Language Research

Examining Persian Suffixes -ani, -ayi, and -al Based on Cognitive Morphology

Zahra Hasanpuran; Shahla Sharifi

Volume 15, Issue 2 , January 2025, , Pages 71-97

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2024.380137.666891

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the polysemy of the three suffixes "-ani, -ayi and -al" in Persian language with construction morphology framework. This analysis is based on Booij ... Read More The aim of this article is to analyze the polysemy of the three suffixes "-ani, -ayi and -al" in Persian language with construction morphology framework. This analysis is based on Booij construction morphology theory (2010, 2016) which is rooted in the cognitive linguistics school and especially the cognitive grammar theory (Langacker, 2008, 2009). In Booij’s (2010, 2016) construction morphology approach, language words are "constructions" whose meaning is the most important component in their structural analysis. Derivational affixes of Persian language, which include suffixes and prefixes and are numerous, have a good capacity to add new meanings to basic constructions and create a derivative word. The research data is extracted from Zansu Persian dictionary (Keshani, 1993). In order to investigate the polysemy of these suffixes, first we have designated the construction schemas and sub-schemes of the words containing the three mentioned suffixes, and then we have designed their polysemy network. Examining the research data showed that the words containing each of these three derivational suffixes, which are different from each other in terms of meaning and caused the polysemy of the named suffixes, are actually the result of different schemas and sub-schemas that are different in terms of form and meaning. The results of the research show that at the lowest level of the schema network of the "-ani" suffix, there are five different sub-schemas, two of which have a nominal base. Next two sub-schemas have prepositional base and at last, the last sub-schema has adjective base. At the lowest level of the schema network of the "-al" suffix, there are four sub-schemas which bases are from the categories of nouns, adjectives, or verb present stem. While the suffix "-ayi" has only two sub-schemes, one of which has a nominal base and the other has an adjective base. According to Booij’s (2010, 2016) construction morphology theory, the polysemy of these suffixes cannot be explained at the level of concrete words; Rather, this polysemy should be considered related to the level of constructional schemas, which are more abstract than the concrete words of the language

Investigating the Compound Words Ended to “Negar” Stem in Persian Language: A Cognitive Approach

Zahra Hasanpuran; Ali Alizadeh

Volume 14, Issue 2 , March 2024, , Pages 79-104

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2024.363973.666852

Abstract

One of the word formation processes in Persian language is the compounding process, which speakers use in a productive way to create words with new meanings. This process contains at ... Read More One of the word formation processes in Persian language is the compounding process, which speakers use in a productive way to create words with new meanings. This process contains at least two components, both of which are involved in the construction of meaning. The aim of this article is to analyze the polysemy of compound words ended to “negar” stem in Persian with a cognitive approach. This analysis is done in the framework of Booij's construction morphology theory (2010, 2016), and the data of the research is extracted from the Zansu Persian dictionary (Keshani, 1993), the dictionary of Farhangistan authorized vocabularies, and Bijankhan's corpus. According to Booij's construction morphology theory (2010, 2016), language words are linguistic constructions and these linguistic constructions are the unit of construction morphology analysis. In Booij's construction morphology theory (2010, 2016), construction schemas are patterns that clarify the form and meaning of a construction and determine how other constructions are derived from this pattern. In order to investigate the polysemy of compound words ended to the "negar" stem, first the construction schemas and sub-schemas related to these words are identified, and then their polysemy network in drawn. The results of the research show that at the lowest level of the schema network of the compound words ended to "negar" stem, there are eleven different sub-schemas, seven of which have a nominal base, and four have an adjectival base. Also, the frequency of the sub-schema with an adjective base is much lower than the frequency of the sub-scheme with a nominal base. According to the study of the body of research, the combination of a noun with the "negar" stem creates different meanings such as "writing", "describing", "studying", "depicting", and "measuring" and the meanings of "writing" and "depicting" is realized with both human and non-human agents. The combination of an adjective with the "negar" stem also creates the "depicting" meaning which is realized with two human and non-human agents. Finally, four subschemas with the meaning of "depicting with a special instrument", "depicting a person with special characteristics", "depicting with a special manner", and "depicting from a special location" are results of the hierarchical classification of the subschemas of compound words with an adjective base that ends to “negar” stem. The polysemy of compound words ended to the “negar” stem can be explained at the level of these construction schemas which are more or less abstract.

The Study of N-P-N Tripartite Exocentric Compounds in Persian: An Analysis within the Framework of Construction Morphology

Ghazaal Asadi; Sahar Bahrami-Khorshid; Ardeshir Maleki-Moghadm

Volume 14, Issue 1 , September 2023, , Pages 23-47

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2021.313793.666665

Abstract

In many languages, compounding as a word-formation process is more productive than the other processes. According to this fact, compounding has a special role in the morphology of languages ... Read More In many languages, compounding as a word-formation process is more productive than the other processes. According to this fact, compounding has a special role in the morphology of languages and this process has been concentrated by grammarians and linguists. Compound words of a language can be classified in various ways. In one of these classification methods, compounds are divided into two major categories: exocentric compounds and endocentric compounds. This research is an attempt to explore the N-P-N tripartite exocentric compounds of Persian within the framework of Construction Morphology. The research examines the systematic semantic relations, the possible schema of the N-P-N construction, its subschemas, and the hierarchical structure of this construction in the lexicon of Persian speakers. The data under the study have been collected from the reference book “Farhang-e Farsi-ye Āmiyāne” (Persian Slang Dictionary) written by Abolhasan Najafi which totally includes 88 tripartite compounds. The approach of this research is construction-based and tries to examine the metaphorical and semantic content of the above-mentioned compounds and to justify their word-formation pattern of them based on the concept of “construction” and “constructional schemas”. The method of this research is descriptive-analytical and the result of the research demonstrates that all the compounds that are examined in this research can be encoded by 10 semantic relations: property, person property, time, location, state, thing, condition/situation, person, action and repetition of time. Each of these semantic relations and their differences has been represented as a schema which is a pairing of form and meaning. The results also evinced that there is a direct relation between the semantic transparency of a construction and its frequency and productivity in Persian, there are 70 N-be-N compounds in the corpus which is considerably more than other types of compounds. Therefore, it is concluded that the frequency of the N-P-N compounds is rooted in their semantic transparency.

The Study of Derived Words Ending in '-ār' Suffix from the Viewpoint of Construction Morphology

Sahar Bahrami-Khorshid; Saeedeh Ghandi

Volume 11, Issue 1 , October 2020, , Pages 25-48

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2020.264867.666402

Abstract

All languages in the world use different mechanisms to create new words. Derivation and compounding are two morphological processes whose main function is the formation of new word-forms. ... Read More All languages in the world use different mechanisms to create new words. Derivation and compounding are two morphological processes whose main function is the formation of new word-forms. In Persian, derivation is one of the dynamic and widely used processes of word formation. In the realm of derivation, Persian language has many prefixes and suffixes that can be attached to existing words in order to create new words. One of these suffixes is "-ār" which is considered as one of the semi-productive suffixes of Persian language; however, the observations reveal that it has become a productive suffix in today's Persian. The main purpose of this research is to study the derivational construction [x-ār] in Persian within the framework of Construction Morphology (CM). It makes use of the notion of ‘construction’, which is defined as a pairing of form and meaning, to describe the properties of complex words. Therefore, on the basis of a construction-based approach and regarding a descriptive-analytic method, the authors try to represent the systematically semantic varieties of "-ār", possible schemas and subschemas and also the hierarchical structures, based on which, [x-ar] construction has been achieved. The data analyzed in this study has been gathered from three sources: Reverse Dictionary (Zansu) (Keshani, 1993), Persian Linguistic Database (PLDB) and FarsNet. Then, the extracted words have been examined in Farhang-e Bozorg-e Sokhan (Anvari, 2002) and obsolete items have been excluded. The findings of the research show that “-ār” has seven different meanings (functions) and thus we can consider it as a polysemous suffix. Its polysemy is not explainable at the level of words, but at the level of abstract schemas; hence, it is called “constructional polysemy”. The results of this study indicate that "entity with relation R to SEM" is the prototypical meaning of [x-ār] which is the most abstract correlation among meaning and form in Persian language.

A Constructional Study of the Compounds of Body Part “Del” (Heart) in Persian

Ava Imani; Adel Rafiei; Mohammad Amouzadeh

Volume 9, Issue 2 , January 2019, , Pages 23-43

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2018.69527

Abstract

This study aims at examining the construction of the word-formation pattern of [del-X] (compounds of “heart”) and investigating its semantic variations, the most general ... Read More

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Keywords = Construction Morphology

Examining Persian Suffixes -ani, -ayi, and -al Based on Cognitive Morphology

Abstract

Investigating the Compound Words Ended to “Negar” Stem in Persian Language: A Cognitive Approach

Abstract

The Study of N-P-N Tripartite Exocentric Compounds in Persian: An Analysis within the Framework of Construction Morphology

Abstract

The Study of Derived Words Ending in '-ār' Suffix from the Viewpoint of Construction Morphology

Abstract

A Constructional Study of the Compounds of Body Part “Del” (Heart) in Persian

Abstract