Dr. Faust Noam & Dr. Karim Bensoukas (UM5, Maroc)
This thesis explores the interaction between phonology and morphology in Moroccan Arabic (MA), focusing on how morphosyntactic features are realized through Multiple and Cumulative Exponence. MA offers a rich yet underexplored domain in which single features are systematically expressed by multiple phonological formatives, often overlooked or treated as non-canonical in previous analyses.
Using a constraint-based framework within Optimality Theory, the study shows that multiple exponence in MA arises from ranked and interacting phonological-morphological constraints. Seemingly redundant or discontinuous exponents emerge as optimal under competing pressures on faithfulness, alignment, templatic well-formedness, and feature realization, providing a formal account of patterns in syncretism and cumulative exponence that challenges morpheme-based approaches.
The thesis further addresses theoretical questions about the representation, storage, and learnability of multiply exponentiated forms, considering whether they are stored as independent lexical items or derived from shared representations. Grounded in MA, the work contributes empirical evidence to cross-linguistic typologies, advances understanding of complex morphological systems, and highlights the theoretical significance of non-canonical patterns in morphologically rich languages.
Zaaraoui, A. (2024). Impact of Academic Foreign Language Learning on the Linguistic Attitudes of UM5 English Department Students. International Journal of Arabic Linguistics, 10(02), 126-141.
Zaaraoui, A. (2025, December 18–19). Syncretism and feature neutralization in Moroccan Arabic: A realizational OT account [Conference presentation]. International Conference on Phonology and Its Interfaces, Faculty of Languages, Letters and Arts, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco.
Zaaraoui, A. (2025, October 29). Multiple exponence in the morphology of Tashlhit and Moroccan Arabic [Online workshop presentation]. Atelier de Phonologie, CNRS / Université Paris 8, France.
Zaaraoui, A. (2025, May 29–30). Determinants of EFL learners’ behavioral intentions to use Rosetta Stone: A case study from Moroccan higher education [Conference presentation]. The International Conference on the Power of Communication, Media Translation and Education for Global Engagement, Applied Communication in Context Laboratory, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences of Oujda, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco.
Zaaraoui, A. (2025, May 21–22). Bridging gaps in English learning: Moroccan EFL learners’ acceptance and use of Rosetta Stone [Conference presentation]. Fifth National Doctoral Symposium, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida, Morocco.
Zaaraoui, A. (2025, May 15–16). Issues in syncretism in the morphological system of Moroccan Arabic: An optimality-theoretical analysis [Conference presentation]. The Second International Research Conference of Doctoral Researchers in the Field of Languages, Literature, and the Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
Teaching Experience
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Langue et Communication — English
Université Mohammed V, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences-French Studies Department
Rosetta Stone–based instruction-Second Semester
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