Pronominal clitics in the Zoroastrian language of Yazd

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Ancient Iranian Languages and Culture, Faculty of Linguistics, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran

10.22084/rjhll.2023.27758.2267

Abstract

The language of the Zoroastrian religious minority (Behdinan) in Yazd features a notable role for pronominal clitics to play in the agreement system of this Iranian language, now described as “definitely endangered” by the UNESCO. Drawing on findings of language typology, the present study takes a closer look at the pronominal clitics and the syntactic roles they assume in Behdinani. To this end, this study makes use of available books and written materials which investigate and record samples of the language in question as well as consultation and specimens provided by speakers of Behdinani. Factors such as tense, transitivity and modality as well as manifestation of direct/indirect object as pronominal elements determine and shape agreement system in the language of Zoroastrians in Yazd. This research finds four of the five patterns introduced by Comrie (1978) and elaborated on in Dabir-Moghaddam (2013a) in the agreement system of Behdinani language.

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