États et propriétés des déclinaisons arabes

Abstract

This paper performs a detailed analysis of the notion of state in the declensions of nouns and adjectives in classical Arabic. Some of the properties of declensions are easily visualized in tables using cases and states as entries. This way to describe declensions also shows that there is an optimal order for the cases and states in these tables. We propose an accurate definition of states and study the various perspectives on the subject. We show how states can be useful in Arabic grammar and suggest a simple state terminology more adapted to the current lin-guistic usage, stressing the necessity of a clear separation between states and definiteness. The paper also exposes the symmetry between case and state. As far as possible, all this is made keeping in mind Semitic languages in general. Last, we demonstrate that the system of cases and states keeps its coherence in Arabic (with one exception) even when some marginal grammar rules are taken into account.