The Syntax of Spoken Arabic: A Comparative Study of Moroccan, Egyptian, Syrian, and Kuwaiti Dialects

by Kristen Brustad

This book is the first comparative study of the syntax of Arabic dialects, based on natural language data recorded in Morocco, Egypt, Syria, and Kuwait. These four dialect regions are geographically diverse and representative of four distinct dialect groups.

Kristen E. Brustad has adopted an analytical approach that is both functional and descriptive, combining insights from discourse analysis, language typology, and pragmatics―the first time such an approach has been used in the study of spoken Arabic syntax. An appendix includes sample texts from her data.

Brustad's work provides the most nuanced description available to date of spoken Arabic syntax, widens the theoretical base of Arabic linguistics, and gives both scholars and students of Arabic tools for greater cross-dialect comprehension.

464 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Kristen Elizabeth Brustad

Reviews

[Lidija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great overview of dialectal varieties in colloquial Arabic, recommended for high intermediate/advanced students of MSA due to its high level of linguistic detail. I do wish the book came with mp3 files (if not on a CD, at least on a companion website), especially since Dr. Brustad pulls most of the examples off recordings she made in the field. It's a shame, especially since the examples tend to be pretty repetitive.

If you're looking for more analysis about particular dialects and how they differ from one another, or from MSA, look up the "From MSA to the Dialects - Conversion Course" series by Margaret Nydell. Long out of print, but your local uni library might have them. They are indispensable.