Language Research

Abstract   The aim of this paper is to study Persian effect on the relative clause construction  of Azerbaijani. The data have been collected from the different contexts of Azerbaijani speakers’ speech in Ardabil province. At first the data were classified in two groups: head final relative clauses and head initial relative clauses. Then they were analyzed according to views common in language contact phenomenon including Heine (2006). So this research is descriptive-analytic. Azerbaijani allows the nouns with different  grammatical functions (subject, direct object, indirect object, object of postposition, genitive, object of comparison) to be relativized like other languages in the world.  In addition to head final relative clauses (common in Turkish languages), most of the data have been produced according to Persian relative clause structure (head initial pattern) by borrowing Persian “Ke” morpheme. Previous Azerbaijani language researchers have considered head initial relative clause as a borrowed structure from Persian to Azerbaijani. But the findings of this research show that head initial relative clause structure is an Azerbaijani native structure used in the special context limitedly without the appearance of Persian “Ke” morpheme. Persian and Azerbaijani can be considered as model and replica languages respectively in the language contact situation. Azerbaijani speakers use a strategy such as the extending strategy to increase the frequency of head initial relative clause structure matching that of Persian by borrowing Persian “Ke” morpheme, as Heine (2006) has showed the use of this strategy in the contact situation of some languages. Azerbaijani speakers choose among two alternative structures (head final and head initial relative clause structures), the one corresponding to Persian relative clause structure. Azerbaijani speakers’ extended use of head initial relative clauses is as a result of Azerbaijani convergence with Persian that is a common phenomenon due to the language contact occurring in multilingual societies

Abstract The aim of this paper is to study the verb borrowing of Persian based on matrix language frame model. Myers-scotton (1993-2006) proposed matrix language frame model due to eminent role of one language in the bilinguals’ speech. Only one language as matrix language determine morpho-syntactic patterns of sentences containing the elements of two languages according to uniform structure principle of matrix language frame model. The data is corpus-based and they have been collected from Persian speakers’ speech in different contexts. The research method is descriptive-analytic. At first, Persian verb and its inflectional morphemes were classified into: content morphemes (non-verbal elements in compound verbs and bare form of the verb in simple verbs) and late outside system morpheme (inflectional morphemes of the verb and light verbs) according to differential access hypothesis or 4-M model. Then the data were analyzed based on the principles and hypothesis of matrix language frame model. Persian is matrix language in all data due to uniform structure principle of matrix language frame model. Persian acting as matrix language has caused the inflectional morphemes of its verb have been added to non-Persian verbs entered Persian verb construction through light verb construction and indirect insertion process. Matrix language has caused inflectional morphemes of Persian verb activated and selected at formulation level to assign Persian morpho-syntactic frame on the sentences. So non-Persian verbs have been activated and selected at conceptual level as content morphemes. These content morphemes are realized as infinite verbs in Persian speakers’ speech to carry meaning. It seems there is a relation between different morpheme nature (their selection at different abstract level) and their transferring to other languages. Myers-scotton (1993-2006) emphasizes this relationship. As he has predicted matrix language frame model is efficient in explaining language contact phenomenon so more expansive studies can be based on it.

Abstract Affix ordering is a theoretical discussion in morphology. There has been some debate over the existence of general principles or mechanisms governing affix ordering. In this regard, we can point to three principal approaches. The first approach named the stratum-oriented model (Siegel, 1974; Allen, 1978; Kiparsky, 1982; Mohanan, 1986), believes that lexicon has a layered structure and can determine the affixes' combinations. The second approach relies on Selectional Restrictions' affix oriented (Fabb, 1988; Plag, 1999). These restrictions include restrictions of the group of affixes and phonological, morphological, semantic, and syntax restrictions. This approach claims that the description of possible and impossible combinations of affixes is related to describing the functions of restrictions. The third approach formed the theoretical framework of the present study by providing a psycho-linguistic model based on this idea that the affix ordering is a function of the degree of parsability of affixes from their bases (Hay 2000; 2002). According to this approach, affixes parsed easily in language processing cannot stay near the base relative to the affixes with a lower degree of parsability. Plag (2003) called the approach as Complexity-Based Ordering (CBO). The question is that how can we describe the Persian derivational prefixes ordering based on the CBO framework. For this reason, by selecting 17 prefixes 2200 derivational words extracted from database. By considering prefixes co-occurrences the rank of each prefix was obtained by using directed-graph and upper triangle square matrixes. According to this theoretical framework, by using frequency of derivational words and bases we could draw the scatter plot and determined the rank of type and token frequency ratio. Finally, according to data and by using the rank of parsability, type and token frequency ratio, we assessed the continuum of Persian prefixes ordering. Similar to Hay and Plag (2004) findings, this approach can describe Persian prefixes ordering as well as English affixes ordering

Abstract The aim of this research is to study the effect of Persian language on Azerbaijani compound verb construction. Data were collected from Azerbaijani resources and the interactions of 30 speakers of this language in Ardabil province (Ardabil, Meshkin Shahr and their surrounding regions). Native Azerbaijani compound verbs plus those borrowed from Persian were extracted from the collected data and their frequency was determined. The research method is descriptive-analytic, because at first the data were classified in the framework of the verb accommodation strategies in the borrowed language and they were analyzed according to the common approaches in language contact literature. Results show that no Persian finite verb has entered Azerbaijani language. Azerbaijani language uses two strategies to accommodate Persian finite verbs. The light verb construction and indirect insertion are two important strategies that Azerbaijani speakers use to accommodate Persian verbs. The frequency of light verb construction (Persian non-verbal element + Azerbaijani light verb) in the speakers’ speech is very high in comparison to indirect insertion strategy (Persian noun or adjective + Azerbaijani verb making affixes) and Azerbaijani native compound verbs. In spite of some previous studies considering Azerbaijani compound verbs as patterns borrowed from Persian, this research finding shows that light verb construction is not a new pattern in Azerbaijani and this construction exists in the language itself. Azerbaijani speakers use the extending strategy to increase the frequency of this construction matching that of Persian. Borrowed Persian non-verbal element causes Azerbaijani speakers to choose among alternative verb making constructions (Persian non-verbal element + Azerbaijani light verb and Persian noun or adjective + Azerbaijani verb making affixes) the one corresponding to Persian construction. This change resulting in Azerbaijani progressive convergence to Persian is a natural consequence of language contact.

Abstract The aim of this research is to study the borrowing of Persian conjunctions by speakers of Azerbayjani Turkish and its effect on their language. Data were collected from Azerbayjani Turkish resources and its speakers in Ardabil province. Data analysis based on linguistic and non-linguistic criteria of borrowing/code-switching differentiation shows that the majority of Persian conjunctions have been borrowed by Azerbayjani Turkish and some of them appear as code-switched elements in bilinguals’ speech. The findings correspond to Myers-Scotton’s view confirming borrowing/code-switching continuum as a mechanism for accomplishment of borrowing process. Speakers of Azerbayjani Turkish borrow Persian conjunctions to combine their language clauses. They do not substitute Persian compound sentence structures with those from their native language ones and they use the structures of both due to pragmatic reasons. The results match the second level of Thomason & Kaufman’s (1988) borrowing hierarchy supposing slight and limited changes to conjunction borrowing.

Abstract The present study investigates Azari-Turkish wh-words within the framework of minimalism. The analysis of wh-in-situ data shows that [+Q] &ki/kïparticle are syntactically in complementary distribution in Azari-Turkish. When a wh-word is bound by [+Q] in C-position, it is interpreted as interrogative element. If, on the other hand, the wh-word is bound by ki/kïparticle which appears in C-position, it is assigned only non-interrogative reading. The non-subject wh-words are scrambled to clause initial position in Azari-Turkish. They are scrambled to [Spec, Foc P] & [Spec, Top P] to satisfy focus and topic features. The scrambling is A’-movement, because it is a movement to non-argument position. The findings of the present study are in contrast to those of previous studies which assume C-position for null Q-operator & [Spec, TP] for scrambled wh-words.