Collective Nouns and Reciprocal Anaphors: A Study on Tunisian Arabic

This paper aims to investigate the compatibility of singular collective nouns and reciprocal anaphors in Tunisian Arabic. I hypothesize that while singular collective nouns in this Arabic variety are compatible with both singular and plural reciprocal anaphors, agreement in number between the anaphor and the verb is imperative, disallowing instances of mismatch in agreement patterns. These hypotheses were tested through a language questionnaire designed for Tunisian Arabic native speakers to investigate the compatibility of reciprocal anaphors with singular collective nouns in different agreement patterns. Analysis of the questionnaire responses supports the conclusion that a singular collective noun can be the antecedent of both singular and plural reciprocal anaphors, contingent upon the reciprocal anaphor agreeing in number with the verb preceding it.