[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/langstream-2014-martinez-jabalin-comprehensive-computational-model-modern/)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [docs](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/) / [papers](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/) / [Semitic languages](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/sem/) / Jabalin: a Comprehensive Computational Model of Modern Standard Arabic Verbal Morphology Based on Traditional Arabic Prosody

# Jabalin: a Comprehensive Computational Model of Modern Standard Arabic Verbal Morphology Based on Traditional Arabic Prosody

**Authors:** Alicia Gonzalez Martinez; Susana Lopez Hervas; Doaa Samy; Carlos G. Arques; Antonio Moreno Sandoval · **Year:** 2014 · **Venue:** arXiv:1406.7483; in Systems and Frameworks for Computational Morphology, Springer (2013), pp. 35–52 **Link:** [arxiv.org/abs/1406.7483](https://arxiv.org/abs/1406.7483) · library `langstream-2014-martinez-jabalin-comprehensive-computational-model-modern` · **Licence:** [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) (arXiv) — summary only

[**0** citations](https://openalex.org/works?filter=cites:W2952734732) openalex-snapshot · 2026-10-14[**1** citations in our library](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/cited-by/langstream-2014-martinez-jabalin-comprehensive-computational-model-modern/) of the 140673 papers whose bibliographies we read[arXiv:1406.7483 · Systems and Frameworks for Computational Morphology, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, (2013) pp. 35-52](https://openalex.org/S4306400194)[licence](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

- [Publisher's page](https://arxiv.org/abs/1406.7483)
- [PDF](https://arxiv.org/pdf/1406.7483)
- [arXiv 1406.7483](https://arxiv.org/abs/1406.7483)
- [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W2952734732)

**Authors (5)**

1. [Alicia Gonzalez Martinez](https://openalex.org/A5029539785) h 3 · 27 citations · 10 works
2. [Susana Lopez Hervas](https://openalex.org/A5037107050) h 1 · 4 citations · 2 works
3. [Doaa Samy](https://openalex.org/A5062650974) [ORCID](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7287-6560) · h 6 · 103 citations · 34 works
4. [Carlos G. Arques](https://openalex.org/A5035357143) h 4 · 219 citations · 7 works
5. [Antonio Moreno Sandoval](https://openalex.org/A5012512782) [ORCID](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9029-2216) · h 13 · 751 citations · 100 works

Citations and author metrics from openalex-snapshot (2026-10-14); authors with the same name are not always told apart.

## What it is about

The authors build Jabalín, a generator of fully vocalised Modern Standard Arabic verb forms. The model separates three layers: a root, a derivational stem (the consonants added by the verb pattern), and a vocalism. The verb stem is placed in one of two templates, H or L, chosen by whether the penultimate syllable is heavy or light. The second idea comes from the medieval Arabic prosody of al-Khalil: a consonant with a vowel counts as heavy (1) and a consonant without one as light (0), so each word gets a weight that predicts its syllable shape. Phonological and orthographic changes (weak and doubled roots) are kept as a separate set of 63 rewrite rules. The generated lexicon is checked against the ElixirFM analyser: 99.52% of the sampled forms (44% of the output) are correct. The authors reduce the 24 traditional verb patterns to two templates, and they note that 3- and 4-consonant roots need not be treated differently. The input is a lexicon of 15,453 verb lemmas, which the authors call outdated in places.

## Ideas

- I1. A two-template verb generator for [The verb](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/hbo/06-verb/): test whether the Hebrew binyanim can be reduced to a small set of consonant-slot templates (F and V/W slots) with the vowels as a separate table, and measure the coverage against `treebanks/hbo/ptnk`.
- I2. The 1–0 weight count as a deterministic syllable check in `tools/hbo`: in pointed mode, reject a segmentation whose syllable weight does not fit the template, and measure the effect on the pointed accuracy.
- I3. Their evaluation design, generate a lexicon and test it on a random sample against an independent analyser, with the sample size stated (44%), can be copied for `languages/hbo` verb paradigms against MACULA.

## For Mova

I1 is a rule for [The verb](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/hbo/06-verb/) and [The weak verbs](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/hbo/07-weak-verbs/) (the weak-root rewrites are their 63-rule set, to be written from our own data). I2 is a test for `tools/hbo` in pointed mode. I3 is a measure: generated paradigms against MACULA verb forms. Licence: the text is NC-SA; only the ideas are used, no content is carried into a release.

## Cite

The paper itself, not this card. BibTeX from the library's record of the work. [arXiv 1406.7483](https://arxiv.org/abs/1406.7483)

```
@misc{martinez2014jabalin,
  title = {{Jabalin: a Comprehensive Computational Model of Modern Standard Arabic Verbal Morphology Based on Traditional Arabic Prosody}},
  author = {Martinez, Alicia Gonzalez and Hervas, Susana Lopez and Samy, Doaa and Arques, Carlos G. and Sandoval, Antonio Moreno},
  year = {2014},
  eprint = {1406.7483},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/1406.7483}
}
```

- [← previous A Lemma Based Evaluator for Semitic Language Text Summarization Systems](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/langstream-2014-el-shishtawy-lemma-based-evaluator-semitic-language/)
- [next → Probabilistic Modelling of Morphologically Rich Languages](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/langstream-2015-botha-probabilistic-modelling-morphologically-rich-languages/)
- [↑ back to Semitic languages](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/sem/)

## References

33 references, 2 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet.

1. Habash, N. Y. (2010). Introduction to Arabic Natural Language Processing. UK: Morgan & Claypool Publishers. [↗](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-02139-8)
2. Kaye, A. S. (1990). Formal vs. Informal Arabic: Diglossia, Triglossia, Tetraglossia, etc., Polyglossia viewed as a continuum. In The World’s major languages (pp. 664–685) Comrie, B., (Ed.). Oxford University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Kaye%2C+A%2E+S%2E+%281990%29%2E+Formal+vs%2E+Informal+Arabic%3A+Diglossia%2C+Triglossia%2C+Tetraglossia%2C+etc%2E%2C+Polyglossia+viewed+as+a+continuum%2E+In+The+World%E2%80%99s+major+languages+%28pp%2E+664%E2%80%93685%29+Comrie%2C+B%2E%2C+%28Ed%2E%29%2E+Oxford+Uni)
3. Ferrando Frutos, I. (1999). El plural fracto en semítico: nuevas perspectivas. Estudios de dialectología norteafricana y andalusí, EDNA, (4), 7–24. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Ferrando+Frutos%2C+I%2E+%281999%29%2E+El+plural+fracto+en+sem%C3%ADtico%3A+nuevas+perspectivas%2E+Estudios+de+dialectolog%C3%ADa+norteafricana+y+andalus%C3%AD%2C+EDNA%2C+%284%29%2C+7%E2%80%9324%2E)
4. Holes, C. (2004). Modern Arabic: Structures, Functions, and Varieties. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Holes%2C+C%2E+%282004%29%2E+Modern+Arabic%3A+Structures%2C+Functions%2C+and+Varieties%2E+Washington%2C+D%2EC%2E%3A+Georgetown+University+Press%2E)
5. Danks, W. (2011). The Arabic Verb: Form and Meaning in the Vowel-Lengthening Patterns. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. [↗](https://doi.org/10.1075/sfsl.63)
6. Lieber, R. (2009). Introducing Morphology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Lieber%2C+R%2E+%282009%29%2E+Introducing+Morphology%2E+Cambridge%3A+Cambridge+University+Press%2E)
7. Robin, C. (1992). L'Arable antique de Karib'il a Mahomet: nouvelles donnees sur I'histoire des Arabes grace aux inscriptions. Aix-en-Provence: Editions Edisud. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Robin%2C+C%2E+%281992%29%2E+L%27Arable+antique+de+Karib%27il+a+Mahomet%3A+nouvelles+donnees+sur+I%27histoire+des+Arabes+grace+aux+inscriptions%2E+Aix%2Den%2DProvence%3A+Editions+Edisud%2E)
8. Beesley, Kenneth R. (1996). Arabic Finite-State Morphological Analysis and Generation. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Beesley%2C+Kenneth+R%2E+%281996%29%2E+Arabic+Finite%2DState+Morphological+Analysis+and+Generation%2E)
9. Ratcliffe, R. R. (1998). The “broken” plural problem in Arabic and comparative Semitic: allomorphy and analogy in non-concatenative morphology. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Ratcliffe%2C+R%2E+R%2E+%281998%29%2E+The+%E2%80%9Cbroken%E2%80%9D+plural+problem+in+Arabic+and+comparative+Semitic%3A+allomorphy+and+analogy+in+non%2Dconcatenative+morphology%2E+Amsterdam%3A+John+Benjamins+Publishing+Company%2E)
10. Cowan, D. (1958). An Introduction to Modern Literary Arabic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Cowan%2C+D%2E+%281958%29%2E+An+Introduction+to+Modern+Literary+Arabic%2E+Cambridge%3A+Cambridge+University+Press%2E)
11. Versteegh, K. (2001). The Arabic language. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Versteegh%2C+K%2E+%282001%29%2E+The+Arabic+language%2E+Edinburgh%3A+Edinburgh+University+Press%2E)
12. Shimron, J. (2003). Language Processing and Acquisition in Languages of Semitic, Root-Based, Morphology. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Shimron%2C+J%2E+%282003%29%2E+Language+Processing+and+Acquisition+in+Languages+of+Semitic%2C+Root%2DBased%2C+Morphology%2E+Amsterdam%3A+John+Benjamins+Publishing+Company%2E)
13. Janet Pierrehumbert. (1993). Dissimilarity in the Arabic verbal roots. In Proceedings of the Northeast Linguistic Society. Retrieved from [http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/~jbp/publications/arabic_roots.pdf](http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/~jbp/publications/arabic_roots.pdf) [↗](http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/~jbp/publications/arabic_roots.pdf)
14. Attia, M., Pecina, P., Toral, A., Tounsi, L., & Van Genabith, J. (2011). An Open-Source Finite State Morphological Transducer for Modern Standard Arabic. In International Workshop Finite State Methods and Natural Language Processing (p. 125). [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Attia%2C+M%2E%2C+Pecina%2C+P%2E%2C+Toral%2C+A%2E%2C+Tounsi%2C+L%2E%2C+%26+Van+Genabith%2C+J%2E+%282011%29%2E+An+Open%2DSource+Finite+State+Morphological+Transducer+for+Modern+Standard+Arabic%2E+In+International+Workshop+Finite+State+Methods) [our card](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/aclbulk-2011-attia-open-source-finite-state-morphological/)
15. Beesley, K. R. (2001). Finite-state morphological analysis and generation of Arabic at Xerox Research: Status and plans in 2001. In ACL Workshop on Arabic Language Processing: Status and Perspective (Vol. 1, pp. 1–8). [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Beesley%2C+K%2E+R%2E+%282001%29%2E+Finite%2Dstate+morphological+analysis+and+generation+of+Arabic+at+Xerox+Research%3A+Status+and+plans+in+2001%2E+In+ACL+Workshop+on+Arabic+Language+Processing%3A+Status+and+Perspective+%28)
16. Beesley, K. R. (1998b). Arabic morphology using only finite-state operations. In Proceedings of the Workshop on Computational Approaches to Semitic languages (pp. 50–7). [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Beesley%2C+K%2E+R%2E+%281998b%29%2E+Arabic+morphology+using+only+finite%2Dstate+operations%2E+In+Proceedings+of+the+Workshop+on+Computational+Approaches+to+Semitic+languages+%28pp%2E+50%E2%80%937%29%2E) [our card](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/aclbulk-1998-beesley-arabic-morphology-only-finite-state/)
17. McCarthy, J. J. (1981). A prosodic theory of nonconcatenative morphology. Linguistic inquiry, 12, 373–418. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=McCarthy%2C+J%2E+J%2E+%281981%29%2E+A+prosodic+theory+of+nonconcatenative+morphology%2E+Linguistic+inquiry%2C+12%2C+373%E2%80%93418%2E)
18. Abu-Chacra. (2007). Arabic: An Essential Grammar. New York: Taylor & Francis. [↗](https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203088814)
19. Kiraz, G. A. (1994b). Computational analyses of Arabic morphology. [↗](https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.cmp-lg/9408002)
20. Soudi, A., & Eisele, A. (2004). Generating an Arabic full-form lexicon for bidirectional morphology lookup. In Proceedings of LREC. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Soudi%2C+A%2E%2C+%26+Eisele%2C+A%2E+%282004%29%2E+Generating+an+Arabic+full%2Dform+lexicon+for+bidirectional+morphology+lookup%2E+In+Proceedings+of+LREC%2E)
21. Kiraz, G. A. (2001). Computational Nonlinear Morphology: With Emphasis on Semitic Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Kiraz%2C+G%2E+A%2E+%282001%29%2E+Computational+Nonlinear+Morphology%3A+With+Emphasis+on+Semitic+Languages%2E+Cambridge%3A+Cambridge+University+Press%2E)
22. Kiraz, G. A. (1996). Computing prosodic morphology. In Proceedings of the 16th conference on Computational linguistics-Volume 2 (pp. 664–669). [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Kiraz%2C+G%2E+A%2E+%281996%29%2E+Computing+prosodic+morphology%2E+In+Proceedings+of+the+16th+conference+on+Computational+linguistics%2DVolume+2+%28pp%2E+664%E2%80%93669%29%2E)
23. Wright, W., Smith, W. R. & Goeje M. J. (1896). Translated from the german of Caspari and Edited with Numerous Additions and Corrections. A grammar of the Arabic language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Wright%2C+W%2E%2C+Smith%2C+W%2E+R%2E+%26+Goeje+M%2E+J%2E+%281896%29%2E+Translated+from+the+german+of+Caspari+and+Edited+with+Numerous+Additions+and+Corrections%2E+A+grammar+of+the+Arabic+language%2E+Cambridge%3A+Cambridge+Universi)
24. Ryding, K. C. (2005). A reference grammar of modern standard Arabic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [↗](https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511486975)
25. Khashan Mohammad Khashan 2003 ) . ناشخ دم ناشخ ). Al-Khalil and numerical prosody (1) يقرلا ضورعلاو دحرأ نب ليللا. Journal of Arabic Linguistic Tradition, 1, 25–34. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Khashan+Mohammad+Khashan+2003+%29+%2E+%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%AE+%D8%AF%D9%85+%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%AE+%29%2E+Al%2DKhalil+and+numerical+prosody+%281%29+%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%84%D8%A7+%D8%B6%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%88+%D8%AF%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A3+%D9%86%D8%A8+%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A7%2E+Journal+of+Arabic+Linguistic+Tradition%2C+1%2C+25%E2%80%9334%2E)
26. Habash, N. (2004). Large scale lexeme based arabic morphological generation. In Proceedings of Traitement Automatique du Langage Naturel (TALN-04). [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Habash%2C+N%2E+%282004%29%2E+Large+scale+lexeme+based+arabic+morphological+generation%2E+In+Proceedings+of+Traitement+Automatique+du+Langage+Naturel+%28TALN%2D04%29%2E)
27. Mohammed Attia, Pavel Pecina, Antonio Toral, Lamia Tounsi, & Josef van Genabith. (2011). A Lexical Database for Modern Standard Arabic Interoperable with a Finite State Morphological Transducer. In proceeding of: Systems and Frameworks for Computational Morphology - Second International Workshop. Zurich. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Mohammed+Attia%2C+Pavel+Pecina%2C+Antonio+Toral%2C+Lamia+Tounsi%2C+%26+Josef+van+Genabith%2E+%282011%29%2E+A+Lexical+Database+for+Modern+Standard+Arabic+Interoperable+with+a+Finite+State+Morphological+Transducer%2E+In+pr)
28. Sawalha, M., & Atwell, E. S. (2008). Comparative evaluation of arabic language morphological analysers and stemmers. In Proceedings of COLING 2008 22nd International Conference on Comptational Linguistics (Poster Volume)) (pp. 107–110). Retrieved from [http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/42635/](http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/42635/) [↗](http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/42635/)
29. Al Shamsi, F., & Guessoum, A. (2006). A hidden Markov model-based POS tagger for Arabic. In Proceeding of the 8th International Conference on the Statistical Analysis of Textual Data, France (pp. 31–42). [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Al+Shamsi%2C+F%2E%2C+%26+Guessoum%2C+A%2E+%282006%29%2E+A+hidden+Markov+model%2Dbased+POS+tagger+for+Arabic%2E+In+Proceeding+of+the+8th+International+Conference+on+the+Statistical+Analysis+of+Textual+Data%2C+France+%28pp%2E+31%E2%80%934)
30. El-Dahdah, A. (1991). A Dictionary of Arabic Verb Conjugation. Beirut: Librairie du Liban. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=El%2DDahdah%2C+A%2E+%281991%29%2E+A+Dictionary+of+Arabic+Verb+Conjugation%2E+Beirut%3A+Librairie+du+Liban%2E)
31. Owens, J. (2006). A Linguistic History of Arabic. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA. [↗](https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199290826.001.0001)
32. Smrž, O. (2007). Functional Arabic morphology. Formal system and implementation. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Smr%C5%BE%2C+O%2E+%282007%29%2E+Functional+Arabic+morphology%2E+Formal+system+and+implementation%2E)
33. Rodrigues, P., & Cavar, D. (2007). Learning Arabic Morphology Using Statistical Constraint-Satisfaction Models. In E. Benmamoun (Ed.), Papers from the nineteenth Annual Symposium on Arabic Linguistics, Urbana, Illinois, april 2005 (pp. 63– 76). John Benjamins Publishing. [↗](https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.289.07rod)