Dissertation Defense: Amani Aloufi
Candidate Name: Amani Aloufi
Major: Linguistics
Advisor: Ruth Kramer, Ph.D.
Title: A Descriptive Study of Nouns and Nominal Phrases in Soqotri
This dissertation thoroughly describes the noun and the major phrases within the nominal domain in Soqotri, one of the Modern South Arabian languages which belong to the South Semitic branch of the Semitic language family. Soqotri is a severely endangered language primarily spoken in the Socotra Archipelago by approximately 50,000 to 60,000 speakers.
The main goal is to gain a comprehensive empirical understanding of morphological and the syntactic features of Soqotri nouns and the phrases within the nominal domain. The study also aims to identify the major questions and problems that Soqotri brings for theories in morphology and syntax. To achieve its goal, this study is drawn on data acquired over a period of three months, from January 2021 to March 2021, on Zoom and WhatsApp, as well as data obtained from many occasional short follow-up sessions since then.
In order to attain its objective, this study provides an in-depth analysis of the morphology of nouns and their interaction syntactically with nominal-related phrases such as adjectives, relative clauses, possessive structure, prepositions, demonstratives, numerals, and quantifiers. Examining each element involves an investigation of its form and function and a discussion of its basic linear order in relation to the noun, on the one hand, and in relation to other elements in the spine of the DP, on the other hand.
The results indicate that Soqotri is morphologically rich. As a typical Semitic language, Soqotri nominals have three numbers (singular, dual, and plural) and two genders (masculine and feminine). In contrast to most Semitic languages, Soqotri lacks definite markers. Pre- or post-nominal modifiers within the DP must show concord (agreement in gender and number with the head noun).
Given the very little documentation on Soqotri, the dissertation will contribute to the typology of languages in general and particularly to the knowledge of the Modern Standard Arabian languages. The facts presented throughout the dissertation capture how the language varies from or patterns like the other Modern South Arabian languages and Semitic languages. Various questions and tentative analyses provided over the course of the dissertation also open up avenues for additional investigation.