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Journal of Universal Language
Sejong University Language Research Institue

J. Univers. Lang. 2012; 13(1):31-70

pISSN: 1598-6381

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2012.13.1.31

Article

Linguistic Typology: An Iranian Perspective

Mohammad Dabir-Moghaddam1,†
1Allameh Tabataba’i University
†Corresponding Author : Mohammad Dabir-Moghaddam, Department of Linguistics, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Chamran Highway, Pol-e Modiriyat, Allameh Tabataba’i Str., Tehran, IRAN Phone: 982188038013; Email: dabirmoghaddam@yahoo.com

Copyright ⓒ 2016, Sejong University Language Research Institue. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: Oct 18, 2011; Revised: Nov 23, 2011; Accepted: Dec 12, 2011

Published Online: Jan 01, 2017

Abstract

The Iranian languages spoken in Iran reveal a very intriguing typological peculiarity. They all strongly benefit from agreement as a typological parameter. In this paper, I will begin with Comrie (1978) in which he has proposed the five possible language types based on case-marking and verb-agreement and will address the status of several varieties of Kurdish, as well as a dialect of Talyshi and Davani with respect to agreement. I will show that type (d), i.e., the Tripartite system in Comrie’s terminology where S, A, and P each has a distinct marking, and type (e), for which he has not proposed any name but is a type in which A and P are identically marked, are highly productive and stable systems in the mentioned Iranian languages. The observations reported have implications for the notion of type, language change, and linguistic variation.

Keywords: agreement system; Kurdish; Talyshi; Davani; clitic

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