Rules and Exceptions: the Junggrammatiker and Verner's Law

Modern Standard Arabic is a language noted for its regularity. Is it, therefore, a suitable candidate for examination using Beedham's Method of Lexical Exceptions (Beedham 2005)? The majority of Arabic verbs are derived from triliteral (triconsonantal) roots which are slotted into a small, finite number of patterns forming the basis of the lexical system. However, a brief survey of Arabic grammar books (e.g. Holes 1995, Badawi et al. 2004, Wright 1967) reveals that there is a diversity of opinions on how the morphology of these verbal patterns relates to the semantic and syntactic properties of the resulting verbs. In search of a suitable set of exceptions on which to attempt to apply the method, the following questions will be addressed: i. Is the Arabic verb really this regular? ii. Is the distribution of verb forms in the lexicon random? iii. To what extent are the syntactic and semantic properties of verbs predictable from their morphology? In answering these questions, reference will be made to an exhaustive dictionary survey which has been undertaken (using Wehr 1994) of Arabic verbal forms and their patterns of co-occurrence, including statistical evidence, and some preliminary findings which have influenced the choice of material for further research. There will also be brief discussion of some of the limitations of the Method of Lexical Exceptions suggested by these findings.