Grammaticalization of Persian Suffixes: From Ancient Roots to Modern Usage

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

This study employs a descriptive framework to explore the evolution of several suffixes in contemporary Persian. The primary focus is to determine whether these suffixes were recognized as such in ancient Iranian languages or if they functioned as independent morphemes that gradually evolved into grammatical elements. Grammaticalization is examined as the process through which lexical components acquire grammatical roles, or how elements with existing grammatical features become increasingly grammaticalized. A critical question arises regarding independent morphemes that have transitioned into suffixes: Have they entirely lost their original meanings and become purely grammatical tools for word formation, or do they retain independent functions in certain contexts? An analysis of the suffixes -(e)stān, -bār, -bān, -dān, -pād, -zār, -gār/-ger, -kade, and -gāh, along with their meanings and usages in contemporary Persian, indicates that these suffixes were once free morphemes in the ancient Iranian period. Over time, due to linguistic changes, they have diminished in lexical independence and are now primarily used as adjectival or locative suffixes in modern Persian. The necessity to generate new vocabulary for various phenomena has significantly influenced the grammaticalization of many independent morphemes.

Keywords

References

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Research in Western Iranian Languages and Dialects
Volume 13, Issue 3
September 2025
Pages 53-70

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