انضمام در ترکیب فعلی زبان فارسی: فرایندی صرفی، نحوی یا صرفی نحوی؟ (مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)
درجه علمی: نشریه علمی (وزارت علوم)
آرشیو
چکیده
در پژوهش حاضر، نمونه هایی از ۸۵۷۹ واژه مرکب فعلی در زبان فارسی معاصر با توجه به فرایند انضمام مطالعه شدند تا نقش این فرایند در ساخت آنها روشن شود. تحلیل داده ها نشان داد که این مقوله زایا از انضمام سازه های موضوع، افزوده و گروه نحوی با هسته برگرفته فعلی تشکیل می شود. سازه غیرهسته ترکیب فعلی می تواند فاعل، مفعول صریح، مفعول غیرصریح، قید، صفت، ضمیر، مفعول به همراه فاعل و گروه های نحوی اسمی، صفتی و حرف اضافه ای باشد. نمودارهای درختی ترکیب های فعلی مؤید آن است که حرکت سازه ها برپایه انضمام نحوی در زبان فارسی از اصول محدودیت هسته، مقوله تهی و فرافکنی تخطی می کنند. علاوه بر این، ویژگی های غیر ارجاعی سازه غیر هسته ترکیب های فعلی، هسته پایانی بودن ترکیب های فعلی برخلاف گروه های نحوی، ترکیب های فعلی تیره، تغییر ظرفیت فعل در گذر از ژ ساخت به ر ساخت، اصل اقتصاد واژگانی، ایجاد کل معنایی و انضمام چندگانه نیز، استدلال هایی هستند مبنی بر اینکه رویکرد انضمام صرفی ساختِ ترکیب های فعلی را رقم می زند. این رویکرد بدون محدودیت های نحوی گشتاری و ازطریق کنار هم نهادن سازه ها به طور مستقیم ترکیب های فعلی را شکل می دهد. شواهد و استدلال های دیگری نظیر ارجاعی بودن سازه غیر هسته ترکیب فعلی، ترکیب های فعلی هسته آغازین، ترکیب های فعلی گروهی، ترکیب های فعلی گسترش پذیر و همپایگی مؤید نقش انضمام نحوی در ساخت ترکیب های فعلی هستند. به طورکلی، یافته ها بیانگر آن است که هیچ کدام از فرایندهای انضمام صرفی و نحوی به تنهایی ساخت ترکیب فعلی را رقم نمی زند، بلکه انضمام معنایی (یا شبه انضمام) رویکرد فعال در ساخت این مقوله زایا در زبان فارسی است.Incorporation in Verbal Compounds of Persian: A Morphological, Syntactic or Morpho-syntactic Process?
This article studies 8,579 verbal compound words in contemporary Persian, focusing on the role of the incorporation process in their formation. The data revealed that this productive category was created through the incorporation of arguments, adjuncts, and syntactic phrases with the verbal stem. The non-head constituents of verbal compounds can function as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, adverbs, adjectives, pronouns, objects along with the subjects, noun phrases, adjective phrases and adverb phrases. The tree diagrams of verbal compounds show that the movement of constituents based on syntactic incorporation in Persian deviates from head movement constraint, empty category, and projection principles. Moreover, non-referentiality of non-head constituents, head-final feature of verbal compounds contrary to syntactic phrases, opacity of verbal compounds, valence-changing of verb while passing from D-structure into S-structure, economic principle, formation of the whole meaning, and multi-incorporation are the reasons indicating that morphological incorporation plays a role in forming verbal compounds in Persian. In this approach, verbal compounds are formed without syntactic transformation constraints and with directly combining constituents. Other pieces of evidence namely the referentiality of non-head constituents, head-initial verbal compounds, phrasal verbal compounds, extendable verbal compounds, and coordination indicate that syntactic incorporation also contributes to the formation of verbal compounds. In general, the study concludes that neither morphological nor syntactic incorporations alone play a role in forming verbal compounds, but the pseudo-incorporation actively forms this productive category in Persian. Introduction In compounding studies, two types of compounding are discussed: verbal and non-verbal. Verbal compounds are formed by incorporating elements such as subjects, adjuncts, adjectives, and syntactic phrases into a verb-derived structure, where the verb serves as the syntactic head. In non-verbal compounds, the verb is either absent or not the syntactic head. Various approaches exist regarding the role of incorporation in verbal compounding. Some linguists, such as Baker (1988) and Brunelli (2003), argue that compounding arises through syntactic movement and requires a syntactic phrase. Others, like Rosen (1989) and Ackema & Neeleman (2004, 2007), view compounding as a morphological and lexical process where elements are combined directly without head movement. A third approach, semantic/quasi-incorporation (Van Geenhoven, 2002), posits that compounding occurs in syntax without head movement. Since no prior research has adopted this perspective, this study examines Persian verbal compounds through the lens of incorporation, aiming to identify and analyze the involved processes (syntactic, morphological, or semantic). Literature Review 2.1. Studies by Iranian Linguists This section reviews works by Dabir-Moghaddam (1997), Karimi-Doostan (1997), Arkan (2006), Shaghaghi (2007), and Mansouri (2007). Dabir-Moghaddam analyzes incorporation under the term compound verbs , distinguishing between compounding and incorporation as word-formation processes with varying productivity. Karimi-Doostan defines Persian compound verbs as non-verbal elements (nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases) combined with light verbs, and appearing idiomatically and compositional. Arkan views incorporation as the attachment of an internal argument to a transitive verb. Shaghaghi defines it as placing a verb’s argument adjacent to it to form a new verb, categorizing expandable and non-expandable types. Mansouri classifies incorporation into certain subtypes, such as noun incorporation with simple verbs, compound verbs, prepositional phrases, and ditransitive clauses. 2.2. Studies by Non-Iranian Linguists This section discusses Sapir (1911), Sadock (1980), Baker (1988), Gerdts (2001), Spencer (2000), and Anderson (2001). Sapir (1911) describes noun incorporation as a lexical process in Native American languages. Sadock (1980) argues that noun incorporation involves two stems, formed via bound morphemes and syntactic rules in polysynthetic languages. Baker (1988) treats it as the syntactic movement from direct object positions, adhering to the Empty Category Principle. Spencer (2000) claims that many valency-changing processes (e.g., incorporation) are lexical, conflicting with Baker’s syntactic theory. Gerdts (2001) defines incorporation as combining a word with an element that becomes part of the noun stem. Anderson (2001) considers direct object incorporation with transitive verbs as true incorporation, viewing syntactic and lexical analyses as complementary. Methodology In this descriptive-analytical study, Persian verbal compound words were examined with respect to various approaches concerning their formation in the syntactic, morphological, or morpho-syntactic domains. Initially, the compounds were identified and classified based on their syntactic and semantic heads. Subsequently, the compounds were tested and analyzed using existing theories related to incorporation and compounding. Moreover, considering the syntactic and morphological evidence present in the structure of Persian verbal compounds, the study investigated which of the syntactic, morphological, or morpho-syntactic approaches plays the most significant role in their formation. Finally, through the analysis of the frequency and nature of the collected evidence, it was determined that Persian verbal compounds are predominantly shaped by morphological, syntactic, or a combination of both processes. This methodology allows for a more precise and comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms involved in the formation of verbal compounds. Data on Persian Verbal Compounding 4.1. Morphological Role in Verbal Compounding The analysis of Persian verbal compounds shows that, contrary to Baker’s view (incorporation as head movement of direct objects), verbal compounds can incorporate subjects, adverbs, or adjectives. Syntactic approaches inadequately explain these cases, whereas morphological approaches allow direct merger of elements without constraints. In Persian, movement typically proceeds downward in the tree, violating Chomsky’s Projection Principle. Non-head elements are often non-referential, and compounds are head-final. Idiomatic compounds lose their literal meaning, and multiple incorporation suggests that morphology has greater flexibility than syntax. Overall, Persian verbal compounding is primarily lexical and morphological. 4.2. Syntactic Role in Verbal Compounding Syntax plays a role in some Persian compounds. For example, compounds like xodā-dād ‘god-given’ and amir-dād ‘amir-given’ contain referential non-heads (referring to specific entities), behaving like syntactic phrases, though such cases are rare. Compounds like āzmude-kār ‘experienced-worker’ and šekaste-del ‘broken-hearted’ feature initial heads, aligning with syntactic phrase structure. Prepositional phrases (e.g., dīn- be- donyā- foruš , ‘selling faith for worldly gain’) and expandable compounds (e.g., mehmān-xāne-dār ‘guesthouse-keeper’) demonstrate syntactic participation. Compounds like dast-dovom-foruši ‘second-hand-selling’ and gol-o-bute-dār ‘flower-and-shrub-having’ reveal syntactic rule application. Discussion Verbal compounding in Persian involves placing a non-verbal element adjacent to a verb-derived element such that the non-verbal element functions as the subject or adjunct of the verbal structure. Incorporation is the process of creating a single word through the movement of an element alongside the verbal head. These two processes share similarities in terms of their constituent elements. Verbal compounds such as dandān-gir ‘pliers’ and āb-o-nān-dār ‘water-and-bread-holder’ demonstrate that compounds are not solely formed from words but also from smaller units (roots, stems) and larger units (phrases). There are ongoing morphological and syntactic debates regarding incorporation. The syntactic approach cannot adequately explain compounds like mive-forūš ‘fruit-seller’ or dandān-gir , because the movement of elements violates the Head Movement Constraint and the Projection Principle. Incorporation in Persian aligns more closely with Rosen’s (1989) model, in which the verb’s valency is reduced, as seen in examples such as dom-boride ‘tail-cut’ and dahān-por-kon ‘mouth-filler’. However, the data indicate that the formation of verbal compounds is neither purely morphological nor purely syntactic but rather a combination of both domains. The accepted semantic/quasi-incorporation approach supports the joint involvement of syntax and morphology in constructing verbal compounds. This approach can also explain structures involving syntactic phrase elements, such as no-āmuz ‘new-learner’ and xod-āmuz ‘self-learner’ Conclusion This study is significant because it provides a detailed and comprehensive examination of the formation processes of Persian verbal compounds and clarifies the simultaneous role of syntax and morphology in these structures. The findings show that Persian verbal compounds result from a complex interaction between morphological and syntactic processes. Key findings include the multifunctionality of the non-head element (a morphological feature) and the referentiality of the non-head element (a syntactic feature). Furthermore, this research emphasizes that the combined semantic/quasi-incorporation approach offers the best theoretical framework for analyzing Persian verbal compounds, as it can also account for more complex structures involving syntactic phrase elements. These results contribute substantially to the development of linguistic theories related to compounding and incorporation.








