Negation in the Lebanese dialect of Zeitoun, Keserwan :an examination of claims, concepts, and usage -

Abstract

The present study investigated negation constructions ma…–š, ʾa…–š, and –š used in the Zeitouni dialect of Keserwan in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon. The central research question of this study aimed to investigate whether word-initial, non-labial consonants, both in the imperfective and perfective forms, could be negated with sole post-positive –š. Additional research questions investigated whether or not specific verbs tended toward formulaicity in negation pattern usage, as well as if negative interrogatives, exclamations, and declarative sentences exhibited association with negator –š. This study used the participant observer approach to investigate natural language in a social network study; 15 participants, selected as part of a judgment sample in Zeitoun, were recorded for 10-12 hours in total during natural conversation with relatives, friends, and neighbors. The results showed that contrary to a large part of the literature, both non-labial imperfective and perfective verbs and pseudo-verbs are negated with sole post-positive –š. In terms of formulaicity, a baʾāš and a ʿrft-š tended to formulaically negate with the construction ʾa…–š. Additionally, there is a slight association between interrogation and exclamation and post-verbal –š usage. This study strongly contradicts the study of Abu-Haidar’s (1979) study of the dialect in Baskinta, situated relatively close to Zeitoun. A follow-up study in Baskinta would help further clarify the differences between the, otherwise, quite similar dialects. More research will need to be conducted in Zeitoun to obtain a more thorough data on the usage of negative –š with interrogatives and exclamations. With only three separate studies of the Mount Lebanon dialects, the more dialect studies are completed in this region, the more we may validate negation usage in the Levantine dialects and question othe