Adjective inflection in Zahrani Spoken Arabic

Abstract

This paper deals with the morphology of adjectives and illustrates
the inflectional processes in Zahrani Spoken Arabic (ZSA). Adjectives
in ZSA vary according to their derivation: they are derived from lexical
roots and other parts of speech such as verbs, including present and past
participles. Some adjectives are formed from adjectives derived from
nouns that have nisbah suffixes. Another set of adjectives are formed
by using root/pattern rules. Adjectives usually come after the noun in
ZSA. Adjectives in postnominal position agree with the noun in gender,
number and definiteness. Adjectives also occur in prenominal position
in ZSA where they do not agree fully with the noun.
Key words: Saudi Dialects, Zahrani Spoken Arabic, morphology,
inflection, adjectives