Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Phd candidate in Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2
Associate Professor in Linguistics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
3
Professor in Linguistics, Allame Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran
10.22084/rjhll.2024.29513.2332
Abstract
Introduction
Pronominal clitics correspond to the "bound pronouns" (or attached pronouns) found in traditional grammar. They are termed "clitics" because they cannot function in isolation or independently within a sentence; rather, they must always attach to another constituent to appear. Furthermore, in Persian, their position is invariably after the host constituent—hence the designation "clitic". Although pronominal clitics belong to a closed set, they fulfill subject, object, oblique (complement), and genitive roles within the sentence, and their presence is essential for conveying the intended meaning.
The aim of the present article is to examine the grammaticalization of pronominal clitics. Grammaticalization is a process that occurs over time across all languages. Membership in a closed set, generality, and proportionality are three characteristics of a grammatical system. Grammaticalization can manifest in language in various ways: changes in the form of one or more words (phonetically or phonologically), the addition of an element to a word, phrase, or clause, and changes in the order of words, phrases, and clauses. These manifestations do not occur in the same way for all groups or in all contexts, yet in most cases, the process is systematic (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2013: 67–68). In the present study, the grammaticalization of pronominal clitics in Persian is investigated from a functionalist perspective.
Literature review
Studies conducted on pronominal clitics can be categorized into two general groups:
The first group examines these elements from a traditional, descriptive perspective, treating them as a fundamental and defining component of Persian grammar. Such studies appear in all Persian grammar textbooks; their primary aim is to introduce and describe these clitics, and they are largely pedagogical in nature. The second group—which is more recent—analyzes these elements within various linguistic frameworks, examining them from diverse angles such as definiteness, information structure, and reference.
Mofidi (1386) examines pronominal clitics in Middle and New Persian from a historical perspective, focusing on the evolution of their syntactic position.
Capone (2013) investigates pronominal clitics in Italian from a pragmatic perspective. He emphasizes that pronominal clitics generally refer to complete propositions, a finding he regards as the most significant outcome of his research. Drawing on examples from Italian, he introduces a specific set of clitics, which he terms "propositional clitics".
Zahedi et al. (2012) refer to these pronouns as "resumptive pronouns" and describe their syntax within the framework of Government and Binding theory. They argue that resumptive pronouns in Persian are base-generated. In Persian, these pronouns appear in both obligatory and optional contexts.
Modarresi (2014) examining the role of pronouns in the representation of information structure within the sentence, concludes that both free and bound pronominal forms participate in topic and focus relations.
Kordbacheh et al. (2015) investigating the displacement of bound personal pronouns in the works of several contemporary Persian poets, view these displacements as a type of syntactic deviation—a feature essential to the formation of poetic language and a means of creating aesthetic effect.
Methodology
To examine the grammaticalization of a construction, its past and present states must be identified and compared. To this end, the present study first identifies the positions and distribution of pronominal clitics in Modern Persian and subsequently illustrates their placement in classical Persian texts. By gathering 150 examples of pronominal clitic usage from classical verse and prose, the author compares the behavior of these clitics in Modern Persian with that of earlier Persian. Regarding the data, a few points are worth noting:
First, the author has not limited data collection to a single work, as the usage of pronominal clitics within a specific text might reflect the poet’s or writer’s personal style, and relying on a single source could diminish the diversity of the data.
Second, data was extracted from both verse and prose texts. The author’s aim is to demonstrate that the displacement of pronominal clitics—or "attached pronouns" as termed by classical scholars—is not merely a device for adhering to prosodic meter or a form of poetic deviation; indeed, this variation is also observed in classical prose. Consequently, the reason for this variation must be sought elsewhere.
Third, the collected data were analyzed in terms of the pronominal clitic's syntactic role, the type of host, and its position within the sentence.
Fourth: Due to the extremely high frequency of pronominal clitics in each work, as well as the vast volume of verse and prose texts, it was not feasible to collect and analyze every single clitic across all the works; moreover, many instances of clitics are repetitive regarding their position, role, and host.
To extract data, the author selected the prose texts of *Tarikh-e Beyhaqi*, *Golestan*, and *Qabus-nameh*, as well as the verse texts of Nezami’s *Khosrow and Shirin* and Saadi’s *Bustan*.
This study also compares the diversity of hosts for pronominal clitics—hosts being the constituents to which these clitics attach. After establishing the status of clitics in Classical and Modern Persian, the changes they have undergone over time are analyzed and explained from a functional perspective. Based on the foregoing, the author seeks to answer the following question in this article:
What insights does a comparison of pronominal clitics in Modern and Classical Persian offer regarding the grammaticalization process of these clitics, and how can this change be explained from a functional standpoint?
Results
Analyses indicate that the range of hosts for pronominal clitics in Classical Persian was greater than in Modern Persian. The restriction of hosts for pronominal clitics in Modern Persian has resulted in a more limited range of positions they can occupy within the sentence. Thus, from the past to the present, both the variety of clitic hosts—in terms of the constituents to which they can attach—and the variety of their sentential positions have become increasingly restricted. Representing this positional shift in a Role and Reference Grammar diagram better illustrates the grammaticalization process of the pronominal clitic.
This diagram demonstrates a shift in pronominal clitics from the clausal periphery toward central, nuclear elements. This change aligns perfectly with the fundamental principles of functionalism. As noted in the article, functionalism prioritizes the communicative function of language, positing that contextual and pragmatic factors determine syntactic structure. Through various examples, the article illustrates that the diversity of clitic hosts and their flexible positioning within the sentence in Classical Persian often pose challenges for the audience, potentially hindering text comprehension. At times, a reader may fail to correctly identify a pronoun's referent, or the grammatical role of a pronominal clitic may be misinterpreted; such issues lead to ambiguity and, occasionally, errors in comprehending the text's message. Consequently, the historical evolution of pronominal clitics has tended toward simplifying their integration into sentences, thereby alleviating the ambiguities and difficulties language users face when reading and understanding texts. In light of the foregoing, it is evident that the changes undergone by pronominal clitics align perfectly with the general philosophy of functionalism, a framework that offers a valid explanation for these developments.
Discussion
As previously noted, this article examined the grammaticalization process of pronominal clitics through the lens of Role and Reference Grammar. The aim of this research was to offer a fresh perspective on the subject of pronominal clitics. While other studies have addressed the positioning of pronominal clitics in classical texts—whether directly or indirectly—the innovation of the present study lies in identifying their historical positions and subsequently comparing their evolution regarding placement and host diversity with the patterns found in Modern Persian. Another innovative aspect of this study is the explanation provided for these developments. In traditional views, the displacement of pronominal clitics in poetic language has been described by scholars using terms such as "pronoun leap" (*jahsh-e zamir*) or "pronoun dance" (*raqs-e zamir*). Others frame this phenomenon as a form of deviation from norms—a common occurrence in poetic language. Professor Shafiei (2002) defines literary language as a medium that, through poetic linguistic functions, shifts the audience's attention from the message itself to the text; these functions elevate ordinary, standard language to the realm of poetry and literature by breaking established norms. While formalist linguistic approaches might explain these displacements merely in terms of movement, this article attempts to examine the behavior of pronominal clitics through a functionalist perspective.
Among functionalist grammars, Role and Reference Grammar provided more suitable tools for our analysis. A key advantage of analyzing the aforementioned changes from a functionalist perspective is that the variable positioning of pronominal clitics in classical Persian texts was no longer attributed merely to aesthetics or the stylistic deviations characteristic of poetry; instead, we demonstrated that these shifts—specifically the clitics orientation from peripheral clause elements toward central, nuclear positions—served to facilitate text comprehension and prevent ambiguity.
This explanation also aligns with the spirit of functionalism, as the functionalist approach posits that contextual and pragmatic factors—in this case, facilitating reading and resolving comprehension difficulties—play a role in shaping grammatical structure. Furthermore, this article demonstrates that, contrary to traditional views, the variation in the positions and hosts of pronominal clitics is not exclusive to the language of poetry but is also observed in classical prose texts.
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