Adverbs and adverbials in contemporary Arabic syntax: A phase-based account

Abstract In generative syntax, two major types of proposals – syntax-oriented and semantics-oriented proposals – have been used to examine adverbs and adverbials. Despite these proposals explaining the remarkable properties of adverb positioning, this class of words is heterogeneous and problematic in terms of their displacement. This study adopts scopal theories and proposes a partial semantic analysis using phases to describe adverbial positioning in Modern Standard Arabic. We argue that the semantic scope and the modification domain are the main determinants of adverbial position, which can best be analysed in terms of phases. In this regard, adverbials are classified into lower and higher adverbials. Lower adverbials have a narrow semantic scope and modification domain. They include subject-oriented and verb-oriented modifiers and freely adjoin the vP layer. Higher adverbials have a wider scope and modification domain. They include discourse-oriented modifiers and tend to attach to the Complementiser Phrase layer. In terms of their hierarchical order, discourse-oriented adverbials are higher than subject-oriented and verb-oriented modifiers in the articulated clause structure. This conclusion suggests that scopal theories along with language-specific rules may provide a unified generalization and straightforward account of the cross-linguistic distribution of adverbs and adverbials.