A Grammar of Alnamas Arabic

Abstract

This dissertation is a grammar of Alnamas Arabic, an endangered variety of Arabic spoken predominantly by an estimated 4,800 individuals from the older parent and grandparent generations in the Alnamas region of southwestern Saudi Arabia. The dialect is part of the southwestern Arabic dialect group and exhibits distinctive linguistic features that set it apart from other varieties of Arabic. This grammar is based on the author’s fieldwork, which included recording and analyzing speech from native speakers in Alnamas. Since Alnamas Arabic has remained largely unstudied, this research provides the first major documentation and description of the dialect, offering a comprehensive analysis of its phonology, morphology, and syntax.