A predominance-based dual operates on two simultaneous levels:
Morphology: a chosen designation receives the dual ending.
Reference: the dual indicates two separate persons or objects, not necessarily two literal bearers of the base name.
Thus the dual ending in al-abawan correctly expresses “two,” but the intended pair must still be identified. Morphology supplies the number; convention and context supply the composite reference.
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Taghlib: Dominance of Form, Meaning and Naming
A predominance-based dual operates on two simultaneous levels:
Morphology: a chosen designation receives the dual ending.
Reference: the dual indicates two separate persons or objects, not necessarily two literal bearers of the base name.
Thus the dual ending in al-abawan correctly expresses “two,” but the intended pair must still be identified. Morphology supplies the number; convention and context supply the composite reference.