Language Research

Syntactico-Semantic Study of Some Kurdish (Sorani Dialect) True Prepositions Based on Nanosyntax

Ebrahim Moradi; Abbas Ali Ahangar; Gholamhosain Karimi doustan

Volume 10, Issue 1 , June 2019, , Pages 141-160

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2019.72005

Abstract

In Nanosyntax theory, terminal nodes contain syntactico-semantic features which are smaller than morphemes. Most of the morphemes are spread over several terminal nodes. Therefore, ... Read More In Nanosyntax theory, terminal nodes contain syntactico-semantic features which are smaller than morphemes. Most of the morphemes are spread over several terminal nodes. Therefore, morphemes project on subtrees rather than the terminal nodes. Each terminal node comprises one specific feature. The features are arranged in a universal hierarchy namely functional sequence and follow the principle one morphosyntactic property-one feature-one head. In this theory, following cartographic approach, the universality of underlying syntactic structures and the fixed order Determiner-Head-Complement are adopted. Also, the lexicon encompasses subtrees which contain conceptual and phonological information. In this regard, a lexical entry will be minimally of the form: . In addition, Spell-out is an operation through which the derived syntactic trees are linked with saved subtrees in the lexical entries in lexicon. This article analytically studies the syntax and semantics of some Kurdish simple prepositions based on nanosyntax. As morphological complexity mirrors the syntactic complexity and in some languages the relationship between the morphemes and the syntactic head/semantic features representing them is one to one, this relationship should be induced in the underlying syntactic structure of all languages. Studying the present research data according to Baker’s mirror principle and Chomsky’s uniformity principle shows that though simple prepositions in Kurdish are monomorphic, all of them, except for the preposition l{ (at) with one feature (Place), include more than one feature, that is, there is no one to one relation between their syntactic head/semantic features and their morphology. The preposition bO: (to) contains Place and Goal, the preposition l{ (from) contains Place, Goal and Source, the preposition b{r{w (towards) includes Place, Goal and Scale and the preposition ta (till) is made up of Place, Goal and Bound features. The preposition w{/b{ (by, to) as an instrumental preposition contains instrument, dative, genitive, accusative and nominative features and when denoting dative, it includes dative, genitive, accusative and nominative features. The present study also presents the feature arrangements of these prepositions and the reasons of syncretism in l{ and w{, as well.

A criticism of “Syncretism of Path Expressions in Selected Iranian Languages: A Nanosyntax Approach”

Ebrahim Moradi

Volume 9, Issue 1 , June 2018, , Pages 119-128

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2018.66653

Abstract

This paper is a criticism of Dabirmoghaddam and Naseri (1396 [2017]). Although the evaluated work introduces a new approach and deals with the less studied category, namely preposition, ... Read More

The Nanosyntax of Element Movement in Circumpositions of Kurdish (Sorani Dialect)

Ebrahim Morady; Abbas Ali Ahangar; Gholamhosain Karimi doustan

Volume 7, Issue 2 , January 2017, , Pages 77-96

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2016.61526

Abstract

This paper, based on nanosyntax, studies the semantico-syntactic contribution of Kurdish circumposition [elements (l{ ...(d) a, l{ ...{w{, w{...(d) a, w{ ...{w{) and their movement ... Read More

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Author = Moradi, Ebrahim

Syntactico-Semantic Study of Some Kurdish (Sorani Dialect) True Prepositions Based on Nanosyntax

Abstract

A criticism of “Syncretism of Path Expressions in Selected Iranian Languages: A Nanosyntax Approach”

Abstract

The Nanosyntax of Element Movement in Circumpositions of Kurdish (Sorani Dialect)

Abstract