Relationships.
- Numbers.
- Shortened and elongated forms.
- Masculine and feminine forms.
- Broken plurals.
- Diminutives.
- Sources and the derived verbs and their derivatives.
- Verb structures.
- Slanting (imāla).
- Additional letters.
- Substitutes.
- Assimilation.
Contemporary Approaches to Morphology
A thorough examination of modern morphology texts reveals that contemporary linguists have followed the path established by their predecessors. However, they have expanded the presentation of the subject matter, making it more approachable for students, thereby facilitating knowledge acquisition for learners.
Dr. Abdu Al-Rajhi and Ahmed Hamlaoui
In his work titled “Practical Morphology,” Dr. Abdu Al-Rajhi presents the foundational material recognized by ancient scholars, although he has reorganized and refined it to cater to the needs of today’s students. In a similar vein, Sheikh Ahmed Hamlaoui authored a book called “The Fragrance of Recognition in the Art of Morphology,” which showcases a beautiful style influenced by language teacher Ibn Hisham, relying on the traditional categories from ancient sources.
Sheikh Muhammad Mohyeddin Abdul Hamid
Another notable figure in contemporary morphology is Sheikh Muhammad Mohyeddin Abdul Hamid. His work, “Lessons in Morphology,” clearly reflects the influence of Ibn Hisham across various aspects of his writing. He focuses on refinement, articulating the views of linguistic scholars and summarizing them in a coherent and well-structured manner, adhering to the accepted morphological categories among Arabic scholars.
Below are the categories of morphology typically found in modern texts:
- The morphological scale
- Assimilation
- Pausing.
- Initiation.
- Simplification of the hamzah.
- Dual forms and pluralization.
- Relationships.
- Numbers.
- Shortened and elongated forms.
- Masculine and feminine forms.
- Broken plurals.
- Diminutives.
- Sources and the derived verbs and their derivatives.
- Verb structures.
- Slanting (imāla).
- Additional letters.
- Substitutes.