Abstract
This research paper investigates the word gidwhich is used in NajdiArabic, a dialect spoken in Najd region in Arabic peninsula. This particle is analyzed syntactically using the recent assumptions of the minimalist program (Chomsky, 1993, 1995, and subsequent work). As for the findings, it turns out that gid functions asa head that instantiates its maximal projection above TP and under CP. So, this word is not a property of TP domain nor a CP domain. Due to the fact that this word is only used when a speaker is certain of the propositional content of his/her utterance, we argue that gidis an evidential head that scopes over the tense layer. Furthermore, we argue that gid has an EPP feature, hence the specifier position of the functional phases headed by it must be filled by some element which is the subject. This accounts for the fact that subject must precede gidin declarative sentences. Additionally, gidhas [PAST] feature which is uninterpretable and hence must be deleted before the derivation is handed over to the LF following the general lines of feature deletion ofChomsky (1995, 2005). We argue that the deletion of [PAST] feature is conducted through an Agreeoperation that is established between gid and the verb. This is why gid comes exclusively with past tense. Otherwise [PAST] feature ongidremains active, leading to the ungrammaticality of the given sentence
Ahmad Radi Alshammari, Wafi Fhaid Alshammari. (2020) The Word gid in Najdi Arabic: An Evidentiality Head, Linguistic Forum - A Journal of Linguistics, volume 2, issue 4.
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