This book is a comparative study of the syntax of Arabic dialects based on natural language data recorded in Morocco, Egypt, Syria, and Kuwait. These four dialect regions are distinct and geographically diverse and representative of four distinct dialect groups. The analytical approach of the book is both functional and descriptive, combining insights from discourse analysis, language typology, and pragmatics--the first time such an approach has been used in the study of spoken Arabic syntax. An appendix includes sample texts from the author's raw data. The book is organized into 10 chapters: "The Definiteness Continuum"; "Number, Agreement, and Possession"; "Relative Clauses"; "Demonstrative Articles and Pronouns"; "Categorizing Verbs"; "Aspect"; "Tense and Time Reference";"Mood"; "Negation"; and "Sentence Typology." Numerous tables and figures as well as long passages in Arabic script appear throughout the text. Subject and author indexes are included. (Contains 158 references, 9 tables, and 4 figures.) (KFT)