Summary

This contribution is a cross-dialectal analysis of possessive constructions. The dialects under study include the Maghribin dialects and some of the dialects in the Arabian Gulf. The paper analyses the formal aspects involved in the construction of the notion of possession in individual dialects and its relation to Standard Arabic. The resulting strategies of possessive formation and structure will be exhibited and formalized in a vast array of Arabic dialects from a comparative perspective. The approach adopted in the analysis of these phenomena is more linguistic than conceptual. It is supported by the underlying assumption that linguistic possession presupposes notional possession. After comparative description and analysis of Classical and dialectal Arabic possessive structures, it appears that an important linguistic shift has been and still is operating in the construction of possessive structure. This shift is due to many reasons. One of the most important reasons is the contact with other languages or linguistic structures. In the case of Maghribin dialects, the paper finds that the shift from 'synthetic ' construction to a more 'analytic' construction is due to a recognized Berber substratum. On the other hand, and in the case of the Arabian Gulf regional dialects and Classical Arabic, European (mainly English and French) linguistic forces are in play in the formation of a more dynamic type of possessive structure. In conclusion, and to summarize one of the most fundamental findings of this paper, there appears to be a strong tendency in the field of Arabic possessive constructions toward a shift from standardized and synthetic structures to a more dynamic and analytic construction. The 'analytic ' markers of the resulting structures are the result of a substratum and progressive language contact