The linguistic function of the diphthong: A study in the deep structure of the word and sentence

Abstract

This research study  the phenomenon of diphthong in terms of its concept, forms, and linguistic function in the Arabic language at the phonetic, morphological, and syntactic levels. It describes its effect on the deep structure of both the word and the sentence in which it occurs, and the transformations it causes based on its function, whether phonetic, morphological, or syntactic, attempting to reconcile the old explanation of the phenomenon with the modern linguistic interpretation based on the functions of the components of language. The research yielded results, The vowel pair forms two phonetic units in the syllable, and it contains a semi-consonant and a vowel. The semi-consonant in the word forms the function of the first, middle, or last letter of the word, and the vowel in the structure may form a different function than the function of the semi-consonant in the single pair, which confirms its phonetic function. It may perform the grammatical functions that the vowel performs in parsing the word, and what the vowel sounds perform in forming pronouns that contain syntactic meanings such as agency and addition. the most important of which is the existence of fixed manifestations of dual transformations that can form new rules for Arabic inflection based on its linguistic function. and that phonetic rules conflict with other linguistic rules governing word and sentence formation in Arabic. The author recommends revisiting old linguistic explanations that are somewhat ambiguous and attempting to find new theories that are consistent with the new understanding of languages.