阿拉伯語的規則複數

Abstract

根據歷代阿拉伯語言學者對阿拉伯名詞規則複數與破碎複數的定義顯示，規則陽性複數以增加後綴詞ūna、īna，規則陰性複數以增加āt 來表達，刪除這些後綴詞便可恢復其單數型態，其意義亦由複數還原成單數。破碎複數則會產生型態內部的改變，譬如以增加或刪除名詞的元音或輔音等方式呈現，而非如規則複數一樣單純的增加後綴詞。 除了規則複數與破碎複數之外，還有一些不列入此二者，卻表複數意義的ism al-jam‘、ism al-jins、jam‘ al-jam‘等。有些複數名詞雖被列為ism al-jam‘，卻合乎破碎複數的定義，譬如rakb，其單數是rākib；有些被列為破碎複數，卻無單數型態，譬如abābīl…。凡此都顯示語法學者對複數的分類有必要再審視。 本論文提出第三類應被列為規則複數的型態，這些名詞的數量龐大，卻始終被語法學者所忽視，那便是以增加陰性符號tā’來表達複數，刪除此符號便恢復其單數的型態和意義者，譬如sayyāf 和sayyāfat, qannāṣ 和 qannāṣat, nāshi’ 和nāshi’at。這種複數經常是代表族群、黨派、世系、職業…等意義，譬如以fa‘‘āl詞型或主動名詞詞型出現的名詞。根據古今阿拉伯學者對名詞複數意義與型態的界定，這類以增加後綴詞tā’來表達複數意義的名詞，理應被列為除了陽性、陰性規則複數之外的第三類規則複數。

This paper deals with types and meanings of plurals in Arabic language. Some plurals are different from others in terms of expression. In general, plural nouns can be divided into two types: regular and irregular. However, there are also rules for the later one which can be categorized as another form. As mentioned above, some nouns are not categorized as plural types, though their meanings are plural. Some linguists address them as plural without specifying the type, whereas others consider them as wrong expression. I have researched both ancient and modern Arabic materials and found that these nouns do not exist in any type of plurality. Neither do they belong to Ism al-jins, jam‘ al-jam‘ nor Ism al-jam‘. In my opinion, just like the regular masculine using the suffix “ūna”, and the feminine using the suffix “āt”, these nouns possess plural meaning with the suffix “t”. Examples are as followed: sayyāf and sayyāfat, qannāṣ and qannāṣat, nāshi’ and nāshi’at…etc. Therefore, I believe that these nouns can be seen as a special type of regular plural noun.