Abstract
This contribution examines the class of imperatives in Arabic that form a minimal content word, consisting of a CV structure. These forms are derived from the so-called doubly weak verbs, such as raʔā 'to see' or wafā 'to fulfill', whose regularly formed imperatives are respectively ra and fa.
Based on examination of a corpus of historical Arabic (CLAUDia) and present-day Arabic dialects, it is argued that there is an observable tendency to avoid such forms and substitute them by either 1) suppletion of one form (Classical Arabic raʔā ~ unẓur 'look, see') or the whole paradigm (dialectal šāf 'to see' ~ šūf 'see [imp.]') or 2) strengthening the original form by some morphological means, usually employment of the geminated verbal stem (Classical Arabic waqā > waqqā 'to protect', dialectal raʔā > ʔara:/yuri: or warra/yiwarri 'to see'), but also simple extension (ǧiʔ > Morrocan Arabic aži 'come'). Short imperatives of CV structure are thus already strongly disfavored in Classical Arabic, and such forms are almost extinct in modern dialects of Arabic.