BROKEN PLURAL IN ARABIC LANGUAGE (جمع التكثير) (1)

 BROKEN PLURAL IN ARABIC LANGUAGE (جمع التكثير) (1)

By: Yusuf Basirat Bolanle  (Obakids Link TV)

In our previous lessons, we discussed plural in Arabic language, and we said the plurals have three forms; The sound masculine plural, the sound feminine plural and the broken plural.

 

The sound masculine plural (جمع المذكر السالم) and sound feminine plural (جمع المؤنث السالم) are regulars because they are formed by adding suffixes (ون) and (ات) to the ends of their singulars nouns respectively.

 

In this lesson, we shall talk about broken plural and some of its examples and their formations. 

 

What is broken plural?

 

The Broke plural in Arabic language is known as (جمع التكسير). It  is a plural formed without following a specific rules and regulations . Broken plural is irregular because its formation does not follow a specific pattern. 

 

Many broken plurals are based on hearings. However, some of them were still formed based on some rules guiding their formations.

 

Why is it called broken plural?

 

It is called a broken plural because its singular is not sound, they are broken. This is because their singulars do not undergo a change in parsing marks. Their changes occurred as a result of internal structures of their singulars.

 

There are two major types of broken plural, which are divided into many others:

 

1-  (جمع الْقِلَّة) plural of few and

2-  (جمع الْكَثُرَة) plural of many.

 

1.                   Plural of the few (جمع القلة)

This is the form of plural that covers numbers from three to ten items only. It has 4 major patterns, which are;

-(فِعْلَةٌ)

-(أَفْعِلَةٌ)

-(أَفْعَالٌ)

-(فِعَّالٌ)

 EXAMPLES

 

(فِعْلَةٌ)

    جمع                                                          مفرد

إخوة                                                            أخ

صبية                                                      صبي

فتية                                                         فتى

 

(أَفْعِلَةٌ)

 

جمع                                                       مفرد

أسئلة                                                        سؤال

أطعمة                                                       طعام

أجوبة                                                      جواب

 

(أَفْعَالٌ)

 جمع                                                     مفرد

أقلام                                                    قلم

أصحاب                                                صاحب

أولاد                                                      ولد

(فُعَّالٌ)

 

جمع                                                      مفرد

    طلاب                                                  طالب

كتاب                                                    كاتب

قراء                                                     قارىء

 

 

Continue Here: The Broken Plural of Many