Jordan Journal of Modern Languages and Literature...

Jordan Journal of Modern Languages and Literature Vol.11, No. 3, 2019, pp 297-319

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JJMLL

A Contrastive Study of English Quantifiers and their Equivalents in French and Arabic

Mahmoud Saada French Department, An-Najah University, Palestine

Received on: 17-3-2019 Accepted on: 15-10-2019

Abstract In this contrastive study, we compare English quantifiers with their equivalents in French and Arabic, based on

a corpus that includes English scholarly articles and their translations in the two other languages. We first present the

English quantifiers in sub-categories. Then we study, analyze and comment on them and their French and Arabic

equivalents in a set of examples. In conclusion, we formulate generalizations that will help learners and translators of

these languages to foster their understanding of the quantifiers and to find good equivalents in different contexts.

Keywords: contrastive study, equivalent, (in)definite, noun phrase, quantifier, translation

The corpus of the study

We chose as a corpus for our study a set of texts in critical thought. Founded in 1993 and based in

Paris, France, Transeuropéennes is an on-line international Journal which is published in French, English,

Turkish and Arabic. Compared with literary texts, this kind of texts needs a rather professional

translation. Therefore, the equivalents of the terms that we study here are almost direct ones. The other

reason of our choice is the fact that working with soft copies makes it easier to find the necessary

examples.

Website of the journal: www.transeuropeennes.eu

Hereinafter are the selected articles, from which we extracted our examples. Our choice of these

articles is based on two factors. First, they are written in English and translated at least into Arabic and

French. Second, they contain enough examples that cover all the functions and values of the English

determiners. The total number of words of the three articles is 20 670.

-Balibar, Etienne. (2009). Speaking The Universal. http://www.transeuropeennes.eu. (9700 words)

-Bamyeh, Mohammed. (2011), AL-QAHIRA, THE CITY VICTORIOUS, FEBRUARY 11, 2011.

http://www.transeuropeennes.eu. (3390 words)

-Fraser, Nancy. (2010). Who Counts. http://www.transeuropeennes.eu. (7580 words)

Introduction

The choice of the studied languages is based on the fact that English and French are the most learned

languages by Arabs, and also for their wide use by most Arab translators. In fact, English, French and, to

some extent, Arabic are official languages of many international organizations. Therefore, we will

2019 JJMLL Puplishers/Yarmouk University. All Rights Reserved.

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compare, in one study, two Indo-European languages (Germanic and Romance languages, respectively

English and French) and a Semitic language, i.e. Arabic.

Literature

The quantifiers are a sub-category of determiners. To our knowledge, they are little covered in

contrastive studies, and even less if we compare English, French and Arabic quantifiers together. We

have found only one article that compares English and Arabic quantifiers. The objective of Jawad (2015)

was to study possible errors that Arab learners of English as a foreign language may commit when using

quantifiers. In addition to the quantifiers which we cover in this paper, she also included the cardinal

numbers. Examples of the two languages are given separately in her study.

Based on that, we chose to make this contrastive study which may help language teachers/learners

and translators to better understand them in the language they learn and to avoid possible mistakes in

translation. In our paper, we give English examples and their French and Arabic equivalents in a multi-

lingual corpus.

Limitation

Since this subject could take dozens of pages to accomplish, we limited our study as follows: English

quantifiers will be the basis for the comparison with the two other languages, i.e. French and Arabic.

Among the different classifications, we adopted the one made by John Eastwood in his Oxford Guide to

English Grammar. We also took it as a reference to identify the function of each quantifier and thus to

show the differences between them. The quantifiers listed below are the most common ones that we may

find in English grammars.

English:

-Small quantity quantifiers: (a) few, (a) little and a bit of.

-Large quantity quantifiers: a lot of, lots of, many and much.

-Whole and part quantifiers: all, most, both, either, neither, every, each, some, any and no.

In French also, there are many classifications for quantifiers. The most common classification is the

one where grammars, like Wagner's Grammaire classique du français classique et moderne and

Chevalier & al.s' Grammaire du français contemporain, talk about indefinite adjectives and divide them

into two sub-categories: the quantifiers (which are subdivided into 4 groups: zero quantifiers, singular

quantifiers, plural quantifiers and totality quantifiers) and the qualitative adjectives même, autre and tel.

French: aucun and nul ; quelque and certain ; quelques, certains, plusieurs, maint, différents and divers ;

chaque and tout (and its variants).

Such category doesn’t even exist in Arabic. Therefore, we listed hereinafter only those words that

appeared as equivalents of the English quantifiers in our corpus.


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Arabic: ba‘ḍ بعض ; kullكل ; bi‘ḍ adīd / muta‘addid /‘iddaẗ‘ ; بضع a negative + أي ayy’; عدة/متعدد /عديد

word; kaṯīr (min) (من) كثير ; ’aġlab أغلب / ġālibiyyaẗ غالبية;mu‘ẓam معظم; ğull جل ; mā al-’ibhāmiyyaẗ

[vague] ما اإلبهامية.

Small quantity quantifiers: (a) few, (a) little and a bit of

A few and a little are used in affirmative statements, whereas few and little (without a) are used with

negative ones. While (a) few determines plural countable nouns, (a) little determines uncountable nouns.

A bit of, which means the same as a little, is informal. That may explain why we didn't find it in our

corpus. We also didn't find any example with a little and thus borrowed one from Eastwood (2002: 220)

and translated it into French and Arabic (2).

In the following examples, quelques is the equivalent of a few. It's a plural quantifier which, like

certains, plusieurs, maint, différents and divers, is used with countable nouns. But it differs from those

quantifiers in that it indicates a small and imprecise quantity (Chevalier, 2002). Quelque, as equivalent of

a little, indicates also a small and imprecise quantity, but it generally determines an uncountable noun

(Grevisse, 2007).

In Arabic, biḍ‘ بضع is the equivalent of a few. It is variable in gender (biḍ‘aẗ بضعة for the feminine).

It indicates a small and imprecise quantity, which is limited between 3 and 10 and just like these numbers

it has the opposite gender of the determined noun. Composed from the same consonants, ba‘ḍ بعض is,

inter alia, the equivalent of a little. Unlike biḍ‘, it is invariable and indicates either one or several beings

or things that are part of a set, or a part of a being or thing. This is at least not disputed in Modern

Standard Arabic (Ibn Manẓūr).

(1)Several mentioned to me their pride in seeming to accomplish in just a few days what Tunisians

needed a month to accomplish.1

Plusieurs d’entre eux m’ont dit leur fierté de sembler pouvoir accomplir en quelques jours ce qu’il avait

fallu un mois aux Tunisiens pour réaliser.

أيام ما احتاج التونسيون شهرا لتحقيقه. بضعةوذكر لي العديد من المتظاهرين فخرهم في ما بدا أنهم حققوا في

wa ḏakara liya l-‘adīd-u min(a) l-mutaẓāhirīna faẖr-a-hum fī mā badā ’anna-hum ḥaqqaqū fī biḍ‘aẗ-i ’ayyām-i-n ma ḥtāğa t-tūnisiyyūna šahr-a-n li-taḥqīq-i-hī.

fī biḍ‘aẗ-i ’ayyām-i-n

PREP (N)fem.-GEN (N)masc./pl.-GEN-n

(2) I've still got a little money/a bit of money, fortunately.

Heureusement, j'ai encore quelque (un peu d') argent.

المال. بعضلحسن الحظ، الزال لدي

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li-ḥusni l-ḥaẓẓ-i, lāzāla ladayya ba‘ḍ-u l-māl-i

ba‘ḍ-u l-māl-i

N-NOM DEF-N-GEN

In examples (3 and 4), the equivalent in French of few and little with negative connotation is

respectively the adjective rare (3) and the adverb peu (4). The Arabic equivalents of these two quantifiers

are respectively the nominal group ‘adad qalīl (3) عدد قليل and the adjective ḍa‘īf-a-n (4) ضعيف.

(3)… and a week after the uprising, only few police officers ventured out again.2

… et seuls de rares officiers de police s’aventuraient encore au-dehors une semaine après le

soulèvement.

من رجال الشرطة بالخروج ثانية إلى الشارع. عدد قليلوبعد أسبوع على اندالع االنتفاضة، تجرأ

wa-ba‘da ’usbū‘-i-n ’ala ndilā‘-i l-intifāḍaẗ-i, tağarra’a ‘adad-u-n qalīl-u-n min riğāl-i š-šurṭaẗ-i bi-l-

ẖurūğ-i ṯāniyaẗ-a-n ’ila š-šari‘-i.

tağarra’a ‘adad-u-n qalīl-u-n min riğāl-i š-šurṭaẗ-i

(V)sc N-NOM-n ADJ-NOM-n PREP N-GEN DEF-N-GEN

dared number few/little of men the police

(4)The Egyptian Revolution, starting on January 25, lacked leadership and possessed little organization

…3

La révolution égyptienne commencée le 25 janvier n’avait pas de leadership et était peu organisée …

ضعيفاكانون الثاني/يناير إلى القيادة وكان تنظيمها 25فقد افتقرت الثورة المصرية التي اندلعت في

faqad iftaqarat(i) ṯ-ṯawraẗ-u l-miṣriyyaẗ-u llatindala‘atfī 25 kanūn-i ṯ-ṯānī/yanayir ’ila l-qiyādaẗ-i wa-

kānatanẓīm-u-hāḍa‘īf-a-n

kāna tanẓīm-u-hā ḍa‘īf-a-n

(V)sc N-NOM-PRO ADJ-ACC-n

was organization its weak


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Large quantity quantifiers: a lot of, lots of, many and much

We use many to determine plural countable nouns and much to determine uncountable nouns. In our

corpus, we didn't find an example with the quantifier much, and thus we borrowed one from Eastwood

(2002: 220) and translated it into French and Arabic (6). A lot of and lots of, which are used with both

plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns, are less formal than many and much. This is why we don't

have them in our corpus.

In example (5), the equivalent of many is the adjective nombreux in French and the adjective

‘adīd in Arabic. In (6), the French equivalent of much is the adverb of degree beaucoup de. When it عديد

is preceded by the adverb of degree too, the connotation becomes negative and thus the equivalent will be

trop de. In Arabic, the noun kaṯīrكثير followed by the partitive particle min من is the equivalent. In order to

indicate the negative connotation, we can use the adverb ğiddan جدا or a phrase that contains the

comparative adjective ’akṯarأكثر.

(5) In view of many current debates about the heterogeneity of cultures, the possibilities that its

recognition opens …4

Au vu des nombreux débats actuels sur l’hétérogénéité des cultures, des possibilités ouvertes par la

reconnaissance d’une telle hétérogénéité …

... حول اختالف الثقافات، وحول اإلمكانيات المتاحة لالعتراف بهذا االختالف، والعديدةفبالنظر إلى النقاشات الحالية

fa-bi-n-naẓar-i ’ila n-niqāšāt-i l-ḥāliyyaẗ-i wa-l-‘adīdaẗ-iḥawla ẖtilāf-i ṯ-ṯaqāfāt-i, wa-ẖawla l-

’imkāniyyāt-i l-mutāḥaẗ-i li-l-i‘tirāf-i bi-hāḏa l-iẖtilāf-i, …

bi-n-naẓar-i ’ila n-niqāšāt-i l-ḥāliyyaẗ-i

PREP-DEF-N-GEN PREP DEF-N-GEN DEF-ADJ-GEN

in view to the debates the current

wa-l-‘adīdaẗ-i

COOR-DEF-N-GEN

and the many/numerous

(6)There's [too]much concrete here and not enough grass.

Il y a beaucoup de / trop de béton ici et pas assez de pelouse.

الخرسانة (المباني) والقليل من المساحات الخضراء. الكثير من / الكثير جدا من (أكثر مما ينبغي من)هناك

hunāka l-kaṯīr-u min / l-kaṯīr-u ğiddan min (’akṯar-u mim-mā yanbaġī min) al-ẖarasānaẗ-i (al-mabānī)

wa-l-qalīl-u min(a) l-masāḥāt-i l-ẖaḍrā’-a.

l-kaṯīr-u min / l-kaṯīr-u ğiddan min (’akṯar-u

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DEF-N-NOM PREP DEF-N-NOM ADV PERP compADJ

the much of the much too of more

mim-mā yanbaġī min) al-ẖarasānaẗ-i

PREP-PART (V)pc PREP DEF-N-GEN

of what should of the concrete

Whole, part and zero quantifiers: all, both, every, each, most, some, either, neither, any and no

All, both, every and each are positive whole quantifiers

All and both are totalization quantifiers. All can be used with countable plural nouns and uncountable

nouns, while both can only be used with countable plural nouns and it refers to exactly two items or

people. When followed by the or a possessive determiner then a singular noun, all refers to the totality of

an item and means "whole". Every and each have a distributive value. They are used with singular nouns.

With each, the members of a group are considered separately and individually, while with every the group

is considered collectively and can also refer to a regular and repeated event.

In (7), all determines a countable plural noun. Its equivalent in French is the plural form of tout (tous

for masculine plural and toutes for feminine plural), which is used for totalization, followed by a definite

article (Wagner, 1991). In Arabic also, the equivalent kullكل is followed by the definite article al-ال. Since

al-waṣf ‘is maṣdar (nominalization), and thus cannot be used in the plural form, the word ’anwā الوصف

in the plural form is introduced before the determined noun. In (8), all, followed by the, refers to the أنواع

totality of the repression. Its equivalent in French is the singular form of tout (feminine toute) followed

by a definite article. The same remark concerns Arabic language, where kullكل is followed by the definite

article al- ال and determines, in this case, a singular noun.

(7)… which is common to all descriptions …5

… commun à toutes les descriptions …

الوصف ... أنواع كل... المشتركة بين

… al-muštarakaẗ-u baynakull-i ’anwā‘-i l-waṣf-i …

bayna kull-i ’anwā‘-i l-waṣf-i

PREP N-GEN N-GEN DEF-N-GEN

between all kinds the descriptions

(8) … because all the repression that they had internalized as self-criticism …6

… parce que toute la répression qu’ils avaient intériorisée sous la forme de l’autocritique …

... الذي كانوا يستبطنونه بوصفه نقدا ذاتيا القمع كل... ألن

… li-’anna kull-a l-qam‘-i llaḏī kānū yastabṭinūna-hū bi-waṣfi-hī naqd-a-n ḏātiyy-a-n …


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li-’anna kull-a l-qam‘-i

PREP-PART N-ACC DEF-N-GEN

for that (because) all the repression

In (9), we notice that the equivalent of both in French is the numeral determiner deux preceded by a

definite article. Arabic is a language of three numbers. The dual form of the determined noun could then

be the equivalent of the noun phrase (both + noun). But in Arabic we also have a dual form of kullكل. This

form is variable in gender: kilā كال for the masculine and kiltā ا كلت for the feminine. In (10), the determined

noun is feminine but the translator used mistakenly the masculine form kilā.

(9) Which in both cases may allow us to understand its specific (and privileged) relationship to the

enunciation of universality …7

Ce qui dans les deux cas peut nous permettre de comprendre sa relation spécifique (et privilégiée) avec

l'énonciation de l'universalité …

الكونية ...(والمتميزة) بالتعبير عن معا بفهم عالقتها الخاصة الحالتين... وهو ما يسمح لنا في

… wa-huwa mā yasmaḥu la-nā fi l-ḥālatayn(i) ma‘an bi-fahm-i ‘alāqat-i-hima l-ẖāṣaẗ-i (wa-l-

mutamayyizaẗ-i) bi-t-ta‘bīr-i ‘an(i) l-kawniyyaẗ-i …

fi l-ḥālatayn(i) ma‘an

PREP DEF-N-GEN CIRstatus

in the two cases together

(10) And in both cases violence and reciprocity are at stake …8

Et dans les deux cas, la violence et la réciprocité sont en jeu …

.توازنهما بعيد المنال ، يتدخل العنف والتقابل اللذين يغدو تحقيقالحالتين كالوفي

wa-fī kila l-ḥālatayn(i), yatadaẖẖalu l-‘unf-u wa-t-taqābul-u llaḏayni yaġdū taḥqīq-u tawāzun-i-himā

ba‘īd-a l-manāl-i.

fi kila l-ḥālatayn(i)

PREP N DEF-N-GEN

in both the cases

The equivalent in French of every, with which the group is considered collectively (11), is the

singular form of tout without being followed by a definite article. In this case, it has a distributive value

(RIEGEL and al., 1994). In Arabic, kullكل is again the equivalent, but it determines an indefinite singular

noun. We may also use ’ayy as a distributive determiner only when it is followed by an indefinite أي

singular noun. In MSA, it varies only, but optionally, in gender (feminine ’ayyaẗ And when every .( أية

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refers to a regular and repeated event (12), the equivalent in French is the plural form of tout, which

indicates the periodicity in time or space, followed by a definite article (Chevalier, 2002). In Arabic, there

is no difference with the previous case (see suggestion after example 12), except that we may also use a

time circumstantial (equivalent of adverb).

(11) … comes from the fact that every discourse or enunciation of the universal is subjected to the law of

conscious representation …9

… vient du fait que tout discours ou toute énonciation de l'universel se trouve soumis à la loi de la

représentation consciente …

يخضع دوما لقانون التمثل الواعي ... نطق للكوني كلخطاب أو كل... من كون

… min kawn-i kull-iẖiṭāb-i-n ’aw kull-i nuṭq-i-n li-l-kawniyy-i yaẖḍa‘u dawm-a-n l-qānūn-i t-tamṯīl-i l-wā‘ī …

kull-i ẖiṭāb-i-n ’aw kull-i nuṭq-i-n

N-GEN N-GEN-n COOR N-GEN N-GEN-n

every discourse or every enunciation

(12) … while nevertheless performed everyday on a large scale …10

… alors même qu’elle se pratique tous les jours à grande échelle …

على نطاق واسع ... يوميا... في الوقت الذي تمارس فيه الترجمة

… wa-fil-waqt-i llaḏī tumārasu fī-hi t-tarğamaẗ-u yawmiyy-a-n ‘alā niṭāq-i-n wāsi‘-i-n …

yawmiyy-a-n CIRtime-ACC-n daily

Suggestion:... في الوقت الذي تمارس فيه الترجمة كل يوم على نطاق واسع ...

… wa-fil-waqt-i llaḏī tumārasu fī-hi t-tarğamaẗ-u kull-a yawm-i-n ‘alā niṭāq-i-n wāsi‘-i-n …

kull-a yawm-i-n

N-ACC N-GEN-n

every day

The equivalent of each, with which the members of a group are considered separately and

individually, is the invariable distributive quantifier chaque. It is used with singular nouns and is usually

never accompanied with other determiners (Wagner, 1991). In Arabic, the polysemous word kullكل is

again the equivalent.

(13) … each language, or in this sense, idiom, having its proper name …11

… chaque langue ou, dans ce sens, chaque idiome, ayant son nom particulier …

لسان اسمه ... ولكللغة لسانها، فلكل...

… fa-li-kull-i luġaẗ-i-n lisān-u-hā, wa-li-kull-i lisan-i-n ism-u-hū …

kull-i N-GEN each


305

most, some and either express part of a quantity

most and some can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns, while either is used only

when we talk about two items or people. most is used for generalization and indicates the majority of a

quantity. some refers to a neutral (neither big nor small) quantity and can be used as a plural indefinite

article.

In examples (14 and 15), most is used with countable nouns. We didn’t find in our corpus an

example of most used with uncountable nouns. Therefore, we borrowed example (16) from Eastwood

(2002: 223). In both cases, the equivalent in French is la plupart de, followed by a definite article, which

is in a plural form (les contracted with de) in the first case and singular in the second one. Note that

pollution in French could be both countable and uncountable. And in order to give an example of a

determined noun which is only uncountable, we borrowed example (17) from Robert (1991). In Arabic,

whatever the determined noun is (countable or uncountable), which should also be definite, the equivalent

is ġālibiyyaẗ غالبية, ’aġlab أغلب or ğull جل. These words are synonymous.

(14) While most theorists agree that such a correspondence (or equivalence of languages) is never

reached in practice …12

Si la plupart des théoriciens s’accordent pour dire qu’une telle correspondance (c’est-à-dire une telle

équivalence des langues) n’est jamais atteinte dans la pratique …

عمليا ...ال يمكن بلوغه المنظرين متفقين على أن تطابقا من هذا الصنف (ونعني تطابقا بين اللغات) غالبيةإذا كان

’iḏa kāna ġālibiyyaẗ-u l-munaẓẓirīna muttafiqīna ‘alā ’anna taṯābuq-a-n min hāḏa ṣ-ṣinf-i (wa-na‘nī

taṭābuq-a-n bayna l-luġāt-i) lā yumkinu bulūġu-hū ‘amaliyy-a-n …

ġālibiyyaẗ-u l-munaẓẓirīna

N-NOM DEF-N-GEN

most the theorists

(15)… which seems also justified by the fact that most examples …13

… ce qui semble également justifié par le fait que la plupart des exemples …

األمثلة ... أغلب... وهو ما يجد تبريره في كون

… wa-huwa mā yağidu tabrīr-a-hū fī kawn-i ’aġlab-i l-’amṯilaẗ-i …

’aġlab-I l-’amṯilaẗ-i

N-GEN DEF-N-GEN

most the examples

(16)Most pollution could be avoided.

La plupart de la/des pollution(s) peut/peuvent être évitée(s).

التلوث يمكن تفاديه. معظم/أغلب

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mu‘ẓam-u/ ’aġlab-u t-talawwuṯ-i yumkinu tafaādī-hi.

mu‘ẓam-u/’aġlab-u t-talawwuṯ-i

N-NOM ADJcomp DEF-N-GEN

most /the most the pollution

(17)La plupart du temps

Most of the time

الوقت معظم/جل

mu‘ẓam-u/ ğull-ul-waqt-i

N-NOM DEF-N-GEN

most the time

The equivalent in French of some, when it is used with a countable plural noun, is certains (fem.

certaines).It replaces the indefinite article des. And just like some, "it often indicates a small, but not very

small, quantity"14and determined items or people have special characteristics. In Arabic, the equivalent is

ba‘ḍبعض , which is used with a definite noun. It's invariable and means part of a number of people or

items.

(18) … which in some cases will appear reversible …15

… qui dans certains cas apparaît réversible …

قابلة للقلب ... الحاالت بعض... التي تبدو في

… allatī tabdū fī ba‘ḍ-i l-ḥālāt-i qābilaẗ-a-n li-l-qalb-i …

fī ba‘ḍ-i l-ḥālāt-i

PREP N-GEN DEF-N-GEN

in part (of) the cases

If some is used with a singular countable noun, the equivalent in French will be a quantifier that does

not indicate special characteristics of the determined noun. In (19), the equivalent is an indefinite article,

followed (and reinforced) in (20) by quelconque which indicates that the determined noun is

unidentifiable and means whatever. In (21), quelque, in singular form, indicates also that the determined

noun is imprecise. In Arabic, the equivalent is mā al-’ibhāmiyyaẗ [vague] ما اإلبهامية. It is used with an

indefinite noun and reinforces its impreciseness. In (21), the Arabic translator missed (un)intentionally

some and the noun it determines.

(19) I will try to give a summary account of three of them, which I find in some sense indispensable.16

Je vais essayer de donner un bref aperçu de trois d'entre elles, que je trouve en un sens indispensables.

.ماوسأحاول أن أقدم لمحة وجيزة بخصوص ثالث من بينها أعتبرها ضرورية بمعنى


307

wa-sa-’uḥāwilu ’an ’uqaddima lamḥaẗ-a-n wağīzaẗ-a-n bi-ẖuṣūṣ-i ṯalāṯ-i-n min bayn-i-hā ’a‘tabiru-hā

ḍarūriyyaẗ-a-n bi-ma‘n-a-n mā.

bi-ma‘n-a-n mā

PREP-N-GEN N-GEN

in sense

(20) … its intention of projecting over the totality of experience some principle of certainty or truth …17

… son intention de projeter sur la totalité de l'expérience un quelconque principe de certitude ou de

vérité …

لليقين والحقيقة على كلية التجربة ... ما ... من عزمها إضفاء مبدأ

… min ‘azm-i-hā ’iḍfā’-u mabda’-i-n mā li-l-yaqīn-i wa-l-ḥaqīqaẗ-i ‘alā kulliyyaẗ-i t-tağrubaẗ-i …

’iḍfā’-u mabda’-i-n mā

N-NOM N-GEN-n N-GEN

Projecting principle

(21) … (in which in some sense the orientations and future status of philosophy are at stake).18

… (qui de quelque manière met en jeu les orientations et le statut futur de la philosophie) …

الفلسفة ووضعها موضع رهان) ...... (وهو ما يجعل توجهات

… (wa-huwa mā yağ‘alu tawağğuhāt-i l-falsafaẗ-i wa-waḍ‘a-hā mawḍi‘-a rihān-i-n) …

We didn’t find in our corpus some used with an uncountable noun. We thus borrowed the following

example form Eastwood (2002: 226). We suggest as equivalent in French a partitive article or the

quantifier un peu de which indicates a small quantity. In Arabic, ba‘ḍ is again the equivalent and بعض

means here part of an item.

(22) "I've got some wood."

J'ai du / un peu de bois.

الخشب. بعضلدي

ladayya ba‘ḍ-u l-ẖašab-i.

ba‘ḍ-u l-ẖašab-i

N-NOM DEF-N-GEN

part (of) the wood

Again the following example is borrowed from Eastwood (2002: 224) because we didn’t find an

example of either in our corpus. The equivalent in French is n'importe quel (fem. n'importe quelle). It

means that whatever of the (two) items is concerned. In Arabic, we use the distributive quantifier ’ayy أي.

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308

In MSA, it varies only, but optionally, in gender (fem. ’ayyaẗ and in our context (where we have only ( أية

two options), it's followed by a definite noun.

(23) "If you're ambidextrous, you can write with either hand."

Si vous êtes ambidextre, vous pouvez écrire avec n'importe quelle main.

اليدين. بأيفباستطاعتك الكتابة اإذا كنت أضبط

’iḏā konta ’aḍbaṭ-a fa-bi-stiṭā‘at-i-ka l-kitābaẗ-u bi-‘ayy-i l-yadayn(i).

bi-‘ayy-i l-yadayn

PREP-N-GEN DEF-N-GEN

with any (of) the two hands

neither, (any) and no indicate a zero quantity

Just like either, neither is used when we talk about two items or people, but in a negative context.

Any is the opposite of some. It is used in negative and interrogative contexts to indicate (almost) a zero

quantity. no can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. It is used for the negation of a noun

phrase.

The following example is borrowed from Eastwood (2002: 224), for we didn't find any example with

neither in our corpus. We also suggest a translation into French and Arabic. The equivalent in French is

aucun (fem. aucune), which is usually accompanied with ne. In Arabic, just like either hereinabove, the

equivalent of neither is ’ayy أي (but invariable this time), which should be used with a negative word. In

our example, laysa is the negative word. It is an incomplete verb, i.e. it has only a suffix conjugation.

(24)Neither car is very economical to run.

Aucune des deux voitures n'est très économique.

جدا. ةاقتصادي تليسالسيارتين من أي

‘ayy-u-n min(a) s-sayyāratayn(i) laysat iqtiṣādiyyat-a-n ğiddan.

‘ayy-u-n min(a) s-sayyāratayn(i) laysat iqtiṣādiyyat-a-n

N-NOM-n PREP DEF-N-GEN (V)sc ADJ- ACC-n

any of the two cars is not economical

In the following example, any is accompanied with a neutral negation particle, no. The quantity

indicated is zero, without any further details. The equivalent in both French and Arabic is also

accompanied with a neutral negation particle, respectively ne and lam لم. In French, the equivalent is

aucun (fem. aucune). In Arabic, we again use the distributive quantifier ’ayy in a negative phrase. The أي

most common negative particles that accompany ’ayy which is,لمin Modern Standard Arabic are: lam أي


309

used with a verb in a prefixed form but negates the past; lan لن, which is used with a verb in a prefixed

form and negates the future; and lā ال which is used with a verb in a prefixed form or with a nominal

sentence and negates the present or the future (Ġalāyīnī, 1978).

(25) They were no longer skilled at any other art of communication …19

Ils ne sont plus formés à aucun autre art de communication …

شكل آخر من أشكال االتصال ... أيتتقن ولم...

… wa-lam tutqin ’ayy-a šakl-i-n ’āẖar-a min ’škāl-i l-ittiṣāl-i …

wa-lam tutqin ’ayy-a šakl-i-n

COOR-PART (V)pc N-ACC N-GEN-n

and not master(ed) any kind

In the following example, any is accompanied with the negative preposition without which

reinforces the idea of zero quantity. To render this reinforcement in French, we use the preposition sans.

In this example, the translator used it alone without the equivalent of any, maybe because it is in

coordination with the negative particle ni. We though think that it would be correct to use them together

in this context as in the following suggestion: sans aucune mystification ni aucun besoin. In Arabic,

words such bi-lā بال or (bi-)dūn (بـ)دون reinforce the idea of zero quantity. Here, the translator used a

synonym of ’ayyأي, as equivalent of any, which is correct with uncountable nous that refer to concepts.

But we still can use ’ayyأي instead.

(26) If those same principles had been expressed in religious language before, now they were expressed

as is and without any mystification or need for divine authority to justify them.20

Si ces mêmes principes s’exprimaient auparavant dans un langage religieux, désormais ils s’exprimaient

tels quels, sans mystification ni besoin d’une autorité divine pour les justifier.

ر عن هذه المبادئ ذاتها في السابق باستخدام اللغة الدينية، يبالغموض ودون من درجة أدنى دونعبر عنها اليوم وبينما ع

الحاجة إلى سلطة دينية مقدسة تسوغ هذه المبادئ.

wa-bayna-mā ‘ubbira ‘an hāḏihi l-mabādi’-i ḏāt-i-hā fi s-sābiq-i bi-stiḥdām-i l-luġaẗ-i d-dīniyyaẗ-i,

yu‘abbaru ‘an-ha l-yawm-a dūna ’adnā darağaẗ-i-n min(a) l-ġumūḍ-i wa-dūna l-ḥāğaẗ-i ’ilā sulṭaẗ-i-n

dīniyyaẗ-i-n muqaddasaẗ-in tusawwiġu hāḏihi l-mabādi’-i.

dūna ’adnā darağaẗ-i-n min(a) l-ġumūḍ-i

CIRtime ADJcomp N-GEN-n PREP DEF-N-GEN

without the lowest level of mystification

In the following example, any refers to almost zero quantity, especially that it is accompanied with

an adverb that leaves a chance to some exceptions. French and Arabic languages have also words that

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310

imply the same meaning, respectively quasiment and yakādu يكاد. Nevertheless, we noticed that the

Arabic translator missed this detail. See the suggestion that follows example 46.

(27) … for example, among the thousands of signs I saw in demonstrations, there were hardly any

standard ones …21

Par exemple, parmi les milliers de pancartes vues dans les manifestations, il n’y en avait quasiment

aucune qui fut standard …

شعار أو يافطة تقليدية ... أيأشاهد بين آالف الشعارات التي رفعت في المظاهرات لمفعلى سبيل المثال

fa-‘alā sabīl-i l-miṯāl-i lam ’ušāhid bayna ’ālāf-i š-ši‘ārāt-i llatī rufi‘at fi l-muẓāharāt-i ’ayy-a ši‘ār-i-n

’aw yāfiṭaẗ-i-n taqlīdiyyaẗ-i-n

lam ’ušāhid ’ayy-a ši‘ār-i-n

PART (V)pc N-ACC N-GEN-n

not I watch any sign

Suggestion:... فعلى سبيل المثال أكاد لم أشاهد بين آالف الشعارات التي رفعت في المظاهرات أي شعار أو يافطة تقليدية

fa-‘alā sabīl-i l-miṯāl-i ’akādu lam ’ušāhid bayna ’ālāf-i š-ši‘ārāt-i llatī rufi‘at fi l-muẓāharāt-i ’ayy-a

ši‘ār-i-n ’aw yāfiṭaẗ-i-n taqlīdiyyaẗ-i-n

’akādu lam ’ušāhid ’ayy-a ši‘ār-i-n

(V)pc PART (V)pc N-ACC N-GEN-n

I almost not I watch any sign

We did not find in our corpus an example with any used in an interrogative context. We thus

borrowed the following example from Eastwood (2002: 226) and suggested a translation in French and

Arabic. For this value, any has morphologically no specific equivalent in French. Since we are talking

about a part of something in this context, we suggest as equivalent a partitive article. However, in Arabic,

we still can use ’ayy أي.

(28)Have you got any[…] wood?

Avez-vous du bois ?

) خشب؟(أيهل لديك

hal laday-ka (’ayy-u) ẖašab-i-n?

hal laday-ka (’ayy-u) ẖašab-i-n

PART CIRplace-PRO N-NOM N-GEN-n

do with you any wood

Although in our corpus we found only one example of no used with an uncountable noun (31),

compared to many examples with countable nouns, we think that there is no difference relevant to our

study. The equivalent in French can be a simple negation, ne + pas followed by the reduced indefinite


311

article de/d' (29). It can also be the quantifier aucun (30). In this example, we don't find any good

explication why both translators added to the equivalent the words autre and ’uẖrā أخرى. We also suspect

that the Arabic version is a translation of the French translation. Anyway, this has no significant impact

on our findings. In Arabic, we use one of the negation particles, as we have seen above. In (30), we

suggest as equivalent ’ayy أي accompanied with a negation particle (see suggestion just after the

example). In (31), the Arabic translation is a kind of paraphrase. The translator gave the opposite of

wonder and put it in an affirmative form.

(29) Second, in every sense the revolution maintained throughout a character of spontaneity, in the sense

that it had no permanent organization.22

Deuxièmement, la révolution a gardé de bout en bout et à tous égards un caractère spontané, au sens où

elle n’avait pas d’organisation permanente.

مستمر ... تنظيميكن لها لمثانيا، حافظت الثورة على نفسها من خالل سمة العفوية بكل ما في الكلمة من معنى، أي أنه

ṯāniy-a-n, ḥāfaẓat(i) ṯ-ṯawraẗ-u ‘alā nafs-i-hā min ẖilāl-i simaẗ-i l-‘afwiyyaẗ-i bi-kull-i mā fi l-kalimaẗ-i min ma‘n-a-n, ’ay ’anna-hū lam yakun la-hā tanẓīm-u-n mustamirr-u-n

lam yakun la-hā tanẓīm-u-n

PART (V)pc PREP-PRO N-NOM-n

not be for it organization

(30) There is no way of escaping this constraint …23

Il n'y a aucun autre moyen d'échapper à cette contrainte …

لالنفالت من هذا اإلكراه ... أخرى وسيلةتوجد ال

lā tūğadu wasīlaẗ-u-n ’uẖrā li-l-infilāt-i min hāḏa l-’ikrāh-i

lā tūğadu wasīlaẗ-u-n

PART (V)pc N-NOM-n

not exist way

Suggestion: ... ال توجد أي وسيلةلالنفالت من هذا اإلكراه

lā tūğadu ’ayy-u wasīlaẗ-i-n li-l-infilāt-i min hāḏa l-’ikrāh-i

lā tūğadu ’ayy-u wasīlaẗ-i-n

PART (V)pc N-NOM N-GEN-n

not exist any way

(31)No wonder, then, that activists contesting transnational inequities reject the view that justice can only

be imagined territorially …24

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312

Il n’est par suite pas étonnant que les activistes qui contestent les inégalités transnationales rejettent

l’idée que la justice ne peut être conçue qu’au sein d’un territoire …

وطنية يرفضون الرأي القائل بأن العدالة - جدا أن نرى نشطاء الحركات التحررية المناهضة للمظالم العبر من الطبيعيلهذا فإنه

تنحصر فقط داخل حدود قومية ...

li-hāḏā fa-’inna-hū min(a) ṭ-ṭabī‘iyy-i ğiddan ’an narā nušaṭā’-a l-ḥarakāt-i t-taḥarruriyyaẗ-i l-

munāhiḍaẗ-i li-l-maẓālim-i l-‘abra-waṭaniyyaẗ-i yarfuḍūna r-rā’y-a l-qā’il-a bi-’anna l-‘adālaẗ-a

tanḥaṣiru faqaṭ dāẖil-a ḥudūd-i-n qawmiyyaẗ-i-n

min(a) ṭ-ṭabī‘iyy-i

PREP DEF-N-GEN

normal

Conclusion

Except for the quantifier all, which can be used with or without the definite article the or a

possessive determiner, the rest of the English quantifiers do not accompany any other determiners. While

French quantifiers quelque, chaque, différents, divers and maint are used alone, quelques, tout, aucun,

nul, plusieurs, certain and certains can be accompanied with other determiners. In Arabic, the equivalents

are divided as follows: kaṯīr (min) (من) كثير , ’aġlab أغلب, ġālibiyyaẗغالبية, mu‘ẓam معظم and ğull جل are

used with a definite noun; bi‘ḍ are used with an ما اإلبهامية and mā al-’ibhāmiyyaẗ [vague] عدةiddaẗ‘ , بضع

indefinite noun; and ba‘ḍ بعض , adīd عديد, muta‘addid متعدد, kull كل and ’ayy أي + a negative word can

be used with both.

The equivalents of the English quantifiers are not always French quantifiers, and vice-versa not all

the French quantifiers are equivalents of the English quantifiers. In Arabic, quantifiers, as a category or a

sub-category, does not exist.

All, tout and kull كل

The English quantifier all is used for totality and when followed by the or a possessive determiner, it

refers to the totality of an item. In French, tout is, for both cases, accompanied by another determiner. The

difference is that in plural form it refers to totality, while in singular form it refers to the totality of an

item.

In Arabic, the function of kull depends on the noun it determines. If the latter is definite, kull

indicates the totality of an item; the noun is plural in the first case and singular in the second one. If the

determined noun is indefinite, which should be singular, kull has a distributive value. In this case, its

equivalents in English and French are every and the singular form of tout (without a definite article) when

the members of a group are considered collectively, and each and chaque when they are considered

separately and individually.


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Polysemic determiners in Arabic

In addition to kull كل seen above, we have more two important polysemic words in Arabic. The first

one is ba‘ḍ which could indicate a part of a being or thing. The equivalent is a little or some, used بعض

with an uncountable noun, in English and quelque in the singular form in French. It could also mean part

of a number of people or items. In this case, the equivalent is some, used with a countable plural noun, in

English and certains in the plural form in French.

The other polysemic word is ’ayy أي. Just like kull كل, it could have a distributive value, but only

when it is followed by an indefinite noun. Its equivalent is every in English and tout in French. When

followed by a definite noun, the equivalent is either in English and n'importe quell in French.

If ’ayy is accompanied with a negative word and followed by a definite noun, its equivalent is أي

neither or any + a negation particle in English, and aucun in French.

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دراسة تقابلية لمحددات األسماء ومقابالتها في الفرنسية والعربية

محمود سعادة جامعة النجاح، فلسطين قسم اللغة الفرنسية،

الملخص

استندنا في هذه الدراسة التقابلية إلى متن يتكون من بضع أوراق بحث باللغة اإلنجليزية وترجمتها إلى كل من اللغتين

يقابلها في العربية والفرنسية. فقارنا الكلمات التي تعبر عن الكمية غير المحددة في اللغة اإلنجليزية، أي محددات األسماء، بما

اللغتين األخريين. بداية، صنفنا محددات األسماء اإلنجليزية في فئات. ثم تناولناها بالدرس ومقابالتها العربية والفرنسية

وحللناها وعقبنا عليها ضمن مجموعة من األمثلة. وفي النهاية، وضعنا عموميات يمكن أن تساعد متعلمي هذه اللغات

هم لمحددات األسماء وإيجاد المقابالت في مختلف السياقات.والمترجمين في تعميق فهم

ترجمة، دراسة تقابلية/مقارنة، جملة اسمية، محددات األسماء، معرفة، مقابل، نكرة. الكلمات المفتاحية:


315

Endnotes

1Bamyeh, Mohammed. 2011. AL-QAHIRA, THE CITY VICTORIOUS, FEBRUARY 11, 2011.

http://www.transeuropeennes.eu. 2Ibid. 3Ibid. 4 Balibar, Etienne. 2009. Speaking The Universal. http://www.transeuropeennes.eu. 5Ibid. 6 Bamyeh, Mohammed. 2011. Al-Qahira, the City Victorious. February 11, 2011.

http://www.transeuropeennes.eu. 7Balibar, Etienne. 2009. Speaking The Universal. http://www.transeuropeennes.eu. 8Ibid. 9Ibid. 10Ibid. 11Ibid. 12Ibid. 13Ibid. 14« Il s’agit le plus souvent d’une quantité ou d’un degré non élevés, mais non négligeables ». Grevisse et

Goosse. (2007: 811). 15Balibar, Etienne. 2009. Speaking The Universal. http://www.transeuropeennes.eu. 16Ibid. 17Ibid. 18Ibid. 19Bamyeh, Mohammed. 2011. Al-Qahira, the City Victorious. February 11, 2011.

http://www.transeuropeennes.eu. 20Ibid. 21Ibid. 22Ibid. 23Balibar, Etienne. 2009. Speaking The Universal. http://www.transeuropeennes.eu. 24Fraser, Nancy. 2010, Who Counts. http://www.transeuropeennes.eu.

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References Balibar, Etienne. 2009. Speaking The Universal. http://www.transeuropeennes.eu.

Bamyeh, Mohammed. 2011, AL-QAHIRA, THE CITY VICTORIOUS, FEBRUARY 11, 2011.

http://www.transeuropeennes.eu.

Chevalier, Jean-Claude, Blanche-Benveniste, Claire, Arrivé, Michel, et Peytard, Jean. 2002. Grammaire

du français contemporain. Paris: Larousse.

Eastwood, John. 2002. Oxford Guide to English Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Fraser, Nancy. 2010. Who Counts. http://www.transeuropeennes.eu.

Ġalāyīnī, Musṭafā, Ǧāmi‘u d-durūs-i l-’arabiyyaẗ. 13eme édition. Beyrouth: al- Matba'a l-'Asriyya.

(Repr.1978).

Grevisse, Maurice et Goosse André. 2007. Le Bon Usage, Grammaire Française. 14ème édition. Ed. de

Boeck Université. Bruxelles.

IbnManẓūr, Lisān al-‘arab.

Jawad, Maysaa. 2015. A Contrastive Study of Quantifiers in English And Arabic. International Journal

of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE). Online publishing organization:

www.arcjournals.org.

Riegel, Martin - Pellat, et Jean-Christophe - Rioul, René. 1994. Grammaire Méthodique du Français.

Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

Robert, Paul. 1991. Robert Le petit Robert 1 : Dictionnaire Alphabétique et Analogique de La Langue

Française. Paris: Dictionnaire Le Robert.

Wagner, Robert Léon. 1991. Grammaire du Français Classique et Moderne. Paris: Hachette supérieur.


317

Table 1: english quantifiers and their equivalents in french and arabic

English quantifier French equivalent(s) Arabic equivalent(s) a few quelques biḍ‘/biḍ‘aẗ بضعة /بضعfew rare adad qalīl عدد قليل

a little quelque ba‘ḍ بعضlittle peu the adjective ḍa‘īf ضعيف

a bit of (informal) = a little a lot of (less formal) =

many/much

lots of (less formal) = many/much

many nombreux ‘adīd عديدmuch beaucoup de kaṯīrmin كثيرمن

too much trop de kaṯīrğiddan min منجدا كثير

or ’akṯar-u mim-mā yanbaġī min أكثر مما ينبغي من

all (totalization)

tous / toutesfollowed by a definite article

Kull كل followed by the definite article al-ال

all the/possessive determiner(totality of an item

and means "whole") tout / toute

kullكل followed by the definite article al-ال

most la plupart du/ de la/ de l' /des ġālibiyyaẗ غالبية, ’aġlab أغلب

orğull جل

both deux preceded by a definite article

the dual form of the determined noun or kilā كال / kiltā كتا

either n'importe quel / n'importe quelle

’ayy أي followed by a definite noun

neither aucun / aucune accompanied by ne

’ayy أيwith a negative word

every (the group is considered collectively)

tout without being followed by a definite article

Kull كل or ’ayy أيdetermining an indefinite singular noun

every(refers to a regular and repeated event) tous / toutes

kullكل / ’ayy أي or time circumstantial

each chaque kullكلdetermining an indefinite

singular noun some (with a countable plural

noun) certains / certaines ba‘ḍ بعض

some (with a singular countable noun)

indefinite article (followed and reinforced by quelconque)

orquelque

mā al-’ibhāmiyyaẗ [vague] ما اإلبهامية

some (with an uncountable noun) a partitive article or un peu de ba‘ḍبعض

any (accompanied with the negative preposition without) sans aucun(e) bi-lā بال or (bi-)dūn (بـ)دون’ayyأي

any (accompanied with an adverb, ex. hardly) Quasiment aucun(e)

Yakādu د يكا lam followed لمby ’ayy أي

any (used in an interrogative context) partitive article (’ayy أي)

no ne + pas (followed by de/d') or ne + aucun(e)

(’ayy أي accompanied with a) negation particle

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Table2: phonetic transcription24

Consonants

Arabic letter Symbol Keyboard shortcuts ALT + CRTL + 0 ’ أ b ب t ت ẗ24 ALT + t ة ṯ CTRL + t ث ğ ALT + g ج ḥ ALT + h ح ẖ CTRL + h خ d د ḏ ALT + d ذ r ر z ز s س š ALT + s ش ṣ ALT + CRTL + s ص ḍ ALT + CTRL + d ض ṭ ALT + CRTL + t ط ẓ ALT + CRTL + z ظ ALT + CRTL + a ‘ ع ġ CTRL + g غ F ف q ق k ك l ل m م n ن h ه w و y ي

Long vowels

ā ALT + a ا ū ALT + u و ī ALT + i ي


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Short vowels

a u i

Tanwīn

an un in

Abbreviation List

ACC accusative ADJ adjective

ADJcomp comparative adjective CIRtmp time circumstantial CIRlieu place circumstantial

Cp prefix conjugation Cs suffix conjugation

DEF definite DEM demonstrative GEN genitive IMP imperative

N tanwīn N noun

NOM nominative PART particle

pl. plural PREP preposition PRO pronoun sing. singular

V verb

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