On semitic denominal verbs: the case of Arabic and Hebrew

Abstract

I argue that the noun in denominative verbs in Arabic and Hebrew is a lexical indivisible part of the verb. Evidence for the lexical analysis of denominal verbs is based on lexical, semantic, and syntactic arguments. I argue that, unlike the lexical analysis, Baker’s syntactic analysis of denominative verbs fails to account for the lexical properties of denominative verbs particularly the lack of referential index of the noun and the non-ambiguity of these verbs with adverbs. Furthermore, the dual projection of a verb and a noun in syntax as assumed by the syntactic analysis violates syntactic principles.