The broken plural problem in Arabic, Semitic, and Afroasiatic: A solution based on the diachronic application of prosodic analysis. (Volumes I and II)

The aim of the dissertation is to set up a new theoretical model for the resolution of diachronic problems in Comparative Semitic and Comparative Afroasiatic Linguistics and to show how this model can be used to resolve specific problems associated with nominal morphology and noun plural formation in a number of Afroasiatic languages.;The second third of the dissertation is dedicated to resolving two diachronic problems: (1) the origin of the variety in the means of noun plural formation in Southwest Semitic languages and (2) the historical basis for the discrepancy between Southwest Semitic and other Semitic in the area of noun plural morphology. It is shown that previous efforts have failed to find a solution to these problems consistent with the data. Using the model developed for Arabic, a solution to these problems is proposed which has the advantage of assuming nothing for Proto-Semitic which is not actually found in attested Semitic languages and of assuming no type of change in any unattested stage of a Semitic language for which there is not both clear motivation and evidence of parallel development in an attested phase of Semitic.;The final third of the dissertation is dedicated to comparison of systems of noun-pluralization in Semitic and non-Semitic Afroasiatic languages. It is shown that in spite of the superficial diversity in the means of forming noun plurals in Afroasiatic languages, a consistent pattern or system is preserved across the group. A system of nominal number marking using 'internal' and 'external' morphology is reconstructed for Proto-Afroasiatic.;In addition to offering a new solution to an old problem in Comparative Semitic Linguistics, the dissertation also represents the first comprehensive comparative and reconstructive analysis of the internal nominal morphology of Afroasiatic languages.;In the first third of the dissertation a morphological model is elaborated for Arabic based on the principles of Prosodic Analysis and Level-Ordering. It is shown within the context of this model that there is a high degree of productivity and regularity in the superficially complex and anomalous system of noun plural formation in Arabic.