The ras-pron construction as an “emerging” reflexive pronoun in Moroccan Arabic

This article examines the ras-pron construction as an emerging reflexive pronoun in Moroccan Arabic (MA). Through an exploration of the historical and syntactic development of ras-pron, the study addresses how this construction, initially used metonymically, has evolved into a reflexive pronoun in MA. The analysis focuses on the linguistic and pragmatic conditions that have facilitated this grammaticalization process, with particular attention to the influence of the Binding Theory and its principles. In addition, the paper discusses the unique properties of ras-pron, including its potential reflexive/lexical ambiguity and its ability to function as a subject, which challenge traditional Binding Theory constraints. Through a detailed examination of MA idiomatic expressions and the 16th-century poetry of Abderrahman El Majdoub, the article provides evidence for the gradual grammaticalization of ras-pron from a metonymic expression to a fully-fledged reflexive pronoun.