Classical Arabic - Morphology

Morphology

Classical Arabic is one of the Semitic languages, and therefore has many similarities in conjugation and pronunciation to Hebrew, Akkadian, Aramaic, and Amharic. Its use of vowels to modify a base group of consonants resembles similar constructions in Biblical Hebrew.

For example:

• kataba, he wrote
• yaktubu, he writes
• maktūbun, written (words)
• kitābun, book
• kutubun, books (broken plural)
• kitābatun, writing
• kitābātun, writings (feminine sound plural)
• maktabun, desk
• maktabatun, library
• kātibun, writer
• kātibūna, writers (masculine sound plural)
• kuttābun, writers (broken plural)
• miktābun, writing machine

These words all have some relationship with writing, and all of them contain the three consonants KTB. This group of consonants k-t-b is called a "root." Grammarians assume that this root carries a basic meaning of writing, which encompasses all objects or actions involving writing, and so, therefore, all the above words are regarded as modified forms of this root, and are "obtained" or "derived" in some way from it.