Maltese

Contemporary Changes and Historical Innovations

Przemyslaw Turek, Julia Nintemann, Przemyslaw Turek, Julia Nintemann

• Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton
• Year: 2022
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• eBook ISBN:
  9783110783872
• Subtopic: Historical & Comparative Linguistics
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

'Studia typologica' ist der Titel der Beihefte zur Zeitschrift 'Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung/Language Typology and Universals (STUF)'. In den 'Studia typologica' werden Beiträge veröffentlicht, die vielversprechende neue Themen im Bereich der allgemein-vergleichenden Sprachwissenschaft ansprechen. Insbesondere empirisch gut fundierte Beiträge mit crosslinguistischer Orientierung, die neue Problemstellungen auf innovative Art präsentieren, sind in den 'Studia typologica' willkommen. Die Beiheftereihe unterstützt nachdrücklich Studien zu weniger gut erforschten Sprachen und/oder Phänomenen. Von großem Interesse für die 'Studia typologica' sind auch areal-typologische Arbeiten sowie Beiträge, die sich dem Zusammenspiel von Sprachkontakt und Sprachtypologie widmen. Die 'Studia typologica' sind theorie- und modellübergreifend als Forum für typologisch ausgerichtete Forschungsarbeiten gedacht. Die Beihefte umfassen sowohl Monographien als auch thematisch homogene Sammelbände. Alle eingehenden Manuskripte werden begutachtet (double blind). Die Publikationssprache ist Englisch.

Part I: Lexicon

The semantic structure of adjectives referring to the holiness in Maltese and Arabic languages

Sebastian Bednarowicz

Abstract

The present paper is an analysis of the Maltese and Arabic adjectives related to the notion of ‘holiness’. The research was conducted through the componential analysis of meaning used in terms of the contrastive description. The study showed: 1) the extension of meaning of the Maltese adjective mqaddes (in comparison to their etymological counterpart in Arabic muqaddas) what resulted in changes within the lexical field of holiness, which in Maltese reflects rather the opposition of the Italian adjectives santo and sacro. 2) the general lack of the lexico-semantic parallelism between Maltese and Arabic adjectives bearing the notion of ‘holiness’.

Keywords: adjectives, Arabic, holiness, Maltese, semantics,

1 Introduction

The majority of previous studies on the Maltese lexicon were focused on etymological investigations (including the use of synonyms of Semitic or Romance origin) (Aquilina 1971, 1972, 1976; Trimble 1973; Krier 1976: 107–116), though the semantic (semasiological) method was also used in some works, especially those concerning the polysemy or semantic changes that took place in Maltese words compared with their Arabic or Italian counterparts (Krier 1976: 116–123; Aquilina 1997: 15–41). Building on the latter studies, in our modest contribution of the present paper we would like to analyze a number of adjectives referring to the notion of holiness in the Maltese and Arabic languages.

2 Relation between Maltese and Arabic

A comparison of languages is only possible, if there are differences between them. For that reason the influence of phylogenetic relations between linguistic varieties being compared on the process of the contrastive analysis is indisputable. It is clear that non-related languages share less similarities than the cognate ones do. Maltese and Arabic represent undoubtedly the latter situation.

The origin of literary Arabic is still a subject of discussion among Semiticists. The theory of classical Arab grammarians, who claimed that the spoken dialects are merely a corrupted form of the literary or Quranic Arabic, was rejected by the majority of Arabists.¹ A more plausible hypothesis is that the literary variety of Arabic emerged from vernacular dialects, which were a normal way of communicating among the tribes living in the Arabian Peninsula. This process began after the Islamic empire grew strong, and was, on the one hand, an answer for the need of an official language, which might be used in the state administration. On the other hand, the standardize...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Part I: Lexicon
• Part II Syntax
• Part III Morphosyntax
• Part IV Phonology
• Index of Authors
• Index of Languages
• Index of Subjects