Abstract In both (some varieties of) Modern South Arabian (MSA) and Ṭuroyo the apparent co-occurrence of the definite article and the possessive pronominal suffix constitutes a synchronically puzzling phenomenon, at least from a Semiticist perspective. This paper explores both morpho-phonological and morpho-syntactic aspects of this feature and also offers a diachronic Semitic as well as a synchronic typological perspective (therefore the tentative use of the adjective ‘apparent’ in the title of this article).
Lutz Edzard (2026) studied this question.