ON THE PATTERNS OF ARABIC NOUNS (ABNIYAT AL-ASMĀʾ): A STUDY OF CLASSICAL MORPHOLOGICAL THEORY

This article analyzes the morphological patterns (abniyat al-asmāʾ) of unaugmented nouns in Classical Arabic, focusing on Nuzhatu al-Tarf fi Ilm al-Sarf by Ahmad al-Maydani*. It examines the theoretical division of triliteral noun patterns into twelve forms and explains why two patterns (فِعُل and فُعِل) were excluded due to phonological constraints. The study compares Maydānī’s views with those of Ibn al-Hajib*, Ibn Usfur al-Ishbili*, and Ahmad al-Hamlawi*, showing their methodological differences and theoretical agreement.