College of Arts / Department of English Language and Literature

د. ممدوح عايد غياض العنزي


Associate Professor
د. ممدوح عايد غياض العنزي

Curriculum Vitae
  • Major: Syntax
  • College: College of Arts
  • Department(s): English Language and Literature Department
  • E-mail: m.alenazy@ahu.edu.jo
  • Phone No.: 4753 / فرعي

-          Syntactic Theory with special emphasis on the Minimalist framework.

-          Syntax-Semantics interfaces.

-          Cross-linguistic analysis of agreement and movement.


Alenazy, M. & Saidat, A. (2015) The implications of Animal Metaphors for Syntactic Agreement in Arabic. Acta Linguistica 9 (1): 98-110.
  • Research Summary
  • Animal metaphor as a mapping process between two domains is closely connected to the conceptual system. Syntactic agreement is also associated with the conceptual system as it is triggered by certain features with values that are determined within the conceptual system. This paper investigates the interaction between animal metaphors and agreement in Arabic. The metaphorical reading of an animal name is manifested at the level of syntax. Taking this into consideration, the paper argues that an animal metaphor is a hybrid lexical item which is composed of a lexical core represented by the animal name and a bundle of features consistent with a human name.
  • Research link
  • key words
    Agreement, Metaphor, Arabic
Saidat, A. & Alenazy, M. (2015) Thematic Roles in Somali: A Principle and Parameters Approach. Advances in Language and Literary Studies 6:104-110.
  • Research Summary
  • This study describes the thematic roles of Somali; a language that manifests unorthodox grammatical structures due to the use of the focus particle. A mapping of some language features related to the semantic-syntactic interface is carried out. The effect of the meaning of the lexical items is tested to whether it affects the syntactic structures of the sentences. It was found that the word order of Somali is determined by pragmatic and sociolinguistics factors. The focus particle of Somali plays a key-role in the Surface structure of the sentences. However; the thematic roles of the language appear not to be influenced by the grammatical manifestation of the language at the surface structure. Rather, they are determined at the deep structure level. Somali, being a pro-drop language, shows that predicates require obligatory external arguments while internal arguments are determined by the verb class and kind. Some structures show that certain verbs require PPs as obligatory arguments.
  • Research link
  • key words
    Somali, Theta Theory, Thematic Roles
- (2007). Object Shift in Modem Standard Arabic. Kashmir Journal of Language Research 10: 85-103.
Alenazy, M. (2009) Case, agreement and movement in Arabic: aminimalist approach. Saarbrücken, Germany: VDM Verlag Publishing Company.
  • Research Summary
  • This study explores a number of interrelated issues that contribute to the word order variation in two varieties of Arabic: Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Jordanian Arabic (JA). The study adopts recent minimalist assumptions proposed by Chomsky (1998, 2001, and 2005) in order to provide answers for the basic questions surrounding case assignment, subject positions and the agreement patterns shown by the verb in both MSA and JA, in addition to object positions and object movement in MSA.
  • Research link
  • key words
    Arabic, Minimalism, Syntax, Case
Alenazy, M. & Saidat, A. (2015) Verbal Agreement in Arabic: A Phase-based Approach. To appear in SKASE Journal of Theoretical Linguistics.
  • Research Summary
  • This paper addresses the issue of agreement in Modern Standard Arabic by adopting the most recent version of Chomsky's Minimalist Program. Under Chomsky's assumptions, phase heads carry Agree-features and when these features, which are responsible for the derivational processes, are valued and deleted, the derivation ceases. Agreement alternation in different word orders is not expected if verbal Agreement is determined by the Agree-features on the phase head. Thus, the paper argues against the view that SVO word order is an alternative to VSO. Rather, it claims that the subject in SVO is a topic which undergoes movement from a postverbal position to the specifier of TP to satisfy an Edge Feature on T. The moved subject leaves a pronounceable pronominal copy in its original position; this pronominal element does not exist in VSO because the subject does not undergo any type of movement.
  • Research link
  • key words
    Arabic, Feature Inheritance, Goal, Phase, Probe.
- (2008). A Phase-based Analysis of Arabic Structural Case. Kashmir Journal of Language Research 11: 64-107.
Saidat, A. & Alenazy, M. (2015) Participant Reference in Qur'anic Arabic, Dialogues of Moses: A Corpus Based Study. Argumentum 11: 155-165.
  • Research Summary
  • Participant reference in Arabic, a language with a sophisticated pronominal system, is dependent on several factors. Most of the previous research considered rule-based analyses of text and ignored other important factors such as pragmatic, sociolinguistic, and native speaker’s nonlinguistic knowledge. In this study of Qur’anic Arabic, two theoretical frameworks were taken into account: primarily Givόn’s measurements of topic continuity and, secondarily, Binding Theory. The study shows that the language is accessible for native speakers of Arabic. However, if translated into another language, the alternations of the use of full noun phrases (NP) and pronouns and dropped pronouns (pro) seem necessary. A more comprehensive text analysis approach might be called for, so that no prejudice judgments about any language are made.
  • Research link
  • key words
    Participant Reference, topic continuity, Arabic
- أبو دنة، فوزي و العنـزي، ممدوح (2012) نافذة على الأمس: رسائل وصور من الأردن للرحالة الإنجليزية جيرترود بيل. وزارة الثقافة، عمان الأردن. (جمع وترجمة لعدد من رسائل الرحالة جيرترود بيل خلال الفترة الواقعة من 1900 ولغاية 1914).
- (2007). Object Shift in Modem Standard Arabic. Kashmir Journal of Language Research 10: 85-103.
Alenazy, M. & Saidat, A. (2015) The implications of Animal Metaphors for Syntactic Agreement in Arabic. Acta Linguistica 9 (1): 98-110.
  • Research Summary
  • Animal metaphor as a mapping process between two domains is closely connected to the conceptual system. Syntactic agreement is also associated with the conceptual system as it is triggered by certain features with values that are determined within the conceptual system. This paper investigates the interaction between animal metaphors and agreement in Arabic. The metaphorical reading of an animal name is manifested at the level of syntax. Taking this into consideration, the paper argues that an animal metaphor is a hybrid lexical item which is composed of a lexical core represented by the animal name and a bundle of features consistent with a human name.
  • Research link
  • key words
    Agreement, Metaphor, Arabic
Saidat, A. & Alenazy, M. (2015) Thematic Roles in Somali: A Principle and Parameters Approach. Advances in Language and Literary Studies 6:104-110.
  • Research Summary
  • This study describes the thematic roles of Somali; a language that manifests unorthodox grammatical structures due to the use of the focus particle. A mapping of some language features related to the semantic-syntactic interface is carried out. The effect of the meaning of the lexical items is tested to whether it affects the syntactic structures of the sentences. It was found that the word order of Somali is determined by pragmatic and sociolinguistics factors. The focus particle of Somali plays a key-role in the Surface structure of the sentences. However; the thematic roles of the language appear not to be influenced by the grammatical manifestation of the language at the surface structure. Rather, they are determined at the deep structure level. Somali, being a pro-drop language, shows that predicates require obligatory external arguments while internal arguments are determined by the verb class and kind. Some structures show that certain verbs require PPs as obligatory arguments.
  • Research link
  • key words
    Somali, Theta Theory, Thematic Roles
- (2008). A Phase-based Analysis of Arabic Structural Case. Kashmir Journal of Language Research 11: 64-107.
Alenazy, M. (2009) Case, agreement and movement in Arabic: aminimalist approach. Saarbrücken, Germany: VDM Verlag Publishing Company.
  • Research Summary
  • This study explores a number of interrelated issues that contribute to the word order variation in two varieties of Arabic: Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Jordanian Arabic (JA). The study adopts recent minimalist assumptions proposed by Chomsky (1998, 2001, and 2005) in order to provide answers for the basic questions surrounding case assignment, subject positions and the agreement patterns shown by the verb in both MSA and JA, in addition to object positions and object movement in MSA.
  • Research link
  • key words
    Arabic, Minimalism, Syntax, Case
Alenazy, M. & Saidat, A. (2015) Verbal Agreement in Arabic: A Phase-based Approach. To appear in SKASE Journal of Theoretical Linguistics.
  • Research Summary
  • This paper addresses the issue of agreement in Modern Standard Arabic by adopting the most recent version of Chomsky's Minimalist Program. Under Chomsky's assumptions, phase heads carry Agree-features and when these features, which are responsible for the derivational processes, are valued and deleted, the derivation ceases. Agreement alternation in different word orders is not expected if verbal Agreement is determined by the Agree-features on the phase head. Thus, the paper argues against the view that SVO word order is an alternative to VSO. Rather, it claims that the subject in SVO is a topic which undergoes movement from a postverbal position to the specifier of TP to satisfy an Edge Feature on T. The moved subject leaves a pronounceable pronominal copy in its original position; this pronominal element does not exist in VSO because the subject does not undergo any type of movement.
  • Research link
  • key words
    Arabic, Feature Inheritance, Goal, Phase, Probe.
Saidat, A. & Alenazy, M. (2015) Participant Reference in Qur'anic Arabic, Dialogues of Moses: A Corpus Based Study. Argumentum 11: 155-165.
  • Research Summary
  • Participant reference in Arabic, a language with a sophisticated pronominal system, is dependent on several factors. Most of the previous research considered rule-based analyses of text and ignored other important factors such as pragmatic, sociolinguistic, and native speaker’s nonlinguistic knowledge. In this study of Qur’anic Arabic, two theoretical frameworks were taken into account: primarily Givόn’s measurements of topic continuity and, secondarily, Binding Theory. The study shows that the language is accessible for native speakers of Arabic. However, if translated into another language, the alternations of the use of full noun phrases (NP) and pronouns and dropped pronouns (pro) seem necessary. A more comprehensive text analysis approach might be called for, so that no prejudice judgments about any language are made.
  • Research link
  • key words
    Participant Reference, topic continuity, Arabic
- أبو دنة، فوزي و العنـزي، ممدوح (2012) نافذة على الأمس: رسائل وصور من الأردن للرحالة الإنجليزية جيرترود بيل. وزارة الثقافة، عمان الأردن. (جمع وترجمة لعدد من رسائل الرحالة جيرترود بيل خلال الفترة الواقعة من 1900 ولغاية 1914).

- 2007: The 2nd Newcastle Postgraduate Conference in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics. 

- 2013: The International Conference on Linguistics (ICL): Petra (I) organized by Al-Hussein Bin Talal University.


-    Introduction to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in the UK, a training Course organized by the Staff Development Unit at the University of Newcastle.

 

-    Writing for research students, a workshop organized by the Language Centre at the University of Newcastle.

 

-    Writing Linguistics abstracts, a workshop organized by the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics at the University of Newcastle. 


 Organizer of the linguistics Reading Group at Newcastle University, from 2006 to 2007.


Member of the organizing committee of the International Conference on Linguistics (ICL): Petra (I) held at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University in 2013.


Member of the advisory board of the North East Arabic Language Academy (NEALA) in the UK.


Reviewer for Pakistan Journal of Languages and translation studies.


Reviewer for Sage Open Journal.  


Reviewer for Sky Journal of Linguistics.  


Representative of the Faculty of Language Studies at the Research Council

/ Sohar University  


September 2017 – present: Associate Professor, Faculty of Language Studies, Sohar University, Sultanate of Oman.


September 2015 – present: Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Jordan.



2009 – 2015:    Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Jordan.



 2006 – 2007:    Teaching Assistant, School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, Newcastle University, United Kingdom.


2001 – 2003:    Secondary school teacher, Ministry of Education in Jordan.


1999 – 1999:    A teacher at Vocational Training Corporation / Jordan.


1994 – 1997:    Public Security Directorate / Tourist Police, Jordan.

Head of the Department of English Language and Literature at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, 2011/2012.

 

Director of the Language Centre at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, 2012/2013.


Language and Linguistics 

1.  English for Specific Purposes                                   

2.  Listening Comprehension

3.  Transformational syntax                              

4.  Psycholinguistics

5.  English Grammar I                                      

6.  English Grammar II

7.  Child Second Language Acquisition              

8. The English Verb

9.  Foreign Language Acquisition                                 

10. English Syntax

11. English Morphology                                               

12. Reading I

13. Reading II                                                 

14. Writing I

15. Writing II                                                   

16. Writing Research Papers

17. Semantics                                                  

18. Introduction to Linguistics 

19. History of English Language                                   

20. Study Skills in English

21. English Phonetics and Phonology I             

22. English for Islamic Studies

23. English Conversation                                              

24. Listening Comprehension

25. Linguistics A (Sohar University)                 

26. Pragmatics

27. Writing Research Proposal (MA level)


Academic qualifications and certificates

2009:   PhD in Linguistics, Newcastle University, United Kingdom.


2004:   MA in Syntax, University of Essex, United Kingdom.


2001:  BA in English Language and Literature, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Jordan.


1993:  General Secondary Certificate, Ministry of Education, Jordan.


office hours