A semantic study of ‘verbs to be’ in modern standard English and ‘defective verbs’ in modern standard Arabic

Abstract EN

This study focuses on analyzing and contrasting the meanings of "verbs to be" in Modern Standard English (MSE) and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) to reveal the features of similarity and difference between them.

It is meant to point out the difficulty of "existence" in the two languages context.

It is concluded that both MSE and MSA have fourteen aspects of similarity as well as eleven aspects of difference.

In relation to the similarities, the two languages have the existence meaning in continuous active forms, orders, destiny, and wish of another person when 'be' is an auxiliary verb in English.

In addition, Arabic is similar to English in some features such as existence implied in using 'kana' ; existence denoting physical and mental conditions ; age, size, price, colour ; the existence implied in the predicate +adv., prep.

particles in nominal sentences ; existence in possession ; the meaning of "become" ; "get" ; "go, come" ; and the meaning of "Sara".

-As for the differences, in this respect, Arabic has no auxiliary or ordinary ‘defective verbs’, tenses structure like English, passive forms of 'kana wa akhawatuha', intention, possibility, supposition, and mutual arrangement.

On the other hand, English has no divisions of general existence, special existence, continuous existence, and the one implied in the predicate in nominal sentences.

The number of 'verbs to be' are eight only compared to thirteen in Arabic ; no extra verbs follow the main 'defective verbs', the existence is very clear by the 'verbs to be' compared with the implied existence of Arabic predicate in nominal sentences, and finally English 'verbs to be' are not formed by adding a prefix like the Arabic 'verbs to be' ma+zala = mazala, ma+ dama = madama, and etc.

The present research includes an introduction, definitions of basic terms and three sections.

Introduction is about the theoretical perspective regarding the theory of contrastive analysis (CA) on which the research is based.

Section one presents the meanings of 'verbs to be' in English and ‘defective verbs = kana wa akhawatuha’ in Arabic.

In Section Two we have contrastive analysis of both MSE and MSA concerning their similarities and differences, Section Three is conclusions and recommendations.