Language Research - Articles List

The Syntax of coercion: Aspect and Aspect shifting in Persian Based on the Role and Reference Grammar

Faeze Asadi Sarmasti; Rahman Veisi Hasar

Volume 16, Issue 2 , March 2026, , Pages 1-36

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2026.398701.666928

Abstract

This study investigates the phenomena of aspect and coercion in Persian through the lens of Role and Reference Grammar (Van Valin & Foley, 1980; 1984) and Cortes-Rodriguez’s ... Read More This study investigates the phenomena of aspect and coercion in Persian through the lens of Role and Reference Grammar (Van Valin & Foley, 1980; 1984) and Cortes-Rodriguez’s (2014) approach, focusing on the predicate level and the syntactic layers of nucleus, core, and clause. The study aims to identify aspectual categories of the verbs, determine the operators influencing coercion and aspectual shift, and present a hierarchy of these operators in shaping the final aspectual interpretation of the sentence based on the chosen theoretical framework.The research method is descriptive-analytical, and the data are collected through fieldwork from daily conversations, magazines, newspapers, and interviews with native Persian speakers. First, the paper introduces examples of Persian verbs corresponding to various aspectual classes (states, activities, accomplishments, achievements, and semelfactives at the nucleus layer, and activity-accomplishment classes at the core layer). It then explicates the properties of each class using syntactic-semantic tests, such as the application of different grammatical operators and adverbial modifiers within sentences. The tests are employed to illustrate the aspectual nature of the verbs. Subsequently, the study examines the roles of various operators like perfective and imperfective grammatical aspect, perfect operator, directional prepositions, the referential nature of internal arguments, and different types of adverbs (durative, completive, frequency, delimitative, speed, and dynamic) in aspectual coercion. Next, we try to explain and identity the structural position of each operator within sentence layers. Lastly, the paper represents types of aspectual shifts resulting from the interaction of aspectual classes with sentence elements and operators through formalized formulas, determining the placement of each element within the nucleus, core, and clause layers. To structure and sequence elements across these layers, the paper proposes a linear hierarchy and syntactic projection model. Findings demonstrate that coercion can occur at any level—nucleus, core, or clause—leading to changes in the verb class

Discontinuous Negation in Persian Coordinate Structures: A Minimalist Approach

Mazdak Anoushe

Volume 16, Issue 2 , March 2026, , Pages 59-97

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2026.411384.666956

Abstract

Clausal negation and post-syntactic ellipsis have been extensively investigated within the Generative framework, and Persian linguists have offered detailed analyses of both phenomena. ... Read More Clausal negation and post-syntactic ellipsis have been extensively investigated within the Generative framework, and Persian linguists have offered detailed analyses of both phenomena. The present study, however, examines a specific type of negation that has thus far remained largely unaddressed in the syntactic literature on Persian. Rather than employing the verbal negative prefix, this construction makes use of an independent negative particle to reverse the truth value of a proposition. This syntactic configuration, called discontinuous negation, is realized by the bipartite marker na … na (‘neither … nor’) and licenses the ellipsis of parallel constituents and heads in coordinate structures. Focusing on this construction and drawing a principled distinction between sentential negation and constituent negation, I first demonstrate that the head of Negation Phrase (NegP) in Persian, merged above TP, hosts the verbal negative prefix. I then argue, following Hedde Zeijlstra (2015, 2022), that the negative particle na is phrasal in nature: it constitutes an independent syntactic element realized in the specifier of NegP and is capable of negating a clause either on its own or in combination with its counterpart. Building on these assumptions, I analyze coordinate structures with a shared subject that occur in discontinuous negation contexts and exhibit deletion of part of the first or second conjunct. I identify four distinct syntactic patterns—distinct from canonical gapping constructions—in which the verb or its dependents are deleted from either conjunct. I show that in cases where the verb lacks the negative prefix, the derivation involves either TP-ellipsis or VP-ellipsis. By contrast, in constructions where the verb bears negation in the presence of the discontinuous na … na marker, the relevant phenomenon is best analyzed as constituent negation rather than clausal negation. Moreover, drawing on both empirical evidence and theoretical considerations, I argue that in the constructions under discussion, an Across-the-Board (ATB) movement mechanism forces identical subjects to raise to a single structural position. This movement leaves behind a gap in the structure that, at the level of surface representation, gives the appearance of identity-based ellipsis

Predicting the Recall of Narrative and Expository Texts Through an Experimental-Computational Approach: Testing Two Cognitive Models and the Effectiveness of a Revised Model

Hamed Zakeri; Sahar Bahrami-Khorshid; Maryam Danaye Tous; Masoud Ghayoomi

Volume 16, Issue 2 , March 2026, , Pages 97-124

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2026.403361.666943

Abstract

Text comprehension and recall are among the most fundamental cognitive processes, and explaining their mechanisms can be effective both in the development of cognitive science theories ... Read More Text comprehension and recall are among the most fundamental cognitive processes, and explaining their mechanisms can be effective both in the development of cognitive science theories and in the design of intelligent computational systems. Written texts generally fall into two main categories - narrative and expository - each activating different patterns of mental processing: narratives, relying on temporality, causality, and character-centeredness, are closely related to episodic memory, while expository texts, with their logical and conceptual organization, are more dependent on semantic memory. The present study, with the aim of examining these two text types simultaneously, empirically tested two well-known models of text understanding - the Landscape model and the Event-Indexing model - and, alongside them, evaluated the effectiveness of a revised model designed on the basis of integrating conceptual activation, event structuring, and positional weighting. For this purpose, three Persian texts with different structures were selected. Fifty-one ninth-grade students, after reading the texts, participated in a free recall task, and their memory outputs were recorded and coded sentence by sentence. The three cognitive models were then implemented, and their normalized outputs (0–1) were compared with the actual data of the participants. Statistical analyses included accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score, along with Pearson correlation and paired t-tests. The findings showed that the Landscape model was more effective in representing key concepts and semantic relations, whereas the Event-Indexing model better captured the temporal and causal coherence of narrative texts. However, neither model alone was sufficient to cover the full pattern of human recall. In contrast, the revised model, by integrating the three cognitive mechanisms and incorporating the serial position effect, provided the highest level of correlation with behavioral data and demonstrated a significant advantage over the two classical models in terms of the F1 measure

The Modal Markers “dabe” and “dabɑ” in Mukriyani Kurdish

Zanko Radnia; Gholamhossein Karimi Doostan

Volume 16, Issue 2 , March 2026, , Pages 187-214

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2026.407488.666948

Abstract

Modality is a semantic category which allows the speakers of a language to express their viewpoints on linguistic propositions and talk about the possibility and necessity of potential ... Read More Modality is a semantic category which allows the speakers of a language to express their viewpoints on linguistic propositions and talk about the possibility and necessity of potential events. The present article attempts to investigate the interaction between tense and modality in Mukriyani Kurdish. Mukriyani is a subdialect of Sorani Kurdish which is spoken in some of the Kurdish-speaking cities in Iran such as Mahabad, Bukan, Sardasht, Piranshahr, Naqadeh, Oshnavieh, Miandoab, and Shahin Dezh. In Mukriyani, two words which are frequently employed by speakers as a means of expressing modality are “dabe” and “dabɑ”. They belong to the verbal category and are the equivalents of “bɑjad” and “bɑjesti” in Persian. These modal verbs convey strong necessity (in terms of modal force) and thus are used to express deontic and epistemic modal flavors. The current research indicates that the difference between these two modal verbs lies in the grammatical category of tense, such that “dabe” is marked for the present and “dabɑ” for the past. The results of this paper point to the fact that tense plays an integral role and exercises an important influence on the modules of syntax and semantics. In the domain of syntax, the tense of the modal verb determines the tense of the main verb. Otherwise phrased, the [present] feature of “dabe” dictates the main verb to appear in the present tense as well. In the same fashion, the [past] feature of “dabɑ” causes the main verb to appear in the past tense. In the semantic domain, grammatical tense is instrumental in rendering the modal interpretation of these verbs. More specifically, our findings indicate that “dabɑ” can only be used in order to express deontic modality in the past, whereas “dabe” can be utilized in order to express deontic modality in the present or future as well as epistemic modality. In this context, grammatical aspect is the underlying element which lends us support in distinguishing between the deontic and epistemic interpretations. If “dabe” is accompanied by the perfect aspect, the interpretation is going to be epistemic, but if aspect is lacking in the sentence, the interpretation is going to be deontic

Intertextual-Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis of Naghsh-e Jahan Square as a Text: based on Visual Interactional Meaning Dimension

Habib Shahabi; Maryamsadat Ghiasian; Shirin Pourebrahim

Volume 16, Issue 2 , March 2026, , Pages 215-239

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2026.388128.666907

Abstract

In the discourse of urban design and architectural theory, the concept of the city as text - as the foundation of history, culture, and social relations - has been one of the topics ... Read More In the discourse of urban design and architectural theory, the concept of the city as text - as the foundation of history, culture, and social relations - has been one of the topics that has been given attention many times. Urban landmarks, as study cases of the City-as-Text concept, illustrate the intricate layers of history, culture, and social dynamics woven into the fabric of urban spaces. Among these, public squares play a pivotal role in fostering social interactions and enhancing urban sustainability. Assuming that urban discourse is shaped by a blend of discourse category elements, in which intertextual aspects are viewed as a "combination of potentials," this study aims to give a chance of a comprehensive understanding of how historical public squares can be effectively used in visual-interactional design contexts. In this research, visual discourse samples are collected in the field and through photography from the components of Naghsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan. Then, to depict the complex layeres of hidden messages and meanings in this physical space and its visual and interactive components, the proposed approach of "multimodal-intertextual critical discourse analysis" is used. The purpose of developing this approach was to help perform a comprehensive semiotic analysis of prominent urban landmarks and gain insights into the formation of complex interactions of visual and interactive elements within such spaces. This approach helped to examine how language and visual elements contribute to meaning-making in an urban context such as Naghsh-e Jahan Square. Findings indicated that analysis of a city landmark may lead to exploring how stories and histories in the place contribute to its cultural identity and how they can be communicated to visitors and residents. Results also revealed that using Naghsh-e Jahan Square in interactive design elements could profoundly influence user behavior, from enhancing engagement and perception to affecting emotional and cognitive responses

Phonological Opacity in the Relict of Progressive Prefix in Kalhori Kurdish: An Optimality theoretic Account

Mehdi Fattahi; Tahereh Jafari

Volume 16, Issue 2 , March 2026, , Pages 241-266

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2026.399423.666931

Abstract

The progressive prefix has no phonetic realization in most Kalhori Kurdish verbs and appears as a zero morpheme. However, Fattahi (2022), in a comparative study, provided evidence for ... Read More The progressive prefix has no phonetic realization in most Kalhori Kurdish verbs and appears as a zero morpheme. However, Fattahi (2022), in a comparative study, provided evidence for the existence of remnants of this prefix in certain verbs, where it has undergone phonological change at morpheme boundaries. In a subsequent study, Fattahi and Jafari (2025), confirmed the existence of this remnant as well as reporting a case of free variation in verbs which contain it in Kalhori Kurdish of Gilan‑e gharb. This prefix seems to have changed in a way resulting in phonological Opacity; In the /tjæ-em/ à [ʧæm] (‘I am coming’) mapping, the consonant remnant [t] assimilates to [ʧ] before the glide [j], while there is no sign of this glide in the surface form. This study aims to investigate counter‑bleeding interaction between the processes responsible for this type of opacity. The data were analyzed within Harmonic Serialism and Optimality Candidate Chains, as two frameworks of Serial Optimality, to see which one accounts for the Opacity observed in the case of Kalhori Kurdish. Data were collected through a 12-hour corpus of interviews with 15 native speakers of Kalhori Kurdish from Gilan‑e Gharb. After being transcribed, and syllabically and morphologically segmented, the alternating forms were derived and analyzed within the frameworks. Given the importance of process ordering in opacity, the results showed that the sequential application of the processes is not enough for Harmonic Serialism to explain opacity, and this theory needs to be equipped with a mechanism which is capable of determining the correct order between processes. Therefore, the framework of Optimality Candidate Chains was revealed to be able to explain opacity, due to order‑related constraints, commonly known as Prec (a,b), and representation of candidates in the form of chains. Prec(Ident [ant] Maxglide) was eventually concluded to be dominating *complex‑syllable, and mandate the preference of assimilation over deletion in during the derivation of [ʧæm]

An Analysis of the Embodiment of Meaning in Persian Economic and Sports News Discourse: An Application of Mac Whinney’s Framework

Mahmood Naghizadeh; Elkhas Veysi; Maryam Pouyanifar

Volume 16, Issue 2 , March 2026, , Pages 291-318

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.400397.666933

Abstract

Meaning embodiment is a central construct in cognitive linguistics which, by rejecting the traditional mind–body dualism, posits that perception, meaning, and language are fundamentally ... Read More Meaning embodiment is a central construct in cognitive linguistics which, by rejecting the traditional mind–body dualism, posits that perception, meaning, and language are fundamentally grounded in lived bodily experience. In this view, linguistic structures are not merely abstract symbolic systems, but are deeply connected to sensorimotor processes and physical interactions with the environment. The present study investigates the manifestation of embodied meaning in Persian news discourse across two distinct domains—economics and sports. Drawing on Mac Whinney’s (1999) model, the study examines the role of perspective-taking elements, including affordances, spatial–temporal reference frames, causal chains, and social roles, in meaning construction. Adopting a qualitative design, data were collected from major Persian news outlets and analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings demonstrate that metaphorical expressions such as درو کردن طلا (“harvesting gold”) and تانک بختیاری (“Bakhtiari tank”), functioning as conceptual affordances, map abstract notions onto concrete sensorimotor experiences through cognitive simulation. Spatial–temporal reference frames such as پاریس (Paris), تا آخر هفته (by the end of the week), and امروز (today) facilitate semantic organization by activating motion- and location-based schemata. Causal chains—manifested in more intricate forms within economic discourse and in more straightforward forms in sports discourse—are represented through force and motion metaphors embedded in causal and conditional grammatical structures. These elements collectively sustain narrative coherence, mentally situate the reader within the described events, and enhance comprehension. Furthermore, the analysis shows that social roles and identities such as مربی (coach), باشگاه (club), and فدراسیون (federation) construct social perspectives, enabling readers to interpret power relations, responsibilities, and the positionality of actors in discourse. The study reaffirms that human cognitive systems, even when processing highly abstract concepts, operate fundamentally on the basis of bodily experience and physical interaction. By situating its findings within the broader framework of embodied meaning, this research contributes to expanding the scope of cognitive linguistic inquiry in the Persian linguistic and cultural context.

Investigating the Speech Samples of 4-5 Years Old Persian Speaking Girls with Specific Language Impairment Based on the Extended Model of Conceptual Metaphor Theory

sadegh eftekhary far; Mohammad Reza Pahlavannezhad

Volume 16, Issue 1 , November 2025, , Pages 1-18

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.381272.666897

Abstract

This research investigates and analyzes the speech samples of three Persian speaking children, 4-5-years-old girls, who are suffering from Developmental Language Disorder (Specific ... Read More This research investigates and analyzes the speech samples of three Persian speaking children, 4-5-years-old girls, who are suffering from Developmental Language Disorder (Specific Language Impairment). The theoretical framework of the research is the expanded model of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. Based on this model that proposed by Kovecses (2020), metaphor processing takes place in four levels that have a schematic hierarchy. These schematic levels from depth to surface include image schema, domain, frame and mental space. In metaphor processing, the mapping between the source and destination domains is done simultaneously in all four mentioned levels. Among these levels, the outer level is mental space and its processing is done online in the working memory. The other three levels (image schema, domain and frame) are located in long-term memory and are processed offline. The method of conducting this research is descriptive, and analytical. The data of this research was collected by the Speech Therapist through the Told-P3 Language Development Test from three children who have referred to the speech therapy center. The collected data is at the single word level. During the execution of the test, the examiner has checked both comprehension and expression of single words and has classified the data based on the answers of the subjects. The collected data are only descriptive and analytical, and no comparison has been made between the subjects. The results of this research show that this model can be used in examining and analyzing the speech of people with language disorders. Also, these children did not have comprehension and conceptual problems to produce words and had more problems in oral language. Therefore, the analysis of the speech of these children based on this model shows that in order to teach these children the vocabulary of expressive language, instead of going directly to the teaching of the phonetic label of the words, we should have a level of education that is related to strengthening the metaphorical understanding of the words. Especially, it seems that first of all, if domain and frame levels, which are intermediate levels in the metaphorical processing of words, are strengthened by means of teaching methods, the results can be more impressive and the child's access to phonetic label could be Facilitated

A phenomenological Study of Teachers' and Experts' Views on the Challenges Governing Arabic Language Learning in the Corona and Post-Corona Era and Solutions

Mehrdad Aghaei; kamal nosrati; Mohammadamin Aghaei; Hadi Najafi zangir

Volume 16, Issue 1 , November 2025, , Pages 19-44

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.376242.666883

Abstract

The aim of this research was to investigate the challenges facing Arabic language education among students in the Corona era and to provide solutions to the upcoming issues، with the ... Read More

Analyzing Of The Representation Of Experiential And Textual Meta Function In The Reading Content Of Secondary English Language Books (Vision):Functional Grammar Approach

Akram Parhizkar; Arsalan Golfam; Ferdows Agha golzadeh

Volume 16, Issue 1 , November 2025, , Pages 45-75

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.395348.666918

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the clauses related to reading skills in secondary English books based on a functional grammar approach. Functional grammar approach has a wide impact ... Read More The aim of this study is to examine the clauses related to reading skills in secondary English books based on a functional grammar approach. Functional grammar approach has a wide impact on different parts of language learning, because instead of focusing only on linguistic structures, it pays attention to the communicative and contextual roles of language. This approach is effective in different language skills, and in this research we only examine reading skills. Reading skills not only help in learning new vocabulary and improving grammar, but also increase critical thinking and general language skills, so they are very important. For this purpose, 808 clauses were examined using a descriptive-analytical method, and the data collection method was documentary-library. The results indicate that from the experiential meta-role perspective, all processes were used in the Vision books in a proportionate manner, and it is only in the mental process that there is no meaningful relationship between the three books. From a textual meta-role perspective, the frequency of simple themes has not changed in all three books, and there is still no significant relationship with non-simple themes in terms of content presentation. However, marked themes are more coherently related to each other in all three books, and with the increase of the base, the amount of their use also increases. Given that the authors have claimed that the content of the textbooks is presented based on the CEFR levels and that students will reach level B1 by the end of upper secondary school, the present study proves the opposite of this claim and we witness many violations of level B1. Considering the above, the reading skills in Vision books need to be revised to be more in line with the needs of students. The analysis proposed in this research helps textbook designers to use more appropriate language structures in educational texts and encourage language learners to use language more effectively in real situations.

Hiatus Resolution Strategies in Old Persian

Bashir Jam

Volume 16, Issue 1 , November 2025, , Pages 77-97

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.398484.666925

Abstract

Hiatus is a situation in which there is no consonant between the nuclei of two adjacent syllables. It occurs when the left syllable lacks a coda and the right one lacks an onset. The ... Read More

Speaker Identification in Virtual Environments: Investigating the role of Voiceless Fricatives in WhatsApp Audio Data

Rahil Davoudi; Homa Asadi

Volume 16, Issue 1 , November 2025, , Pages 99-118

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.389287.666909

Abstract

In the digital age, accurate speaker identification plays a crucial role in forensic and security investigations. However, the widespread use of internet-based communication platforms, ... Read More In the digital age, accurate speaker identification plays a crucial role in forensic and security investigations. However, the widespread use of internet-based communication platforms, such as WhatsApp, has introduced new challenges in this field. Factors such as variable microphone quality, background noise, network distortions, and audio compression can significantly affect a speaker’s acoustic features and reduce the accuracy of speaker identification systems. Despite these limitations, evaluating the performance of acoustic features under such conditions is essential for advancing forensic phonetics and improving its practical applications in real-world settings. This study examines the role of voiceless fricatives in capturing between-speaker variability in audio recordings obtained through WhatsApp. The novelty of this research lies in investigating the ability of Persian voiceless fricatives to distinguish speakers under non-ideal recording conditions. To achieve this goal, speech data from 100 male Persian speakers were collected, and Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) were extracted from the voiceless fricative segments. These features were then used as input to a support vector machine (SVM) model for speaker classification. The results showed that when all voiceless fricatives were considered together, the model achieved an overall speaker identification accuracy of 69%. However, analyzing each fricative separately led to an increase in model accuracy. Among the individual fricatives, the /s/ fricative had the highest accuracy at 77%, followed by /ʃ/, /f/, and /x/ with accuracies of 75%, 74%, and 73%, respectively. These findings suggest that even in non-ideal recording conditions, such as WhatsApp recordings, voiceless fricatives can provide valuable information for speaker differentiation. However, this study only focuses on one type of non-ideal recording condition, and further research is needed to explore other potential sources of degradation. The results highlight the potential of voiceless fricatives in speaker identification applications, particularly in informal, uncontrolled, and real-world scenarios where high-quality recording equipment is unavailable.

Serial Verbs and Ingressive Aspect in Persian

Azadeh Sokhan Afarin; Vali Rezai; Rezvan Motavalian

Volume 16, Issue 1 , November 2025, , Pages 119-140

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.381316.666898

Abstract

In many languages of the world, there are a sequence of verbs that are called serial verb construction (SVC). They are divided into two types, symmetric and asymmetric, based on their ... Read More In many languages of the world, there are a sequence of verbs that are called serial verb construction (SVC). They are divided into two types, symmetric and asymmetric, based on their composition. In symmetric construction, both verbs are chosen from the grammatical and semantic open class and in the construction of an asymmetric serial verb, a verb from grammatical and semantic open class, and another verb is selected from the limited and closed class. Aspectual or phasal serial verb is one of the types of asymmetric SVC which represents the perfective and imperfective grammatical aspect and the lexical aspect of inchoative, continuous and completive. The purpose of the research is to investigate the inchoative aspect of the SVC in Persian and to determine the juncture-nexus relation type in the framework of the Role & Reference Grammar (RRG). In Persian, auxiliary verb is placed in next to the main verb, it expresses tense, mood, and aspect, and there is a close and strong relationship between the auxiliary and the main verb, to the extent that they are considered a unit verb and behave similar to the construction of asymmetric SVC. Therefore, in line with the goal of the research, complex predicates consisting of auxiliary verbs and the main verb were the basis of data selection. These verbs include ‘gereftan (to take), bardɑštan (to remove), bargaštan (to return), raftan (to go), ɑmadan (to come), darɑmadan (to enter), and zadan (to hit)’, which express the inchoative aspect. The data of the research was collected from Najafi Persian Dictionary, Persian language database, storybooks, websites and other research work. Due to the avoidance of repetition, only one case was presented for each of the mentioned verbs, which were first examined based on criteria for distinguishing SVC in Aikhenvald. Finally, the type of juncture-nexus relationship was explained based on the RRG. The findings illustrate that these constructions are SVC and their juncture-nexus relation is of the type of ad-nuclear subordination.

Investigating the Accuracy of GPT’s Translation in Transferring Syntax-Semantic Interface: A Case Study of Ideational Meta-Functions in English Translation of Quran

Sajjad Farokhipour; Davoud Padiz; Bamshad Hekmatshoartabari

Volume 16, Issue 1 , November 2025, , Pages 141-166

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.391037.666912

Abstract

AI-based models of analyzing linguistic data have attracted researchers due to the theoretical and practical spread of these models in recent years. Among them, machine translation ... Read More

Investigating the Properties of Primary and Secondary topic in Southern Kurdish (A Corpus-based Analysis)

Habib Gowhary; Safura Azizi; Ali Jamali

Volume 16, Issue 1 , November 2025, , Pages 167-191

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.400925.666936

Abstract

The present corpus study is intended to investigate the linguistic and pragmatic properties of primary and secondary topics in southern Kurdish. The correlation between the primary ... Read More The present corpus study is intended to investigate the linguistic and pragmatic properties of primary and secondary topics in southern Kurdish. The correlation between the primary and secondary topics with factors including grammatical roles, animacy, definiteness, referentiality and specificity and grammatical agreement was calculated. In its canonical use, primary topic is matched with animate agentive subject and secondary topic is matched with inanimate patient object. Dalrimple and Nicholavae (2010) and Lambrecht (1994) as the main theoretical framework have been frequently cited. Topichood is defined based on the aboutness relationship. In other words, topic is that element in the sentence which is the main concern of the stated proposition. Pragmatic considerations play an important role in determining the possible topic(s) of a sentence. The natural conversations among the native speakers of southern Kurdish were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. The investigated corpus included 450 sentences in which 208 topics were chosen, codified and analyzed using SPSS software. The results indicated that primary topics were found to be mainly definite, animate, specific, referential, agentive and basis of (obligatory) grammatical agreement. The secondary topics were, also, found to have s high correlation with their expected properties including being object, specific, referential, patient and being the basis of (optional) object agreement. In terms of morphological coding, both primary and secondary topics were found to be represented employing definite noun phrases. In terms of prosodic coding, primary topics were found to be unaccented while secondary topics were reported to have (activating) accent. Due to their salient status in the discourse, the investigated topics (primary and secondary) could be both deleted or moved within their sentences. However, in their marked cases, both primary and secondary topics are not matched with their inherent and expected properties. However, this mismatch is not correlated with a linguistic coding of topics in southern Kurdish. The careful study of probable repercussions of this mismatch of topics and their expected properties in Kurdish and other Iranian languages is a possible hint for future studies.

Investigation of the Correspondence between the Translations Produced by Chat GPT, Deep Seek, Google Translate, Microsoft Translator and Reverso, and the Approved Orthography of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature

Gholamreza Medadian

Volume 16, Issue 1 , November 2025, , Pages 193-228

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.400687.666934

Abstract

Given that adherence to the orthographic principles and conventions of the target language constitutes a significant dimension of translation quality, this study investigated the compliance ... Read More Given that adherence to the orthographic principles and conventions of the target language constitutes a significant dimension of translation quality, this study investigated the compliance of English-to-Persian journalistic translations generated by five online machine translation (MT) systems with guidelines of the approved orthography of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature (APLL) and standard usage rules for punctuation marks. To this end, several texts were extracted from English newspapers and were translated into Persian by five systems (ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, and Reverso). Through meticulous, word-by-word reading and analysis of the translations in the light of the guidelines of the Approved orthography and usage rules for punctuation marks, a total of 16 distinct categories of orthographic and punctuation errors were identified in the machine-generated translations. These were later classified into three main types: (1) errors in the use of non-breaking or half-space (Nim-Faslé) within word elements and elements of compound words, (2) errors in the orthography of secondary Persian characters, and (3) errors in the correct spacing of punctuation marks. Google, Microsoft, and Reverso produced instances of all error types. DeepSeek and ChatGPT exhibited 4 and 12 types of these errors in their outputs, respectively. Furthermore, the results indicated that none of the systems demonstrated complete consistency in performance so that a given compound or character was at times rendered correctly and other times incorrectly. It was, also, discerned that the identified errors bear a significant resemblance to orthographic errors prevalent in human-generated texts. This phenomenon is attributable to the predominantly open-source monolingual and bilingual corpora used for training these online systems, which comprise texts authored and translated by diverse individuals across varied contexts and registers. Considering the increasing reliance on online MT systems, such orthographic and punctuation errors possess the potential to gradually permeate into the texts generated by Persian-speaking communities, potentially undermining the APLL's ongoing orthographic standardization efforts. One proposed solution for this problem entails the development, either by the MT providers themselves or independent developers, of dedicated or integrated auxiliary systems designed to scrutinize and post-edit translations prior to final user delivery, specifically evaluating their conformity with the approved orthographic guidelines and standard punctuation conventions

National-Cultural Study of the Symbolism of Ornithonyms in Russian and Persian Languages; Resource for Historical Analysis and Worldview of the Peoples of Iran and Russia

Sevinj Mehdikhanli; Sedighe Khazaie

Volume 16, Issue 1 , November 2025, , Pages 229-250

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.385782.666904

Abstract

Knowledge of the concept of symbols, which has its roots in the cultural aspect of the language, is especially important when studying the language. In the process of teaching a foreign ... Read More Knowledge of the concept of symbols, which has its roots in the cultural aspect of the language, is especially important when studying the language. In the process of teaching a foreign language, it is necessary that those working in this field consider themselves obliged, in addition to strengthening the grammatical aspects of the language, to value knowledge of the culture of the language being studied and to include it in the educational content. Thus, symbols are included in the content of education as part of culture and ultimately lead to a correct understanding of national-cultural texts. Given the importance of cultural aspects in teaching foreign languages and considering literature, we find that symbols and symbolism are of particular importance in the educational process, since when studying a foreign language and the literature of that country, it is necessary for the reader to be aware of the meanings hidden in the heart of the symbols. Ornithonyms are one of the areas of symbols and symbolism in popular culture and literature of each nation, and until now, no comparative studies have been conducted in this area in Russian and Persian. The authors of this study, using the library collection method, as well as the method of analyzing questionnaire data, and with the aim of obtaining the differences and similarities of the symbol of birds in the specified languages, when developing a questionnaire to measure the level of knowledge of Russian bachelor students about the symbol of ornithomyms, investigated the issue and after a comparative review and analysis of the questionnaire data, by clarifying the similarities and differences of the symbolism of birds in Russian and Persian, help Russian students and translators to correctly convey to the audience the concept of bird symbolism when translating cultural and literary texts. Therefore, at the bachelor's level in Russian, it is necessary to include the concept of bird symbolism in educational contentof such course unitas "Russian idioms and proverbs", "Cultural and literary influences of Iran on Russia", "Translation of texts" and "Regional studies"

Unveiling the Future of Translation: A Qualitative Study on the Benefits, Challenges, and Future Venues of Translation with AI

Asghar Moulavinafchi; Reyhane Sadat Shadpour; Yasir Hazim Qasim Qasim

Volume 16, Issue 1 , November 2025, , Pages 251-282

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.403095.666941

Abstract

Against the backdrop of rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), this qualitative study investigates how professional translators perceive the benefits, challenges, and likely ... Read More Against the backdrop of rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), this qualitative study investigates how professional translators perceive the benefits, challenges, and likely future trajectories of AI-assisted translation. We conducted semi-structured Zoom interviews with 20 translators (≥3 years’ experience) from diverse specializations and professional contexts. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke’s procedures, with code-checking by an experienced colleague to enhance credibility. Participants reported four prominent benefits of AI-enabled workflows: (1) efficiency gains through pre-drafting and automation of repetitive segments; (2) cost-effectiveness for large or time-sensitive projects; (3) improved consistency and terminological control, particularly in technical domains; and (4) smoother collaboration via shared memories and glossaries. Equally salient, however, were perceived risks and frictions: AI’s persistent difficulty with cultural-pragmatic nuance and rhetorical effect; over-reliance that can deskill practitioners and inflate client expectations; post-editing fatigue stemming from unnatural or ambiguous output; ethical concerns regarding data privacy, confidentiality, authorship, and job security; and technical limitations in low-resource languages or complex genres. Synthesizing convergent and dissonant evidence, we propose a human-in-the-loop “personalization and productivity” model in which AI serves as a co-pilot embedded within a human-led pedagogical and professional envelope. Within this model, human expertise remains decisive for problem framing, audience adaptation, quality assurance, and value-laden decisions. Implications include (a) targeted professional development in AI literacy, post-editing strategies, and bias awareness; (b) curricular redesign in translator education to foreground hybrid competencies and critical evaluation of AI outputs; and (c) organizational and sector-level policies for data governance, transparency, and fair remuneration. Limitations concern the modest, predominantly Iranian sample and reliance on self-report interviews; future research should incorporate longitudinal designs, task-based performance data, and comparative studies across languages and domains. Overall, our findings caution against both technological pessimism and automation hype, arguing instead for calibrated human–AI collaboration that leverages automation where it adds value while safeguarding cultural depth, ethical integrity, and the creative agency that defines professional translation.

A Non-Lexicalist Analysis of the Imperfective Aspect and Its Interaction with the Perfective Aspect

Mazdak Anushe

Volume 15, Issue 2 , January 2025, , Pages 1-28

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2025.373442.666880

Abstract

In the non-lexicalist approach to grammar, all morphemes, whether lexical elements or function heads, are pieces that merge within the domain of syntax to form larger constituents. ... Read More In the non-lexicalist approach to grammar, all morphemes, whether lexical elements or function heads, are pieces that merge within the domain of syntax to form larger constituents. Consequently, what is referred to as an affix is essentially a morpho-syntactic category that occupies the head of a functional projection and selects another category as its complement (Embick 2015). The present study, adopting such an approach, analyzes the structure of the imperfective aspect in Persian and its morpho-syntactic interaction with the derivation of the perfective aspect. The imperfective aspect, one of the two grammatical aspects in Persian, is embodied in structures traditionally called progressive and continuous verbs. Like the perfective aspect, this verbal construction is used in both present and past tenses, though in contemporary Persian, the imperfective, unlike its perfective counterpart which appears in indicative, subjunctive, and sometimes imperative moods, solely indicates the indicative mood. Throughout this research, we argue that a lexicalist analysis and a feature-based theory, especially where the interaction of the prefix "mi-" with causative and perfective suffixes (“-ɑn” and “de/-te”, respectively) is concerned, fail to account for the certain inflectional forms of the verbs. Framed within non-lexicalist approach and more in the spirit of Distributed Morphology (DM) we explore the construction of the imperfective aspect in Persian and examine the interaction of its prefix with other verbal inflectional elements. In this process, we argue that in the hierarchy of functional projections of sentence in Persian, the perfective projection merges above the imperfective projection. In this structure, the head of PerfP which has an overt auxiliary verb dominates the head of ProgP which hosts a covert grammatical verb in Persian. We will see that this speculation is reinforced by empirical evidence of cliticization of the perfect auxiliary (“bɑš” in Persian and “have” in English) in the present perfect continous sentences.

Substitution of Dental Consonants in English and Arabic (Loan) Words by Persian Speakers: A Comparative Study

Bashir Jam

Volume 15, Issue 2 , January 2025, , Pages 53-70

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2024.378926.666889

Abstract

Sound substitution is a process whereby a phoneme in a loanword is replaced by its closest phone in the borrowing language. English and Arabic share dental consonants /D/ and ... Read More Sound substitution is a process whereby a phoneme in a loanword is replaced by its closest phone in the borrowing language. English and Arabic share dental consonants /D/ and /T/ which are absent in Persian. This comparative study aimed at explaining how these consonants are substituted by Persian speakers within the framework of optimality theory (Prince and Smolensky, 1993/2004). The findings of this research indicate that their substitution in English (loan) words depends on their position in the syllable; the dental consonants /D/ and /T/ are replaced by the dento-alveolar consonants [dÏ] and [tÏ] respectively in the syllable onset of (loan)words because they are the closest consonants to dentals. However, /T/ changes to [s] in the coda position since the markedness constraint ‘LAZY’ which favors sounds produced with less energy prohibits the substitution of /T/ by the more effortful stop consonant [tÏ] in this syllable position. With regard to Arabic (loan)words, the substitution of the dental consonants /D/ and /T/ (which are represented by the graphemes <ذ> and <ث> respectively in Arabic orthography) depends on how these graphemes are pronounce in Persian. Therefore, this process cannot be explained using an analysis that is solely phonological. So, there is a need for an analysis which incorporates graphemes as well. Technically speaking, a constraint which has access to graphematical information is needed. Some optimality theory phonologists who came up with this need while working on other languages have already proposed orthographic constraints as the third type in addition to faithfulness and markedness constraints. Accordingly, the pronunciation of the graphemes <ذ> and <ث> in words adapted from Arabic by Persian was analysed using orthographic constraints which require these graphemes to be always pronunced [z] and [s] respectively. This comparative study presents arguments in favor of different constraint rankings which cause the occurances of these processes

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

A Comparative Study of Scalar Implicature Comprehension in 5-7 Monolingual Persian-speaking Children and Adults

Arezou Khani; Ali Jamali; Tayebeh Khoshbakht

Volume 15, Issue 2 , January 2025, , Pages 99-124

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2024.372068.666877

Abstract

Research showed that children need two important pragmatic skills to understand Simile: understanding the intended similarity and deriving a scalar implicature. ... Read More

Matching Course Content with Learner Preferences in E-learning Systems Based on the Memetic Algorithm

Mansoureh Delaramifar; Tayebeh Sargazi Moghadam

Volume 15, Issue 2 , January 2025, , Pages 125-156

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2024.379570.666890

Abstract

Since, due to the advancement of technology, mankind solves many of its educational needs, such as learning foreign languages, through electronic education, upgrading electronic learning ... Read More Since, due to the advancement of technology, mankind solves many of its educational needs, such as learning foreign languages, through electronic education, upgrading electronic learning systems with educational infrastructure become very important. Therefore, this research aims to introduce an efficient method to provide the most appropriate educational content for the learner by discovering her interests and preferences and adapting it to educational and cultural issues by using artificial intelligence techniques. In this regard, The present study uses a decision-making framework using a Memetic optimization algorithm to extract the best match between available learning paths and activities. It also provides the best possible response, which is the system's best decision for each individual's learning, using a linear formula and determining personal factors such as the learner's knowledge level and preferences. The resulting educational framework was tested on 40 students, 12-15 year old. In this experiment, a control group of 20 and an experimental group of 20 were considered, and the framework was given to the experimental group and the control group learned using traditional methods such as books. SPSS software was used for data analysis. In addition, in the last class session, a survey was used to examine the experimental group on issues such as interest in e-learning, willingness to continue the class, need for more breaks, and willingness to continue learning English in this way. The findings showed that the average post-test score of the control group after training through textbook-based content was 14.8750 and the average post-test score of the experimental group that was trained with diverse content considering the learner's preferences was 16.7500. On the other hand, the significance level test indicates that the use of an e-learning program based on learner preferences had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the experimental group, and as a result, it refers to the greater effect of e-learning with considering learner preferences compared to traditional learning.The final achievement was evaluated using multi-part software plugins from the point of view of flexibility, efficiency and interoperability through user satisfaction testing. Considering that more than seventy percent of users were satisfied with the learning efficiency and flexibility of the system, the results indicate that the system's output will have a more favorable effect on individual learning

Description and Analysis of the Linguistic Components of the Dispute Resolution Council Members in Persuading the Parties to the Dispute: Critical Analysis of the Conciliation Meetings Discourse (Forensic Linguistics Approach)

Mitra Rezazadeh; Akram Korani; Ali Moradi

Volume 15, Issue 2 , January 2025, , Pages 157-180

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2024.385054.666902

Abstract

The function of persuasion as a linguistic action is to change the audience's attitude and behavior or strengthen his beliefs. In general, persuasion is the basic and ultimate goal ... Read More The function of persuasion as a linguistic action is to change the audience's attitude and behavior or strengthen his beliefs. In general, persuasion is the basic and ultimate goal of all types of communication behaviors. This kind of persuasion is applied in the form of language tricks and the phenomenon of persuasion has an active presence in speech. The study of linguistic methods and tools involved in persuasion leads to the examination of the issue of power and how to dominate the mind, and this itself is the beginning of critical discourse analysis. Critical discourse analysis relies on methodological theories. The theory of LacLau and Mouffe has presented a systematic formulation in this field. Discourse is the result of the communication and interaction of the speakers in a social and cultural context. Legal discourse, due to the inherent nature of communication with the audience through "language", contains various methods of persuasion, which discourse analysis can discover many of them. The Dispute Resolution Council, as a legal-judicial institution, has created a special legal discourse by using various functions of language as the main tool. The main goal of the current research is to analyze the legal discourse of this council and examine the role of linguistic knowledge in its persuasion methods. In this research, the data has been collected by field method and direct observation, from 20 sessions of conciliation branches of the Dispute Resolution Council of Islamabad Gharb city. The data includes a total of 1,273 parts of speech, which formed the linguistic body of the research and were analyzed in a descriptive-analytical way, based on the theory of Laclau and Mouffe. The research question is, what are the findings of linguistics based on the theory of Laclau and Mouffe that can be effective in the process of persuading the parties to the dispute in the discourse of the members of the dispute resolution council? The result of the research shows that in order to convince the parties to the dispute, the linguistic tools of highlighting, the relationship between the signifier and the signified, backgrounding and hegemony, in descending order, have played an effective role in the discourse of the dispute resolution council members. In this discourse, the members of the council have used several effective words as persuasive elements by fixing the semantic system, each of which has specific meanings with specific signifiers

Explaining the Placement Order of Adjectives in Persian Language Based on Functional Discourse Grammar

Mohsen Taheri; Ali Alizadeh; Hamed Mowlaei Kuhbanani

Volume 15, Issue 2 , January 2025, , Pages 181-210

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2024.370324.666875

Abstract

The purpose of the present research is to investigate the placement order of different types of adjectives in the sentence in Persian language based on Functional Discourse Grammar. ... Read More The purpose of the present research is to investigate the placement order of different types of adjectives in the sentence in Persian language based on Functional Discourse Grammar. Therefore, in this study, FDG will be considered in determining the arrangement of different types of adjectives in the sentence in Persian language. According to the principles of FDG, presenting a pattern in the arrangement of adjectives in a sentence in Persian language, in which the order of the adjectives in sentences does not follow a certain rule, is another goal of the present research. Although in Persian language, the order of adjectives does not follow a specific rule, the principles of FDG show that the type of the adjective determines that in what level of the hierarchical layer of FDG each adjective is produced and then based on what order it is mapped on morphosyntactic templates. In this study, the method of mapping the different types of adjectives on morphosyntactic templates in four absolute initial, second, medial and final positions and infinite relative positions in FDG was considered. This study is based on a descriptive-analytical method and the examples are taken from Persian adjectives. Examining the samples in this research shows that although the Persian language does not seem to have a particular order for the placement of adjectives in the sentence, the order pattern of adjectives in the sentence based on the mechanisms of FDG is also suggested for Persian language, since each adjective is produced in a special layer. The results indicate that the placement of adjectives in Persian language is based on the type of adjective and the production of each type of adjective takes place in its respective hierarchical layer. The results also show that FDG is an appropriate and efficient method for explaining the placement of adjectives in a sentence in Persian language and provides a suitable model for the placement of adjectives in a sentence in Persian language

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