Introduction

The focus of this chapter is on attitude datives that take the subject of the predicate they attach to as a referent. We referred to these as subject-oriented attitude datives, or SUBJ-ADs. The utterances in (1) through (4) are examples from the four Levantine Arabic varieties involved in this study.

• 1. Context: The chief of the police district, Abu Jawdat, and his subordinate, Nuri, are doing a patrol tour in one of the neighborhoods. When they arrive at the mayor's office, Abu Jawdat decides to drop by to schmooze for a few minutes. He does not want Nuri to join him, so he gives him the following instructions:

• ʕmil-lak fatle bi-l-ħa:ra,. w-mniltaʔa

• make-you.D round in-the-neighborhood,. and-we.meet

• baʕed ʕaʃer daʔa:yiʔ ho:n .

• after ten minutes here .

• ‘Make [you] a tour in the neighborhood and we’ll meet here in ten minutes.’ From ba:b l-ħa:ra ‘the neighborhood gate’ – Season 1 – Episode 17 – 00:09:10 – SYR

• 2. Context: In an interview with poor citizens in Lebanon, a very poor woman describes her plight and the plight of her husband and children. She does not have a steady job, but she is occasionally hired as a temporary worker. She says:

• ʔana: masalan kinit ʔiʃtiɣil,. bas hallaʔ

• I for.example was work,. but now

• ma: ʕam-biʃtiɣil (.) yaʕni: bisnud ʃway

• NEG PROG-work (.) this.mean I.support a.little

• ʒawz-i: bas yku:n ʔa:ʕid bi-l-be:t. ʔana: bru:ħ

• husband-my when he.is staying in-the-house.

• I go biʃtiɣil-li: ʃaɣli ho:n,. biʃtiɣil-li:

• I.work-me.D job here,. I.work-me.D

• ho:n ʃaɣli,. laħatta: tˁaʕmi: wle:d-i: .

• here job,. in.order.to feed children-my .

• ‘I, for instance, used to have a job, but I do not have a job now. I support my husband when he stays at home. I find [me] a job here, I find [me] a job there, in order to feed my family.’

• From taħqi:q ‘investigations’ – 28% of the Lebanese Live Below Poverty Line – 00:31:00 – LEB

• 3. Context: A man explains to his brother his situation with his new fiancee and her mother.

• ha:y ħama:t-i: bidda: tifruʃ l-villa,. w-taʕmil-la:

• this mother-in-law-my want furnish the-villa,. and-do-it.D

• deko:ra:t. yaʕni: ha:da: l-mawdˁu:ʕ bikallif-lo

• decorations.