Syntactic and Semantic Analysis of the "Xastan" Verb in Persian (A Corpus ـ based Analysis in Role and Reference Grammar Framework)

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Authors
P. najafi 1
J. Rahimian 2
1 PhD Candidate, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
2 Professor, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
10.48311/LRR.15.4.237
Abstract
The Persian verb "xâstan" exhibits a dual nature, functioning both as an auxiliary verb and a lexical verb. As a lexical verb, it conveys a range of meanings expressed through various syntactic structures. This research delved into the syntactic and semantic aspects of the mentioned verb in different constructions. The authors proposed that Role and Reference Grammar (RRG), with its focus on complex structures, could provide a comprehensive framework for analyzing the constructions under consideration. RRG conceptualizes complex structures based on "Interclausal Relations Hierarchy", which comprises two syntactic and semantic continua. The syntactic continuum examines juncture-nexus relations, while the semantic continuum explores the type of semantic relations based on the main predicate. This study endeavored to describe the various applications of the verb "xâstan" within the mentioned framework. Additionally, the research findings were employed to evaluate the tenets of RRG. The findings revealed that, semantically, the verb "xâstan" fell within the categories of psych-action, jussive, and propositional attitude predicates. Syntactically, it manifested in the forms of core cosubordination and core subordination. The data for this research were extracted from the corpus of Hamshahri 2.



1. Introduction

The Persian verb "xâstan" exhibits a multifaceted nature, encompassing a range of grammatical functions and conveying a spectrum of interconnected meanings. Due to its versatile nature, this verb has garnered significant attention in linguistic studies not only in Persian but also in other languages. It is observed that the verb "xâstan" in Persian contributes to the formation of diverse structural and semantic constructions. Accordingly, the present study aimed to delve into this verb within the framework of Role and Reference Grammar (RRG). To achieve this objective, we began by examining the syntactic and semantic dimensions of the verb followed by an evaluation of interclausal relations hierarchy based on the research findings. A distinctive aspect of this research lies in its simultaneous consideration of both syntactic and semantic levels, along with elucidating the interplay between these two levels within the constructions under investigation. Ultimately, the central research questions guiding this study were as follows:

1. How are the syntactic and semantic representations of the various types of the verb "xâstan" in Persian characterized?

2. Do the research findings support or contradict the interclausal relations hierarchy?





2. Literature Review

Previous research primarily focused on the role of the verb "xâstan" as both an auxiliary verb (expressing future tense) and a lexical verb that conveyed modal meanings alongside the concept of "wanting" or "desiring." In this context, Dixon (1995, 2002, 2005) categorized this verb as a secondary verb. Secondary verbs function as modifiers for primary verbs and maintain a grammatical relationship with them. In Example 1, the verb "xâstan" describes the participant's mental state regarding the performance of an action, while also directly relating to the primary verb goftan in representing grammatical categories, such as tense and negation.

Example 1: nemixaham raje be ehsasatam doruogh beguyam.

I don't want to lie about my feelings.

Other studies considered its modal (volitional) role, classifying it as a modal verb that formed a complex predicate with the verb expressing the main event (Bruno, 2016; Corral Esteban, 2016; Nolan, 2012; Labutis, 2002). Additionally, in semantic classifications of complement-taking verbs, it fell under the category of desiderative verbs (Noonan, 2007; Cristofaro, 2003).

Beyond the roles previously mentioned for "xâstan", this verb could also express future tense and was equivalent to the English verb "will." Van Lennep and LaPolla (1997, p. 41) acknowledged that there were two perspectives on "will" in English: 1) Considering it a modal verb expressing intention or will, while simultaneously indicating future tense; and 2) Viewing it as an auxiliary verb solely indicating future tense. Ultimately, they adopted the latter perspective in their analysis.

Moezipour (2020) categorized the Persian verb "xâstan" as a transitive lexical verb that could also function as an auxiliary (modal) verb expressing volitional modality and appearing in the periphrastic future tense. Based on Role and RRG, he argued that the verb "xâstan" served as a definite (auxiliary) verb in a simple single-clausal construction to refer to the future tense. Davari and Naghzgooy (2016) conducted a synchronic study examining the evolution of the verb "xâstan." They proposed that during the Middle Persian period, this verb functioned as a modal verb, while also carrying the lexical meanings of "request" and "desire". Additionally, evidence from this period suggested another usage of "xâstan" in the sense of "to summon," which further contributed to its modal interpretation due to the inherent grammatical concepts of "request" and "command". In essence, the verb's trajectory reflected a transition from a lexical verb with the concepts of request, command, and compulsion to the concept of volition and then the concept of future. Other relevant studies included Lenepveu (2010), Jahani (2008), Ghafar Samar & Bhatia (2017), Anoushe (2018), Sabzevari (2004), and Mirza'ie (2021).



3. Methodology

This research employed a descriptive-analytical approach to investigate the data. The authors believed that hypothesis testing should be based on empirical and objective evidence, meaning that the criterion for correctness or incorrectness is concrete and practical evidence rather than linguistic intuition. Therefore, the corpus of Hamshahri 2 (Al-e Ahmad et al., 2009) served as the foundation for data extraction. The corpus comprised 150 million words and consisted of various cultural, literary, political, scientific, and social genres from the years 1367 to 1387 (1988-2008). Using computer programs, all occurrences of the verb "xâstan" in the corpus were extracted, totaling 109,094 instances. From this number, 1092 instances were randomly selected and analyzed.



4. Results

This research endeavored to examine the various applications of the verb "xâstan" in Persian within the framework of Role and Reference Grammar (RRG), using the corpus of Hamshahri 2. Based on the semantics of the predicate of "xâstan" in different constructions, the existence of 3 types of semantic relationships was established: psych-action, jussive, and propositional attitude. Data analysis revealed that psych-action and jussive constructions exhibited a core cosubordination relationship in the syntactic dimension based on the juncture-nexus relation, while propositional attitude constructions exhibited a daughter core subordination relationship. Additionally, the verb "xâstan" possessed a grammatical function and therefore served as an operator. This operator functioned as an auxiliary verb expressing future tense and perfect aspect. In the interclausal relations hierarchy, the constructions under investigation were arranged as follows: psych-action < jussive < propositional attitude. The research findings demonstrated that the aforementioned sequence in the interclausal relations hierarchy was valid and the Persian language data regarding the constructions involving the verb "xâstan" corroborated the iconicity inherent in the interclausal relations hierarchy.

 

Keywords

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Language Related Research
Volume 15, Issue 4 - Serial Number 82
September and October 2024
Pages 237-273