Recognisably Arabian: A Levantine/South- Arabian Morphosyntactic Bundle in Maltese

The chapter examines the diachronic depth of Maltese by tracing its connections to Levantine Arabic, South Arabian dialects, and Andalusi Arabic. Drawing on the work of Martin Zammit and incorporating detailed morphosyntactic analyses, the chapter identifies a bundle of linguistic features shared between Maltese and certain Arabic varieties, notably the use of enclitic -š/-šī for negation, prohibitives, and polar questions. Evidence suggests these features originated in South Arabian dialects, traveled through the Levant, and reached Malta via Andalusi Arabic and North African influences. For example, the enclitic -š forms prohibitives and negations in Maltese and appears sporadically in Levantine Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, and early Omani Arabic. Furthermore, a quantifier šī, analogous to Maltese xi, expresses partitive, distributive, and indefinite meanings, with parallels in Levantine and South Arabian Arabic.

The chapter also explores the influence of Modern South Arabian languages, such as Mehri, which share features like post-verbal negation and existential particles. This suggests pre-Islamic contact between Arabic speakers and Modern South Arabian communities facilitated linguistic convergence. The study challenges the notion of a linear Jespersen cycle in Arabic negation development, emphasizing instead the role of contact-driven diffusion. Maltese, with its diverse Arabic influences, illustrates how linguistic features can be preserved and recontextualized over time. By integrating evidence from Andalusi texts, Levantine dialects, and South Arabian varieties, the chapter highlights the complex interplay of migration, trade, and cultural exchange in shaping the morphosyntactic characteristics of Maltese.