Re: Arabic affixation

Trebor Jung wrote at 2004-02-05 21:51:12 (-0500)
 > Merhaba!
 >
 > Could anyone give me a list of the possible combinations of Arabic
 > infixed vowels and affixes, and their meanings,

Well, as David says, there're really too many to give a reasonably
complete list.  Plus many of them are irregular... here's a list of
forms based on K-T-B, to write, from _The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read
and Write it_.

kataba			to write
kattaba		 	to make someone write
takaataba		to write to each other, correspond
istaktaba		to dictate
kitaab			book
maktab			office
maktaba			library, bookstore
kaatib			clerk
miktaab			typewriter
mukaataba		correspondance
mukaatib		correspondent, reporter
muktatib		subscriber
kutubii			bookseller
kutayyib		booklet
maktuub			written (or letter)

See also here: http://www.webpersonal.net/jordimastrullenque/arabe/rimas.en.html
and here: http://www.cedarseed.com/air/arabicverb.html

 > or a list of necessary concepts if one was to create a language
 > based on triconsonantalism.

Well, you know, this system of consonantal roots, as found in the
Semitic languages, is just another morphological strategy.  You can
use it to apply any kind of inflectional or derivational meaning to a
root that you could with other processes (affixes, ablaut, consonant
mutation, etc.).  There's no particular reason use the same categories
as Arabic or Hebrew (unless you were actually trying to make a
fictional Semitic language, in which case you'd need much more
detailed information).

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