Language Research - Articles List

Analyzing the Epic Romantic Narrative Structure of "Bijan and Manijeh" and Explaining its Verbal Dimensions from the Perspective of Waltsky and Labou

Nahid Jafari

Volume 14, Issue 2 , March 2024, , Pages 1-24

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2023.367328.666864

Abstract

Semiotics is a tool that can be used to examine the mechanisms of formation and production of meaning in discourses. The logical and narrative discourse is the dominant discourse on ... Read More

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.

Determining the Typological Place of a Language on the Left/Right-Branching Spectrum

Maedeh Golchin arefi; Gholamreza Dinmohammadi

Volume 14, Issue 2 , March 2024, , Pages 105-129

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2024.359837.666844

Abstract

In this article we answer two questions: first, how we can use Dryer (1992) as a tool to determine the typological place of a language in the left/right-branching spectrum. Second, ... Read More

Investigating the Concept of Mother Tongue in the Educational Documents and Examining its Manifestation in Society Based on the Critical Discourse Analysis Approach

Behboud Yarigholi; Roya Monsefi

Volume 14, Issue 2 , March 2024, , Pages 131-160

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2024.362434.666850

Abstract

One of the most prominent features of Iranian society is its linguistic and cultural pluralism. Archaeological and historical findings prove that since thousands of years ago various ... Read More One of the most prominent features of Iranian society is its linguistic and cultural pluralism. Archaeological and historical findings prove that since thousands of years ago various ethnic groups with multiple cultures and languages have lived in Iran. The policymakers of each society adopt different approaches to the issues of linguistic and cultural diversity depending on the circumstances, which sometimes leads to challenges in different fields. Among the most challenging fields in which these issues are involved is the field of education. In such diversity, the centralized educational system becomes more apparent. Currently, there are about 200 independent countries in the world and it is estimated that there are about 4,000 to 5,000 different languages. The present study examines the position and representation of the concept of the mother tongue in educational documents and its reflection and manifestation in society based on the critical discourse analysis approach. For this purpose, the reference documents as well as the approved documents in the structure of Iran's educational system were analyzed. Then, the representation of the concept of education in the mother tongue was analyzed by considering the ideas of trustees, policymakers, politicians, and experts. With the use of a descriptive-analytical method and relying on Fairclough’s (1995) model of critical discourse analysis, the results implied that despite the claims mentioned in the reference documents and the explicit and implicit references of the educational documents on the importance and necessity of teaching in the mother tongue, the dominant discourse of Beneficiaries and stakeholders in this field are using words with nationalistic and ideological empirical value and creating a false dualism of "national identity" and "mother tongue education". Considering education in the mother tongue as an obstacle to the creation of national identity and a threat to national unity has caused the position of education in the mother tongue to decline and despite having theoretical, scientific support and legal requirements, there is no will to implement it in practice.

Analyzing Subject - Verb Agreement Errors of Persian Learners in the Framework of Distributed Morphology

Mahya Ahmadi; Azita Abbasi

Volume 14, Issue 1 , September 2023, , Pages 1-22

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2023.361098.666846

Abstract

Researchers have paid a lot of attention to collecting and analyzing the language errors. Language learners commit various mistakes during the stages of language learning, and Subject ... Read More

The Intonation of Ta’arof in Persian

Marzieh Sadat Razavi; گلناز مدرسی قوامی

Volume 14, Issue 1 , September 2023, , Pages 49-75

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2023.354881.666826

Abstract

Ta’arof has a special place in the Iranian culture and its linguistic repesentations are various and considerable. Since Ta’arof expressions are used in interactive contexts ... Read More Ta’arof has a special place in the Iranian culture and its linguistic repesentations are various and considerable. Since Ta’arof expressions are used in interactive contexts by native speakers of Persian, it is expected that the intonation patterns of these expressions be affected by discourse factors and vary as a function of context. The present study adopts Brazil’s (1975, 1978, 1997) and Brazil et al.’s (1980) approach to intonation with the main purpose of investigating the intonation patterns of Ta’arofs in Persian. The distinguishing feature of Brazil’s approach to intonation is its focus on the effect of discoursal context on intonation patterns each with a meaning of its own. In his approach, “meaning” does not refer to attitudes such as “surprised” or “expectant”, nor to grammatical meanings such as “interrogative” or “declarative”. Rather, it refers to the interactive role of intonation i.e., constant evaluation of discourse by the speaker and choosing the appropriate intonation pattern to achieve coherence and cohesion in discourse. To this end, the intonation features of tone and the prominence level of the onset (key) and tonic (termination) syllables were annotated and analyzed using the Praat software in 29 Ta’arof expressions in the Iranian series Hayula. Results showed that the dominent tone in these expressions is level or fall. Keys were mostly mid or high, while terminations were mostly mid. Considering the fact that intonation patterns of each Ta’arof expression depends on its situational and discoursal context, the Taarof expression ̒Gorbunet beram̓ ‘(lit.) may I be sacrificed for you’ with 4 different representations was chosen and analysed as one of the most frequent Ta’arof expression in the corpus of this study. Results showed that Ta’arof expressions although fixed lexically and syntactically, show different intonation patterns due to the influence of social norms such as politeness, power relations, the prediction of listener’s judgment, and listener’s agreement expectation.

Acquisition of Recursive Locatives in Persian Speaking Children: An Experiment

Hossein Rouhalamini Najafabadi; Ali Afkhami

Volume 14, Issue 1 , September 2023, , Pages 77-101

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2023.354733.666835

Abstract

Recursive structures, structures whose representation is produced by the repeated application of a syntactic rule, have been observed and investigated extensively in languages. By means ... Read More Recursive structures, structures whose representation is produced by the repeated application of a syntactic rule, have been observed and investigated extensively in languages. By means of an experiment, the present study investigates the acquisition of recursive locatives in Persian-speaking children and provides new evidence on the subject of children's learning path, which lends its support to theoretical insights about the representation of this structure in the mind. Different languages do not uniformly deem recursive structures well-formed. Furthermore, in languages that consider the same recursive structure well-formed, it is possible for the acquisition age of this same structure to be different in children speaking different languages. Experiments report differences in the age that English and Japanese speakers acquire recursive locatives. In these studies, early acquisition of locative structures that employ identical prepositions is observed, as well as early acquisition in the language that marks the recursive structure by an overt functional element, namely, Japanese. Explaining these observations, Nakato and Roeper (2021) propose a three-step path in the acquisition of recursion: 1. Search for overt morphological elements 2. Search for overt lexical elements 3. The ability to interpret recursive structures without the presence of identical overt elements. In the recursive structure of the locatives of Persian, similar to Japanese and contrary to English, we witness an overt functional element: Ezafe. The presence of Ezafe in this structure qualifies as the first stage of the proposed acquisition path, and therefore it is predicted that the acquisition of recursive locatives in Persian will occur early. This article takes advantage of the presence of the overt element in Persian recursive locatives and by designing and implementing an experiment in accordance with the previous experiments, investigates the acquisition of locative recursion among Persian-speaking children and by means of the collected data examines the proposed acquisition path above.

Investigating the Process of Postverbal Appearance of Restrictive Relative Clauses in Persian

Ali َAmoushahi; َAli Darzi

Volume 14, Issue 1 , September 2023, , Pages 135-153

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2022.334309.666761

Abstract

The present article mainly aims to investigate the process through which relative clauses appear postverbally and distant from the noun they modify. To do so, relative clauses are first ... Read More

Investigating Achievement and Accomplishment Aspects in Kalhori Kurdish: A Minimalistic Approach

Habib Gowhary; Mehrangiz Baravarde

Volume 14, Issue 1 , September 2023, , Pages 155-181

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2023.359124.666842

Abstract

The present research has investigated the difference between achievement and accomplishment aspects in Kalhori based on the minimalist approach of Mc Donald (2008). According to this ... Read More The present research has investigated the difference between achievement and accomplishment aspects in Kalhori based on the minimalist approach of Mc Donald (2008). According to this approach, the internal subject plays a central role in the aspectual interpretation of achievement and accomplishment predicates. Likewise, the presence and interpretation of event structure (ES) and object-to-event mapping (OTE) features play a decisive role in derivation of aspectual predicates. The analysis of the research data showed that in Kalhori, achievement and accomplishment predicates having internal subjects with the OTE feature [-q], have a minimal aspectual interpretation domain; and the final subevent feature [fe] It is not included in the interpretation range. However, internal subjects with the feature [+q] in the achievement and accomplishment predicates, cause an extensive domain of aspectual interpretation and also cause interpretation of the final subevent feature [fe].Therefore, it was found that in Kalhori that the presence of the feature [+q] on the internal subject is a necessary condition for telicity of achievement and accomplishment predicates. In addition, in Kalhori, the difference between achievement and accomplishment aspects was determined in this way that in the achievements the initial subevent feature [ie] on the aspectaul group has not dominance and c-command over the feature of the initial subevent feature [fe]. But, in the accomplishments, the initial subevent feature [ie] on the aspectaul group has dominance and c-command over the final subevent feature [fe], which is placed on VP.This situation refers to the time spent between the beginning and the end of the accomplishment events, which unlike the achievement events the beginning and end are simultaneous.In fact ,in the accomplishment predicates between two points of initial event and final event occurs the passage of time,according to this ,there is a dominance and c-command between the initial subevent feature [ie] and the final subevent feature [fe]. But in the achievement predicates between two points of initial event and final event not occur the spend of time,so it is not a dominance and c-command between two features of the initial subevent and the final subevent.

Discourse Disorder in Right Hemisphere Brain Damaged Patients: Evidence from Relative Clause Processing

Mahla Arianpour

Volume 13, Issue 2 , May 2023, , Pages 1-22

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2023.352485.666818

Abstract

Based on clinical observations, it has been determined that damage to the right hemisphere may cause some communication disorders. These non-aphasic communication disorders lead to ... Read More Based on clinical observations, it has been determined that damage to the right hemisphere may cause some communication disorders. These non-aphasic communication disorders lead to impairments in the pragmatic, prosodic, lexical-semantic and discourse aspects of language that affect social participation. In right hemisphere damaged patients (RHD), discourse may be affected at both the perceptual and expressive levels. Right hemisphere damage can affect language-related skills. The present study aimed to investigate discourse disorder in adults with right hemisphere brain damage through the processing of relative clauses. The research is descriptive-analytical and quantitative. The statistical population included 10 healthy adults and 10 Persian-speaking adults with right hemisphere damage, who were selected in a convenience sampling way. The research tests included screening tests and tests for measuring the processing speed of relative constructions, which were done through DMDX software. Data analysis was done by the statistical methods such as variance analysis, independent t-test of two independent groups, and paired sample t-test. In subject relative constructions, the difference in processing speed of categories, relative clauses and relative sentences between the two experimental and control groups was not significant (P>0.05); However, in the object relative constructions, this difference in processing speed between the two experimental and control groups was significant (P<0.05). In subject and object constructions preceded by an initial context, the difference in processing speed of categories, clauses and sentences between the two experimental and control groups was significant (P<0.05). In the experimental group, the difference in processing speed of subject and object relative clauses and sentences with and without an initial context was significant (P<0.05). The research findings provide evidence for the negative effect of right hemisphere brain damage on discourse skills. Likewise, people with right hemisphere brain damage have more difficulty in processing complex language constructions referential items such as relative constructions compared to healthy peers.

Primary and Secondary Predicate Ellipsis in Complement and Adjunct Small Clauses: A minimalist Approach (Phase Theory)

Shabnam Majidi; Fatemeh Bahrami; Mazdak Anoushe

Volume 13, Issue 2 , May 2023, , Pages 105-134

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2023.352971.666819

Abstract

The phenomenon of the head- and constituent ellipsis is one of the most discussed issues that grammarians have given a different name to each of its types. The present paper deals with ... Read More The phenomenon of the head- and constituent ellipsis is one of the most discussed issues that grammarians have given a different name to each of its types. The present paper deals with a specific type of ellipsis within the clause, which is referred to, in the tradition of generative grammar, as the Right Node Raising, and it is distinct from the deletion of the second coordinate clause, namely gapping. In the aforementioned ellipsis, the verb alone, or together with its dependents, is removed from the first coordinate clause. While examining such structures, the present article analyzes the ellipsis from the coordinate clauses which contain a complement or adjunct small clause, and therefore, due to the simultaneous deletion of the primary predicate (from the main clause) and the secondary predicate (from the subordinate clause), they represent more syntactic complexity of its own. In the analysis, which is based on the assumption of two processes, namely the “verb movement out of the vP” and the “object shift”, the discussed structures are divided into two types: coordinates with a common subject and ones with a non-common subject; and thus, a different explanation is provided for each kind. In coordinates that have a common subject and host a small clause in their argument structure, in fact, two vPs, and not two clauses, are coordinated, and the process known as Across-the-Board movement, which is applied to the verb and the subject of the clause, leaves some gaps in the first coordinate clause in place. In contrary, the ellipsis phenomenon is applied to coordinates with non-common subjects. Since this phenomenon occurs at PF level, it is expected that its occurrence is related to the phase domain. In this research, based on the Phase Theory, as well as the empirical evidence of the Persian, we argue that in the latter structures, ellipsis occurs at the higher phase stage, and the elements that have already reached the edge of the phase are pronounced at the phonetic level, following the Phase Impenetrability Condition.

Constructive Process of Affirmative Negation and Its Practical Appearances in Persian and Kurdish Languages

Farhad Mohammadi

Volume 13, Issue 2 , May 2023, , Pages 135-160

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2023.355201.666830

Abstract

There is a generative constructional process in both Persian and Kurdish languages, through which some syntactic constructions can be transformed from a simple expression to an emphatic ... Read More

An Acoustic Study of Persian Topic Constructions

Batool Alinezhad; Zeinab Homayouni; Rezvan Motavalian Naeini

Volume 13, Issue 2 , May 2023, , Pages 161-186

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2023.352355.666816

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to compare the prosodic structure of the different types of Persian topic constructions within the framework of the auto-segmental metrical phonology ... Read More The purpose of this research is to compare the prosodic structure of the different types of Persian topic constructions within the framework of the auto-segmental metrical phonology (Ladd, 2008) in order to answer the challenge of whether the initial position in these constructions is the result of base-generation or the result of the movement of the initial element. In this regard, following Cinque(1990), we examine the Persian topic constructions in the three categories of topicalization, clitic left dislocation (CLLD) and hanging topic left dislocation (HTLD) in order to determine whether the initial element in these constructions forms an independent intonational phrase or is a part of a larger intonational phrase involving the whole sentence. For this purpose, we compare the values of the phonetic parameter of initial element final syllable length and the amount of pause between this element and the continuation of the clause in different types of topic constructions. according to Pierrehumbert (1980: 20), if the lengthening of the final syllable of the target group and the duration of the pause between it and the next words are more than these values in the unmarked construction, that group forms an independent intonational phrase. The results show that in Persian topicalization and CLLD, these values are not significantly different from such values in the unmarked construction; Also, like the unmarked construction, the initial element in topicalization and CLLD is produced with H- boundary tone. These features can be seen as the phonetic correlation of the strong syntactic connection between the initial element and the continuation of the clause in these two constructions; A characteristic that indicates the movement of the element to the beginning of the clause. On the other hand, the more lengthening of the final syllable of the initial element and the greater amount of pause between this element and the continuation of the clause in HTLD compared to the unmarked construction, is evidence that the initial structure in this construction forms an independent intonational phrase; A characteristic that, along with L- boundary tone, is the phonetic representation of weak syntactic connection in this construction. This feature strengthens the assumption that HTLD is the result of the base-generation of the initial element. The results of this research show that the characteristics of topic constructions that affect the subject of sentence follow the same pattern of the characteristics of topic constructions from the object of sentence.

Mukri Pronominal Clitics in Prepositional Phrase: An Optimality Theorectic

Ghader Allahweisiazar; Vahid Gholami; Omid Varzandeh

Volume 12, Issue 2 , December 2022, , Pages 51-76

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2022.329760.666742

Abstract

Historical linguistic studies on words lead to the genesis of clitics. Clitics function like independent words but they are phonologically dependent and in order to be pronounced ... Read More Historical linguistic studies on words lead to the genesis of clitics. Clitics function like independent words but they are phonologically dependent and in order to be pronounced they attach to neighboring elements. Clitics’ attachment to their hosts can appear in different forms: proclitic, mesoclitic, endoclitics and enclitic. They are very important because clitics are where morphology, syntax, and phonology meet. Mukri Kurdish clitics which are highly mobile can be hosted by different categories including prepositions. Two groups of adpositions are found in Mukri which appear as both preposition and postposition. MacKenzie recognizes two kinds of prepositions in 'Mukri: simple prepositions and absolute forms. The prepositions of the first group occur immediately before a noun (or a noun phrase) and a pronoun which they govern, while the absolute forms which are fewer in number cannot occur before an independent noun, a noun phrase or an independent pronoun and can take only clitics as their complements. Besides the aforementioned ones, compound prepositions and circumpositions are also found in Mukri. Circumpositions can be both simple and complex. Simple circumpositions can take only nominal complements but the complex circumpositions can take both clitics and full forms as their complements. The present article tries to investigate the interaction of different kinds of Mukri adpositons with pronominal clitics using Optimality Theory constraints in Prepositional Phrase (PP). The constraints which play a role in clitic placement within PPs are NonInitial (cli, PP), Integrity (PP) and LeftMost (cli, L, PP). Data analysis against Optimality Theory constraints showed that constraints NonInitial (cli, PP) and Integrity (PP) dominate LeftMost (cli, L, PP). Finally it was concluded that Mukri Kurdish pronominal clitics appear in the second position. The research method of this article is descriptive – analytic and fieldwork. To collect the data the main author’s intuition as the native speaker of Mukri, 20 hours recorded speech, Mukri Kurdish sites and newspapers have been used.

The Use of Words Dictated by the Academy of Persian Language and Literature: a Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Iranian Course-Books in Theoretical Branch (1400)

Seyede Ziba Behrooz

Volume 13, Issue 1 , November 2022, , Pages 1-29

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2022.335573.666766

Abstract

The use of dictated words in texts and related issues is as important as their production in the Academy of Persian Language and Literature and other formal or informal institutions. ... Read More The use of dictated words in texts and related issues is as important as their production in the Academy of Persian Language and Literature and other formal or informal institutions. As long as words are not put into the text, their usability, linguistic and semantic capabilities are not revealed, and the user does not understand the word as well. Moreover, his level of linguistic knowledge remains hidden in the case of not applying the words. Also, on the other hand, texts are measured in terms of structure originality by word replacement. Since the use of equals in textbooks has been on the agenda for reviewing the Educational Writing and Planning Organization, research on the quantity and quality of that use has received the attention of researchers. This research concentrates on some of the problems in textbooks regarding using of these words and their quantity. The research texts include the books of the elementary course and the first and second years of the theoretical branch of the 1400 edition. The research method is based on studying and examining the content of texts from different aspects of form, linguistics, semantics, and teaching of these equivalents in books and finding out the problems and causes of its occurrence. The purpose of this study is to refine the Persian language from the harms caused by the influence of foreign words and applied errors; Such as inappropriate context, inappropriate foreign word, incorrect category structures, ambiguity, redundancy, and incorrect application of dictated words. Therefore, according to the findings of this study, most of the problems are in the field of syntactic relations between words and also the inconsistency in using the correct way of inserting equals in books. From a quantitative point of view, these cases include more general words with abstract meanings than specialized and objective words. Therefore, it is necessary to review most textbooks for proper use of this group of equals. This study will help to smooth the path of the use of dictated words in Persian language and its fluency, both in the field of word selection and in the field of contextualization, in textbooks.

The Evolution of the Verbal prefix / Ba- / Dibaji in Comparison with Persian

Havva Hhajaidi; Gholamreza Dinmohammadi; Ali Afkhami; Gholamhossein Karimidostan

Volume 13, Issue 1 , November 2022, , Pages 57-87

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2022.344500.666787

Abstract

Dibaji dialect is one of the linguistic types along the Caspian Sea, which has a morphological and syntactic similarity with the Mazandaran language, which is one of the northwestern ... Read More

Analyzing the Verb Borrowing of Persian from Matrix Language Frame Model View

abdolhossein heydari

Volume 13, Issue 1 , November 2022, , Pages 89-108

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2022.337940.666775

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 ... Read More 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.

Word as a Discourse: Evaluation of the Relationship between the Word and Historical Periods and Discourses

Neda Amin; Reza Morad Sahraei; Behzad Rahbar

Volume 12, Issue 1 , July 2021, , Pages 1-26

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2021.319610.666700

Abstract

Based on Foucault's discourse analysis approach, this study examines participants' discourse perceptions of historical-political words and tries to find the answer to the question of ... Read More Based on Foucault's discourse analysis approach, this study examines participants' discourse perceptions of historical-political words and tries to find the answer to the question of how different historical-discourse formulations and their changing nature is expressed in words as a referent of discourse truth (constructed discourse) and reproduced and recalled by words. In other words, how is the "word" itself a discourse that can be analyzed? This research was conducted in two stages and two questionnaires with 110 and 135 participants. The method of this research is qualitative-quantitative and based on description and analysis. The second questionnaire in 5 groups of questions evaluates the connection of the word with historical periods and discourses, the difference between the discourse of the word in each period, and the individual discourse of the participants. The data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively in the form of statistics and graphs. Quantitative analysis of data from 21 items by SPSS software confirmed a significant relationship between "words" and "historical periods and discourses". The results showed that some words, such as historical-political words, are to some extent formed in discourse and are tied to specific historical discourses. And reciprocally, independently and disregarding any background and verbal context, they can represent and induce that discourse and reconstruct the components related to that discourse in the mind of the addressee. Thus, although the words have their own lexical meaning in the language, according to different contexts, conditions of occurrence, different minds, and finally different discourses, they show different perceptions, influences, and relative meanings and carry different discourses, and the concept they have in the mind is a historical one that has been formed in history. This study concludes that words reflect the reorientation of the discourse formulations and articulations of history and they alone can be studied in discourse analysis and ethnology.

Analyzing the Pronunciation of Two Persian Homofunction-homogragh Conjunctions in Various Environments

Bashir Jam

Volume 12, Issue 1 , July 2021, , Pages 49-70

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2021.318522.666697

Abstract

Persian uses [o] and [va] as two conjunctions, both of which mean ‘and’. Interestingly, both are represented by the grapheme <و> in the Persian orthography. Accordingly, ... Read More Persian uses [o] and [va] as two conjunctions, both of which mean ‘and’. Interestingly, both are represented by the grapheme <و> in the Persian orthography. Accordingly, they are considered homofunction-homogragh conjunctions in the present research. The morpheme [o] is an enclitic that has reached the Modern Persian from the past after undergoing some phonological and categorical changes. The morpheme [va] is an Arabic loanword. The main reason for borrowing it from Arabic was to compensate for the impossibility of applying [o] in an environment where there is no host for [o] to attach to, or there is a pause between the host and [o]. Moreover, a speaker can produce [o] or [va] if he chooses not to pause after producing a word. This research aimed at analyzing the pronunciation of these conjunctions in various phonological environments applying optimality theory (Prince & Smolensky, 1993/2004). In so doing, the constraints whose interactions within the rankings determine the pronunciation of these conjunctions are discussed. As the results regarding the enclitic conjunction [o] indicate, in case the first part of the parallel structure ends in a consonant, it will undergo resyllabification. However, if the first part of the parallel structure ends in a vowel, an intervocalic consonant will be inserted between it and the enclitic [o] to resolve hiatus. More specifically, if the first part of the parallel structure ends in one of the vowels [i], [u] or [o], the intervocalic consonant will share the same feature with them. But as other Persian vowels [e], [a] or [A] do not share a significant feature with Persian common intervocalic consonants, the intervocalic consonant will share the same feature with the enclitic [o]. Finally, when the conjunction /va/ conjoins a word starting with a long vowel, a ranking which contains a specific type of MAX constraint resolves hiatus by deleting /a/ and preserving the long vowel.

Analyzing the Acquisition of Persian Homonymous Bound Morphemes by Azerbaijani/Persian Bilinguals Based on 4-M Model

abdolhossein heydari

Volume 12, Issue 1 , July 2021, , Pages 97-120

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2021.314149.666667

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, ... Read More 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

A Psycholinguistic Study of the Effect of Grammatical Aspect on the Interpretation of Ambiguous Subject Pronoun and Discourse Relations in Persian

Ramin Golshaie; Behnaz Mokhtari; Farideh Haghbin

Volume 12, Issue 1 , July 2021, , Pages 193-218

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2021.314515.666673

Abstract

Grammatical aspect encodes temporal features of a situation mainly as completed (perfective) or incomplete (imperfective). In the present study, the effect of perfective vs. imperfective ... Read More Grammatical aspect encodes temporal features of a situation mainly as completed (perfective) or incomplete (imperfective). In the present study, the effect of perfective vs. imperfective grammatical aspects on highlighting different participants of an event has been investigated by means of exploring the role of aspect on the interpretation of the ambiguous third person singular subject pronoun and discourse relations in Persian. To this end, 75 native speakers of Persian participated in a story completion task. After reading a simple transfer-of-possession sentence in each of the three aspects, namely perfective, imperfective, and progressive, they wrote natural continuations to the sentence. The second sentence, which was to be completed, began with the Persian third person singular pronoun /u:/ (“he/she”). The task sentences consisted of 18 critical and 20 filler sentences. Filler sentences were used to disguise the purpose of the task. The acquired data were analyzed using chi-square significance test in SPSS. Results showed that: First, Source/subject preference has outnumbered Goal preference in all the aspectual conditions. This finding was interpreted as confirming the first-mention bias in the interpretation of ambiguous pronouns in Persian. Second, Source vs Goal preference of pronouns is significantly affected by the grammatical aspect such that the perfective contexts produce less Source preference but more Goal preference when interpreting pronouns compred to the imperfective contexts. Third, there is a significant relationship between the aspect type and the type of the discourse relation connecting the two sentences. In fact, the perfective aspect seems to bias the second sentence in the direction of shifting its focus to the Goal of the first sentence and extending the effect of the first event. Also, the imperfective aspect seems to bias the second sentence in the direction of focusing on the Source of the first sentence and providing explanations and details to the first event. Overall, the findings are in line with the predictions of the first-mention bias and the event structure hypothesis in the interpretation of ambiguous pronouns.

The Morphology and Meaning of the Pārs (Parsumaš) Based on the Linguistic Evolutions and Historical-Mythological Traditions

Behzad Moeini Sam; Sara Mohammadiَ Avandi

Volume 12, Issue 1 , July 2021, , Pages 219-243

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2021.309524.666639

Abstract

It is necessary to study the vocabulary of the Indo-European and Indo-Iranian periods because the structure of most Persian words goes back to the Indo-European and Indo-Iranian periods ... Read More It is necessary to study the vocabulary of the Indo-European and Indo-Iranian periods because the structure of most Persian words goes back to the Indo-European and Indo-Iranian periods and their meanings show the beliefs of the earliest people and their views on the function of their morphology. During the recent centuries, comparative linguistics and mythology have facilitated the reconstruction of the words common between the two tribes. The Persians were the first Indo-Iranian tribes who established a world empire; nevertheless, there is no reference to the meaning of the word Pārs, which has an ancient construction, in historical documents. Consequently, linguists have different opinions about its meaning, and their views are just based on the linguistic document. So, in addition to linguistic and historical issues, one should also look at linguistic, mythological, and cultural exchanges with Mesopotamian civilizations because, after migrating to the Iran plateau and replacing the Mesopotamian states, the Persians owed them in many respects, including the fact that the word Pārs together with the word Medes, has been mentioned in their documents for the first time. This research aims at studying the structure and meanings of Pārs based on linguistic documents and historical-mythological traditions. Therefore, this research seeks to look for the time of the formation of this word and its most probable meanings. Hence, the method is to study the linguistic structure and morphology of the primary form of the word Pārs based on Assyrian texts and Greek mythological traditions and then find the most probable meaning. Since each word must be interpreted according to its primary form, in the end, the meanings of corner, leopard, ax and sickle are considered for the primary form *parsu/va, based on linguistic and historical documents, and "sickle" has been assumed as the most probable meaning for Pārs.

Analysis of Human-Nature Interaction in the Persian Proverbs: An Ecolinguistics Perspective

Tahereh Afshar; Maryam Abdi Bloukani

Volume 11, Issue 2 , February 2021, , Pages 1-24

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2020.307695.666628

Abstract

The environmental crisis is one of the most important issues of the 21 st century. Eco linguistics explores the causes of this crisis in language. The purpose of this study was to investigate ... Read More The environmental crisis is one of the most important issues of the 21 st century. Eco linguistics explores the causes of this crisis in language. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effective linguistic factors in the eco - unfriendliness, to explore human interaction with nature, in Persian proverbs, which have high frequency in everyday conversations. The research was conducted using analytical, descriptive and library methods. In the first step, 373 proverbs, randomly and based on Morgan's table, as a suitable statistical society, from the total population of 10, 000 cases, were educed from the e-book “Ten thousand Persian proverbs and twenty five thousand equivalents”, the compilation of Dr. Ibrahim Shakour zadeh Bolouri. Then, the two concepts of anthropocentrism and anthropomorphism, based on the Eco linguistics criteria, were examined. The results of the research showed that the majority of the studied samples transmitted the anthropocentric concept, with negative affective meaning. anthropomorphism, is sometimes referred to as a way to avoid anthropocentric insight to nature, but this study showed that in Persian proverbs, human beings in the attribution of their own characteristics to nature allocate negative ones to non-human species. This insight to nature divides the world into “us” and “others” poles. The bipolar view of the world in this age may be the source of many important global issues. Part of the proverbs referred to other concepts, except for the two above- mentioned concepts, such as specialism, eco centrism, and environmental metaphors, which were used in statistical sections. Using the same pronouns for human and non-human beings, collocations of verbs such as (know, believe, etc) with non-human species and the concept of eco centrism with positive affective meaning, were observed in Persian proverbs. The use of proverbs of this kind can have a positive effect on human attitude toward nature. Language speaker should consider negative dimensions of language use. Therefore, it can be said that speakers need to identify the harmful aspects of using language and be careful in using it.

Apology or Non- apology: An Interfacial Approach to the Discourse Analysis of Official Apologies in the Iranian Media

Hadaegh Rezaei

Volume 11, Issue 2 , February 2021, , Pages 73-95

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2020.306113.666621

Abstract

Apology has been mostly studied from a pragmatics standpoint and as a frequent speech act, especially in Persian language. This paper, however, aims at a discourse analysis of apology, ... Read More Apology has been mostly studied from a pragmatics standpoint and as a frequent speech act, especially in Persian language. This paper, however, aims at a discourse analysis of apology, taking as its framework, the interdisciplinary approach introduced in Lakoff (2015). The data are collected form official apologies in the Iranian media between 2015- 2018. The results show that firstly, without taking an interdisciplinary stance many interactional aspects of this speech act is neglected. This is because apology is one of the face- saving speech acts in the representation of which contextual and interpersonal factors, and the speaker’s and addressee’s perspective play an important role in the ways preferred by the speaker to apologize. Moreover the nature of public and political discourse multiplies the complexities and forces the speakers get the benefit of all linguistic and extra- linguistic means at different levels to achieve their communicative goals. Secondly, the prototypical explicit apologies in public discourse are rare, so that most of the cases studied are instances of non- apology rather than apology. The reason behind this fact can be traced back to the nature of public and political discourses in which apology would bring about negative consequences for the apologizer. Also, one of the main presuppositions of this speech act is that the apologizer implicitly accepts the responsibility of the wrongdoing and her reluctance to apologize explicitly in public and political discourse is a conscious or unconscious attempt to avoid the negative consequences of shouldering the responsibilities in these formal settings. Accordingly, different representations of apology can be placed somewhere on a continuum with prototypical apology at one end and non- apology at the other one. This paves the way for considering apology as a radial category at the level of discourse and for adding a cognitive level of analysis to the framework at hand.

Cognitive Semantics of "GAH" from the Perspective of Semantic Conflict and Resolution Hypothesis

Ali Alizadeh; Hamed Akbarpour; Faranak Jamaleddin; Mohammad Reza Dehghanzadeh

Volume 11, Issue 2 , February 2021, , Pages 97-119

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2021.314951.666676

Abstract

The aim of this study is to carefully examine the morpheme "GAH" in order to enumerate the concepts contained in and to discover the mechanism of conversion between these concepts from ... Read More The aim of this study is to carefully examine the morpheme "GAH" in order to enumerate the concepts contained in and to discover the mechanism of conversion between these concepts from the perspective of Cognitive Semantics in the context of Talmy’s Semantic Conflict and Resolution hypothesis. To achieve this, we extracted all the entries of this morpheme from the Two Volume Persian Dictionary of Sadri Afshar et al. (2009). We examined each of them in an analytical-research way from a qualitative perspective presented in the introduced theoretical framework. After the autopsy of the nature of the open and closed classes and creating a correspondence between their concepts and types of uses of the morpheme "GAH" and proving that this morpheme does not follow a fixed pattern in belonging to the open or closed class, followed by dissection of the Semantic Conflict and Resolution hypothesis under the presentation of a series of Cognitive processes under the headings of shifts, blends, juxtaposition, juggling and blocking and their exact subsets, we put the body of research in the benchmark of these criteria to determine with which morphemes, via which processes and by which functions, the morpheme of “GAH” is combined, and the final output belongs to which Cognitive process and what conceptual domain it includes. The concept of "basicness" was recognized as TIME and the cognitive process through which this concept converts to "SPACE", as a new achievement in this research was established as “Replacement of whole the basicness concept of a spectrum (open/closed) class by a component of open-class side features.” Also, the cause of this gradation in the nature of "GAH" was identified through another Cognitive process called Reification. In addition, according to what we obtained in the data analysis, the outputs of "GAH"’s compounds were not out of 4 modes: location of the process, location of the effect of the process, location of an object/mass, and location of the effect/direction/extension of an object. A commixture of the modes also appeared.

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