The Syntax of Elliptical Constructions in Jordanian Arabic

Abstract

ABSTRACT THE SYNTAX OF ELLIPTICAL CONSTRUCTIONS IN JORDANIAN ARABIC by Juman Al Bukhari The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2016 Under the Supervision of Professor Nicholas Fleisher The syntax of Arabic elliptical constructions is unsettled, as there are few studies that have been done in the Arabic descriptive literature, as well as in Jordanian Arabic (henceforth, JA) specifically. Therefore, this paper will investigate some elliptical constructions in JA in particular to figure out the analysis of these constructions. In order to pursue this research, it is crucial to determine how JA elliptical data behave inasmuch as some examples are diagnosed as gapping constructions, while others are sluicing constructions. The research questions are: “What are the properties of JA elliptical constructions including gapping and (pseudo)-sluicing?”, “what is the syntax of these constructions in JA?”, “how do the facts of JA structure contribute to the literature of ellipsis?”, “does JA violate or salvage the Preposition Stranding Generalization?”, and “ how does the availability of wh-clefting in JA salvages PSG?”