Topics In Iranian Linguistics

Up until quite recently, research on Iranian languages tended to be conducted in rather distinct disciplines, often with little interaction among them. A major turning point in bringing scholars from all theoretical persuasions together was the "First International Conference on Iranian Linguistics", held in June 2005 at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig. It inaugurated a tradition of interdisciplinary linguistic research on Iranian languages that we are proud to continue with the present volume. The 13 chapters of this volume represent a selection of the papers presented at the "Third International Conference on Iranian Linguistics", held in September 2009 at the Universite Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris. Part one, historical and comparative Iranian syntax, contains chapters by Saloumeh Gholami, Nicholas Sims-Williams, Antje Wendtland, Agnes Korn, and Arseniy Vydrin. The first three contributions treat the morpho-syntax of two extinct East Iranian languages, revealing a fruitful and innovative synthesis of philological investigations with insights from syntactic typology. Korn's chapter covers both synchronic and diachronic aspects of a typologically unusual development in a broad range of Iranian languages, while Vydrin's chapter surveys the expression of counterfactuality within Iranian from a largely synchronic perspective, but informed with areal-typological explanations. Part two, the morpho-syntax of lesser-know Iranian languages, contains contributions by Daniel Paul, Gregory Stump and Andrew Hippisley, and two joint contributions, Oleg Belaev and Arseniy Vydrin, and David Erschler and Vitaly Volk. They reflect a growing interest in the "smaller" Iranian languages, not only as a source for comparative and historical Iranian philology, but also for the insights they offer for general linguistic theory. Part three, the linguistics of Modern Persian, presents new insights on aspects of Modern Persian. Naderi and Oostendorp's contribution presents an OT-based re-assessment of epenthetic consonants, while Ganjavi revisits the issue of marking vs. non-marking of direct objects. Pirooz looks at control in finite subordinate clauses, while Deravi and Dommergues present the results of an empirical investigation of code-switching by highly proficient Persian-French bilinguals. Taken together, these contributions represent the dynamic and rapidly growing nature of Iranian linguistics, a field which has united linguists of all persuasions who share a strong commitment to the scientific investigation of Iranian languages, their structure, history and use.

This volume brings together selected papers from the first North American Conference in Iranian Linguistics, which was organized by the linguistics department at Stony Brook University. Papers were selected to illustrate the range of frameworks, diverse areas of research and how the boundaries of linguistic analysis of Iranian languages have expanded over the years. The contributions collected in this volume address advancing research and complex methodological explorations in a broad range of topics in Persian syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics, typology and classification, as well as historical linguistics. Some of the papers also investigate less-studied and endangered Iranian languages such as Tat, Gilaki and Mazandarani, Sorani and Kurmanji Kurdish, and Zazaki. The volume will be of value to scholars in theoretical frameworks as well as those with typological and diachronic perspectives, and in particular to those working in Iranian linguistics.

This volume offers insight into different aspects of an interesting but fairly understudied language family, opens a path to new inquiries, and provides valuable contribution to linguistics, in general, and to Iranian linguistics, in particular. The articles in this volume offer novel analyses of significant properties of some of the Iranian languages, and contribute to various linguistic subareas such as experimental and historical linguistics as well as the morphology, syntax and semantics of several members of this language family. Specifically, this volume features a few articles on the Ezafe construction which shed new light on this interesting phenomenon of Western Iranian languages from historical, comparative and syntactic points of view. Moreover, a few articles address the syntax and formal semantics of properties of Persian, offering new insight into particular constructions in this language which are also fruitful for the general theory of linguistics. Crucially, all authors raise important questions, opening up the path for further investigations.

The papers in this volume were presented at the Fifth International Conference on Iranian Linguistics (ICIL5), held 24-26 August 2013 at the Otto-Friedrich University, Bamberg, Germany. The conference was organized by Geoffrey Haig, Otto-Friedrich University, Bamberg; Carina Jahani, Uppsala University; Agnes Korn, Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main; and Pollet Samvelian, Universite Paris III, Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris. It involved more than 50 participants, 33 oral presentations, and eight poster presentations, as well as keynote speeches by Bernard Comrie (Max-Planck-Institut, Leipzig) and Eva Jeremias (Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest). This biennial conference attracts international scholars with diverse backgrounds and theoretical outlooks who come to share their current research on Iranian languages past and present. Like the three volumes of selected papers that precede it, this one well reflects the range of ideas and approaches that the conference consistently exhibits.

The Iranian languages form the major eastern branch of the Indo-European group of languages, itself part of the larger Indo-Iranian family. Estimated to have between 150 and 200 million native speakers, the Iranian languages constitute one of the world’s major language families. This comprehensive volume offers a detailed overview of the principle languages which make up this group: Old Iranian, Middle Iranian, and New Iranian. The Iranian Languages is divided into fifteen chapters. The introductory chapters by the editor present a general overview and a detailed discussion of the linguistic typology of Iranian. The individual chapters which follow are written by leading experts in the field. These provide the reader with concise, non-technical descriptions of a range of Iranian languages. Each chapter follows the same pattern and sequence of topics, taking the reader through the significant features not only of phonology and morphology but also of syntax; from phrase level to complex sentences and pragmatics. Ample examples on all levels are provided with detailed annotation for the non-specialist reader. In addition, each chapter covers lexis, sociolinguistic and typological issues, and concludes with annotated sample texts. This unique resource is the ideal companion for undergraduate and postgraduate students of linguistics and language. It will also be of interest to researchers or anyone with an interest in historical linguistics, linguistics anthropology and language development. Gernot Windfuhr is Professor of Iranian Studies at the University of Michigan; he has published widely on Persian and Iranian languages and linguistics and related languages, as well as on other aspects of Iranian culture including Persian literature and Pre-Islamic Iranian religions.

This book is a detailed study of contact-induced change in the Neo-Aramaic dialect of the Jews of Sanandaj, a town in western Iran. Since its foundation in early 17th century, the city has been home to a significant Jewish community. The Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialect of the town displays different historical layers of contact with various Iranian languages over the course of many centuries. The Iranian languages in question are Gorani, Kurdish, and Persian. Among these, Gorani has had a particularly deep impact on Jewish Neo-Aramaic, whereas the impact of Kurdish, and especially Persian, remains superficial. Jewish Neo-Aramaic records a history of language shift from Gorani to Kurdish in the region. The book offers insights into contact-induced change in social contexts in which a language is maintained as a demarcation of communal identity in a multilingual setting.

Aspects of Iranian Linguistics introduces readers to recent research into various properties of a number of Iranian languages. The volume consists of twenty chapters that cover a full range of Iranian linguistics, including formal theoretical perspectives (from a syntactic and morphological point of view), typological and functional perspectives, and diachronic and areal perspectives. It also contains papers on computational linguistics and neurolinguistics, as well as the modern history of lexicography in Iran. Various Iranian languages are discussed in this volume, including Hawrami and Kermanji, two of the major dialects of Kurdish, Medival, Classical and Modern Persian, Balochi, Taleshi and Pamir. With the exception of Persian, other Iranian languages had not received much attention in the past. Thus this work, as the first volume ever published on various aspects of these languages and their linguistic properties, is a valuable contribution to our understanding of a less commonly studied language family. The theoretical, descriptive, and applied approaches pursued by various authors in this volume, together with the colorful range of languages discussed, provide a unique perspective that is appealing to researchers in different domains of linguistics and language studies.

This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the field of Persian linguistics, discusses its development, and captures critical accounts of cutting edge research within its major subfields, as well as outlining current debates and suggesting productive lines of future research. Leading scholars in the major subfields of Persian linguistics examine a range of topics split into six thematic parts. Following a detailed introduction from the editors, the volume begins by placing Persian in its historical and typological context in Part I. Chapters in Part II examine topics relating to phonetics and phonology, while Part III looks at approaches to and features of Persian syntax. The fourth part of the volume explores morphology and lexicography, as well as the work of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature. Part V, language and people, covers topics such as language contact and teaching Persian as a foreign language, while the final part examines psycho- neuro-, and computational linguistics. The volume will be an essential resource for all scholars with an interest in Persian language and linguistics.