Pattern-and-root inflectional morphology: the Arabic broken plural

2026-05-22 · Source: cs.CL updates on arXiv.org · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Computational Linguistics · Depth: Expert, quick

Summary

Alexis Amid Neme and Eric Laporte present a substantially implemented model for Arabic noun inflectional morphology, specifically designed for managing language resources by Arabic-speaking linguists. The model introduces a "pattern-and-root" reversal, prioritizing patterns over traditional roots, and effectively handles broken plurals formed by stem modification. It distinctly separates inflectional description from derivation and semantics. Morphological analysis is conducted directly via an updatable, fully diacritized dictionary of words, eliminating the need for morphophonological rules. The system simplifies singular pattern taxonomy by focusing on vowel quantity. It classifies nouns with triliteral broken plurals into 22 patterns across 90 classes, and quadriliteral broken plurals into 3 patterns across 70 classes, totaling 160 classes, which expand to 300 with singular inflectional variations. This encoding scheme was applied to 3,200 broken plural noun entries.

Key takeaway

For NLP Engineers or Research Scientists developing Arabic morphological analyzers, particularly for complex inflection like broken plurals, you should evaluate the "pattern-and-root" model. This approach offers a direct, dictionary-based analysis without morphophonological rules, potentially simplifying system design and maintenance. Consider adopting its detailed classification scheme for triliteral and quadriliteral broken plurals to enhance the accuracy and coverage of your language resources.

Key insights

The model reverses traditional Semitic morphology, prioritizing patterns over roots for Arabic noun inflection.

Principles

• Separate inflectional description from derivation and semantics.
• Encode root alternations factually, independent of patterns.
• Simplify singular pattern taxonomy by specifying vowel quantity.

Method

Perform morphological analysis directly with a dictionary of words, bypassing morphophonological rules.

In practice

• Manage Arabic dictionaries with updatable, diacritized lexical entries.
• Apply encoding schemes to classify complex noun inflections like broken plurals.

Topics

• Arabic Morphology
• Inflectional Morphology
• Broken Plurals
• Computational Linguistics
• Lexical Resources
• Pattern-and-Root Model

Best for: AI Scientist, NLP Engineer, Research Scientist

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by cs.CL updates on arXiv.org.