Lesson 4: Dual Forms & Broken Plurals
Let's delve into the fascinating aspects of Dual Forms and Broken Plurals in Arabic, focusing on their usage in Levantine dialects.
What is the Dual Form?
Arabic uniquely features a dual form to specifically denote two items or individuals, distinguishing it from singular and plural forms.
Formation of the Dual
In Levantine Arabic, the dual is typically formed by adding (-en) to the end of the noun.
Examples:
-
إيد (īd – hand) → إيدين (īden – two hands)
-
عين (3ain – eye) → عينين (3ainen – two eyes)
Understanding Broken Plurals
Unlike the regular (sound) plurals formed by adding suffixes, broken plurals involve altering the internal structure of the singular noun. This non-concatenative process is a hallmark of Semitic languages, particularly Arabic.
Examples:
-
كِتاب (kitāb – book) → كُتُب (kutub – books)
-
رَجُل (rajul – man) → رِجال (rijāl – men)
-
طِفل (ṭifl – child) → أَطْفال (aṭfāl – children)
Broken plurals follow various patterns, often requiring memorization. Some common patterns include:
Adjectives with Long "i" to Long "a" Vowel Shift
These adjectives exhibit a vowel change from long "i" (ii) in the singular to long "a" (aa) in the plural.
| English | Masculine Singular | Feminine Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big | كبير (kbiir) | كبيرة (kbiira) | كبار (kbaar) |
| Small | صغير (sghiir) | صغيرة (sghiira) | صغار (sghaar) |
| Good | منيح (mnii7) | منيحة (mnii7a) | مناح (mnaa7) |
| New | جديد (jdiid) | جديدة (jdiida) | جداد (jdaad) |
| Old | قديم (qadiim) | قديمة (qadiima) | قدام (qadaam) |
| Cheap | رخيص (rakhiis) | رخيصة (rakhiisa) | رخاص (rkhaas) |
| Tall | طويل (tawiil) | طويلة (tawiila) | طوال (twaal) |
| Short | قصير (qasiir) | قصيرة (qasiira) | قصار (qsaar) |
| Near | قريب (qariib) | قريبة (qariiba) | قراب (qraab) |
Irregular Plural Forms of Job Titles (Pattern: u_ā)
These professions follow an irregular pluralization pattern, often changing the internal vowel structure.
"_ُ _ّ ا _"
| English | Masculine Singular | Feminine Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student | طالب (taalib) | طالبة (taaliba) | طلاب (ṭullaab) |
| Worker | عامل (3aamil) | عاملة (3aamila) | عمال (3ummaal) |
| Writer | كاتب (kaatib) | كاتبة (kaatiba) | كتاب (kuttaab) |
| Resident | ساكن (saaken) | ساكنة (saakena) | سكان (sukkaan) |
Place Names Starting with "م"
These nouns often denote places associated with the root verb, following specific morphological patterns.
| English | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| School | مدرسة (madrasa) | مدارس (madaares) |
| Office | مكتب (maktab) | مكاتب (makaateb) |
| Stage | مرحلة (mar7ala) | مراحل (maraa7el) |
| Restaurant | مطعم (mat3am) | مطاعم (mataa3em) |
| Institute | معهد (ma3had) | معاهد (ma3aahed) |
| Shelter | ملجأ (malja2) | ملاجئ (malaaja2) |
Ready to practice what you’ve learned? Here are a few exercises to help you practice! Convert the following singular nouns to their dual forms!