Adjectivalization and Deadjectivalization in Persian:A Typological Prototype Approach

Abstract

Using a descriptive-analytical method, this research investigates adjectivalization and deadjectivalization in Persian within the framework of the Typological Prototype Theory. The research specifically aims at describing and explaining the two phenomena of adjectivalization and deadjectivalization in Persian, determining the prototypicality degree of the parts of speech resulting from these two processes, and evaluating the Typological Prototype Theory in determining the prototypical features of the adjectivalized nominals and nominalized adjectivals. The raw data were primarily selected by the researchers, analyzed based on the criteria and sub-criteria of the Typological Prototype Theory, and substantiated in the Persian Language Database and Bijankhan Corpus. This research shows that the category shift in the adjectivalization phenomenon is from the <object, reference˃ nouns into the <object, modification˃ adjectives, while that in the deadjectivalization process occurs from the <property, modification˃ and <action, modification˃ adjectives into the <property, reference˃ nouns. It was also shown in this study that deprototypicalization occurs in both adjectivalization and deadjectivalization processes, and that the Typological Prototype Theory can account for the prototypical features of the adjectivalized nominals and nominalized adjectivals.

Keywords

• adjectivalization
• deadjectivalization
• the typological prototype theory
• structural coding
• propositional act
• behavioral potential