Analysis of the non-verbal elements of Persian tripartite passive complex predicates

Multiple studies on the Persian passive construction indicate that while some linguists analyze this construction as a purely syntactic structure, the majority of contemporary linguists—including Vahedi Langeroudi (1998), Karimi (2005), and Anousheh (2015)—consider it an unaccusative complex predicate, or, in other words, an adjectival passive. In these analyses, the participle present in the passive is positioned in the head of the aP, and the light verb "šodan" is placed in the head of the vP. A closer examination of these analyses, however, reveals that the necessary syntactic positions for the elements composing a class of passive complex predicates, which are made of three parts—such as "ejāreh dādeh šod"(was rented-out)—are not fully provided in these accounts. The present study, guided by the principles of the Minimalist Program and incorporating recent insights into thematic projections and the position of morphology within a narrative of the Minimalist Program, aims to provide a more comprehensive explanation of these structures. Inspired by Harley’s (2013) proposal for the Hiaki causative of passives and in accordance with the Monotonicity Principle in her analysis, the authors posit the existence of additional syntactic positions between the aP and the root vP, as well as between the TP and vP projections. These projections, such as VoiceP, provide the necessary syntactic positions for the elements that constitute a Persian tripartite passive complex predicate. The study finds that the persistence of the participle derived from an active light verb in the passive is for its causative syntactic feature.