Exploring Omani Arabic templatic patterns

Abstract Omani Arabic exhibits distinctive morphological patterns that encode oppositions through a consonant–vowel (CV) template. The canonical base consists of three consonants, which are interspersed with vowels to mark morphological contrasts. This study investigates a range of original morphological patterns in Omani Arabic – an understudied variety of Arabic – and analyzes them within a word-based framework (Haspelmath, Martin. 2002. Understanding morphology . New York: Oxford University Press). Unlike traditional approaches to Arabic morphology, which typically rely on the classical faʕal pattern, the proposed analysis integrates CV templates into word schemas to account for the derivation of these unique patterns. This approach also offers broader insights into the mental lexicon, suggesting that lexical storage involves schemas rather than individual words, thereby efficiently encompassing extensive sets of templatic forms.