Formal perspectives on mayyit (‘dead’) as a taboo-based intensifier in Urban Jordanian Arabic

Abstract

This paper examines the syntactic properties of the taboo-based intensifier mayyit ‘dead’ in Urban Jordanian Arabic (UJA). We argue that mayyit developed its intensifying function through metaphorical extension rather than grammaticalization. Despite this shift, mayyit retains its adjectival category and shows agreement and other features of lexical items. Two forms are attested: a prepositional form and a non-prepositional, compound-like form. While semantically similar, they differ syntactically, with the latter displaying traits of synthetic compounds. We propose a unified analysis in which both forms are subject–predicate structures, with mayyit heading its own projection and selecting a nominal or prepositional complement. This parallels genitive constructions in UJA, including construct and free state. The study contributes new data on taboo-based intensifiers and offers broader insights into their structure and typological variation.