Persian

Shahrzad Mahootian

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2002
• Print ISBN:
  9780415587211
  9780415023115
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781134975556
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Linguistics
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Persian, or Farsi, is one of the world's oldest languages. Dating back to the sixth century B.C., it is spoken today by over forty million people in Iran and 5 million in Afghanistan. This is the first comprehensive grammar of Persian and provides detailed coverage of all its linguistic aspects, including the syntax, morphology and phonology.

SYNTAX

1.1 General Properties

Persian is a pro-drop language with canonical sov word order. Verbs are marked for tense and aspect and agree with the subject in person and number.

Although verb-final, Persian is otherwise head-initial: NGen, NA, PrepN, NRel. Heads are final, according to traditional classification, in such constructions as DemN. The following are examples of word order in these basic constructions. Note that modifying elements are connected with the ezafe particle (EZ), the details of which are discussed in Section 1.2.5.2.10.

Noun-Genitive

(3)	bæradær-e	mæn
	brother-EZ	me
	‘my brother’

Noun-Adjective

(4)	mašin-e now
	car-EZ new
	‘(a) new car’

Preposition-Noun

(5)	tu	hæyat
	in	courtyard
	‘in (the) courtyard’

Noun-Relative Clause

Demonstrative-Noun

(7)	in	danešgah
	this	university
	‘this university’

When a prepositional phrase is present it typically occurs between the subject and the direct object.

Therefore, a more complete description of constituent order is:

An important variation on (S) (PP) (O) V word order occurs when the direct object is definite. A definite direct object, which is marked with the object marker (OM) -ra/-ro/-o, occurs before the prepositional phrase. See Section 2.1.1.10.1.2 for a discussion of definite direct objects and -ra.

A number of processes can affect these basic surface orders. For a discussion of scrambling see Section 1.14.1; verb preposing , Section 1.14.3; postposing. Section 1.14.2; dislocation, Section 1.12.1.3; movement without dislocation, 1.12.1.2; clefting. Section 1.11.2.1.4.-5; heavy shift, Section 1.13. Also see Section 1.1.1.2.2 regarding movement for focus, Section 1.1 for clefting, pseudoclefting and emphasis, Section 1.12 for topicalization movement.

Sentence (13) contains, in addition to scrambling, one postposed phrase.

Verb-preposing is limited to main clauses. In example (14) the verb has moved to the left of the subject. Example (15) shows verb-preposing and scrambling.

1.1.1 Sentence Types

There are three basic sentence types in Persian: declarative. interrogative and imperative. Declarative sentences follow the canonical order and permutations described in 1.1. Declarative word- order is the base form for direct and indirect speech (section 1.1.1.1), and, with a rising intonation, the most common way of asking gestions (see Section 1.1.1.2).

1.1.1.1 Direct and Indirect Speech

Quoted material (direct speech) is presented in the form of a sentential complement immediately following the main clause;

(16)	behruz goft, sinema	ne-mi-r-æm
	Behruz said moie	NEG-DUR-go-1S
	‘Behruz said, “I won’t go to the movies”.’

Indirect speech is optionally introduced with the complementizer ke. However, because ke is optional, potential ambiguity as to whether the subordinate clause is direct or indirect can occur. For example, the sente...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter 1. Syntax
• Chapter 2. Morphology
• Chapter 3. Phonology
• Chapter 4. Ideophones and Interjections
• Chapter 5. Lexicon
• Bibliography
• Index