Re: about semitic morphology

In a message dated 06/15/02 9:14:15 AM, conlang@POSTA.NET writes:

<< the root for writing is: M G D  for living  D R B
the noun "writing" is   "megid"
That means:
should the noun for "loving" be "derib"???? Or there is no rule that all same
function words
must have the same form? >>

    In Arabic, the form for this type of noun is called the masDar (that's a
pharyngealized /d/, not a dental fric.), and it has different forms.  Of
course, now I'm forgetting all my Arabic...  For example, I think the masDar
of s-f-r is /as-safaarii/, whereas the masDar of q-r-? is /al-qiraa?a/,
though don't quote me on that.  The point is, they're the same noun type, but
they have different forms, depending on something or other (what type of verb
it is, I think).  Of course, within each verb type, there's no irregularity,
save phonologically conditioned irregularity.  The most irregular part of the
whole bit is the semantics, really.

-David

"fawiT, Gug&g, tSagZil-a-Gariz, waj min DidZejsat wazid..."
"Soft, driven, slow and mad, like some new language..."
                    -Jim Morrison