Duality in English and Arabic: A Contrastive Study

Abstract

English and Arabic are two distinct languages with distinct systems in syntax and other linguist areas. One of these distinct systems is the Duality System. This study endeavors to uncover the differences between these two systems and how the two languages use them. The question which this study tries to answer is “what are the differences between English and Arabic in Duality?’ To answer such a question, a relevant literature review is presented for the duality systems of both languages taking into consideration the various linguistic aspects. Finally, the study ended up with conclusions about the two systems and their uses in the languages in question. English is less explicit in terms of the expressions and uses of the dual items. Arabic can dual many items in language such as nouns, adjectives and even verbs, whereas English cannot dual these items but uses other expressions to refer to duality in such items.