Irregular verbs in Arabic: Linguodidactic description of verbs with hamza

Abstract

The article is devoted to one of the most voluminous, heterogeneous and difficult to master sections of practical Arabic grammar — the so-called irregular verbs of the Arabic language. The author questions the correctness of using the term “irregular verbs” established in the description of European languages in relation to Arabic verbs with weak harfs and hamza in the root. It is emphasized that the fundamental difference between Arabic irregular verbs and, for example, irregular verbs of the English is that they follow the same conjugation system across all tenses and the same morphological patterns, with variations occurring only in specific phonetic environments of these root letters. So, it is proposed to discuss the possibility of using another term in scientific circulation, for example, “modified verbs”. The work highlights the main linguodidactic problems of teaching these verbs — the stage and order of their introduction, the large volume of material, its communicative value, staged introduction, specific difficulties in mastering each of the subgroups. Within the framework of the article, the author focuses on the description of verbs with hamza, denoting a specific consonant sound, for educational purposes. It is noted that, unlike other types of so-called irregular verbs, the focus of work with them shifts to the area of spelling the hamza itself (choosing carriers for it), and errors appear precisely in writing. Also, the author gives the list that presents the remaining difficulties in mastering this section, which are specific (some linguistic forms, such as masdar of the 4th type of the initial hamza verb, coincidences in the initial form of the 3rd and 4th type of initial hamza verbs, etc.) and not systemic and can be studied at a later stage of training.