On al-'Asmaa' al-Mawuulah in modern standard Arabic

Abstract EN

The present study attempts to give a detailed analysis of the so-called al-'Asmaa' alMawúuulah in Modern Standard Arabic from the point of view of N.

Chomsky's Transformational-Generative Theory.

The research shows that forms like al-'allaðii, allatii, allaðiina, etc.

are not the same kind of constituent in deep structures as they are in surface structures.

They are, in fact, generated through the application of the article transformation and the noun segment deletion transformation.

As articles, al-'Asmaa' al-Mawúuulah are really a special form of the definite article -al.