Reduplication of Pluractional Verbs in Ha’ili Arabic

This paper investigates reduplication in pluractional verbs as attested in the Ha'ili dialect of Arabic (HD) by primarily analyzing their form. The paper also makes some observations about the function of these verbs. The data of this study consists of one-on-one interviews, a word list, and observations. Imperfective verb forms are formed by infixing a reduplicative syllable similar to the stem but with a vowel change. The stem of the perfective form of these verbs must necessarily comprise a minimum of two syllables to obey prosodic requirements. Weak verbs with final [a] are formed by prefixing tə, changing the first vowel to a, and reduplicating (geminating) the second consonant. Weak verbs with medial long [aa] are formed by infixing ów in place of the long [aa] and reduplicating the first consonant. Triconsonantal root verbs are formed by prefixing tə and reduplicating the second consonant, resulting in tə.C1áC2.C2aC3 templatic shape. Furthermore, some reduplicated pluractional verbs seem derived from their corresponding nouns. Despite the seemingly word-based derivation of pluractional verbs in HD, I argue that templatic requirements and reference to the root are also required. From a semantic perspective, there is a relationship in meaning between the stem and the reduplicative form in that it indicates pluractional or intensive actions and even causativization.