Are Arabic Verbless Sentences ‘Truly’ Verbless? The Inadequacy of the Non-null Hypothesis

Abstract

This paper analyzes the controversial issue of Arabic null copular sentences or what is commonly referred to as ‘verbless sentences’ within a minimalist theoretical framework. Two Hypotheses are contrasted: the null copula hypothesis advanced by Fassi Fihri (1993), and the non-null hypothesis defended by Aoun et al. (2010) and Benmamoun (2000). Counterarguments to the ‘zero’ copula include (1) nominative case assignment, (2) an imperfective form of the copula in the present tense, (3) modal selection, and (4) minimality effects. A critical analysis allows alternative explanations refuting these counterarguments, hence reflecting the limitation of the non-null hypothesis. In this study, we aim to demonstrate the inadequacy of the non-null hypothesis and suggest a Revised Copula Spell-out Rule. The findings imply that the Arabic tense system proposed in non-null analyses is questionable and needs reconsideration.