Passive Verb and Passive Suffix in Literary Gorani Texts

This study aims to etymologize the suffix that forms the passive stem in passive verbs used in the literary Gorani/Gurani texts. Within the framework of the phonetic-phonological rules of Iranian language evolution, this research seeks to trace the developmental path of this passive-forming suffix. To this end, the methods of passivization in the literary Gorani texts were examined, and passive verbs were analyzed morphologically. After investigating the verb stems, the passive suffix in Gorani was identified. By comparing this suffix with stem-forming morphemes used in Iranian languages across different historical periods, and considering the rules of historical sound changes and the phonetic characteristics of Gorani and other languages and dialects where this suffix is used, the origin and historical development of the passive suffix were determined. Based on this analysis, it was concluded that this suffix is not a remnant of just an ancient passive-forming suffix, but rather the result of the merger of two suffixes and the application of phonetic changes. To validate this finding, the passive suffixes in other modern Iranian languages and dialects were also examined from a historical perspective, and their historical development was reconstructed.
 
Extended abstract
1.Introduction
“Gorani,” in this context, refers to the language used as a common literary language for a collection of poems attributed to the Kurdish regions of western Iran. The heroic and mythical epics, also known as the “Kurdish Shahnameh”, constitute a significant portion of Gorani texts, and the data for this research were gathered from this category of texts. None of the contemporary dialects perfectly match literary Gorani. It appears that this language could not have been used as a spoken language and was exclusively for written purposes. Therefore, the language of Gorani texts requires distinct examination. However, existing similarities between the contemporary languages and dialects, and the varieties belonging to the Kurdish language group, can be utilized to clarify their historical evolution.
2.Theoretical Framework
Three methods are employed in contemporary Iranian languages and dialects to express passive voice: 1) The third-person plural form of the active transitive verb without mentioning the subject/agent. 2) The adjective/participle of the main verb plus auxiliary verb constructions. 3) Using a passive-forming suffix to create the passive stem.
This paper focuses on the third method, the verbal passive. In this method, the passive stem is formed by attaching the passive-forming suffix to the present stem (morphological root) of the transitive verb. The use of this method for forming the verbal passive is common not only in Middle Iranian languages but also in some of the contemporary Iranian languages and dialects. The passive-forming suffixes used in Iranian dialects to create passive stems include -g, -k, -ya, -re, -rē, -i, -ey, -eh for the present stem, and -yā, -ya, -kā, -rā, -is(t), -as(t), -es, -ehest for the past stem. Some researchers have identified the passive stem suffixes -ya and -yā as deriving from the Proto-Iranian *-i̭a stem-forming suffix. This paper aims to refine and clarify this view.
3.Research Methodology
In Gorani texts, all three methods mentioned above have been used to express passive voice. This research focuses on the third method, the verbal passive, and the etymology of the passive-forming suffix used within it. Examples have been gathered from three texts: “Rostam-o Zanūn,” “Dâstân-e Babr-e Bayân,” and “Bahman-o Farâmarz.” For the Gorani text and its Persian translation, the critisisms made by other researchers have been used, with modifications made to the translation as necessary. Given that the precise pronunciation of these poems cannot be fully inferred from the script, and each narrator and reciter pronounces them differently, closer to their own dialect or that of the audience, variations are observed in the transliteration of the references. In this paper, the transliteration provided in the references is cited where available; otherwise, it is based on other sources.
4.Research Findings and Discussion
In literary Gorani texts, alongside other methods of passivization, the morphological one, which is termed verbal passive is used to form past passive verbs by adding the passive-forming suffix -yā to the present stem (morphological root) of the verb, creating a passive past stem. Same passive-forming suffix (-yā-) is used not only in Gorani but also in other new Iranian languages and dialects, including some varieties of Kurdish, Lori, and Raji. Due to the similarity of this suffix to the Proto-Iranian passive stem-forming suffix (-i̭a), some researchers have considered them identical. Regardless of the unlikelihood of an inflectional suffix persisting without phonological change from the ancient to the modern period, a closer examination of the evidence can offer a better proposal for the evolution of this suffix.
In the transition from the ancient to the middle period of Iranian languages, the syllable i̭a, at the beginning, middle, or end of words, has transformed into ī or ē. Consequently, one would expect the Proto-Iranian suffix -i̭a to have evolved into -ī or -ē in the Middle period. However, we observe that the passive stem-forming suffix in Western Middle Iranian languages is -īh. Considering evidence from the form -ī̆y of the passive-forming suffix in Middle Persian inscriptions and Pahlavi Psalter, the existence of a form without ‘h’ of this passive-forming suffix in some varieties during the Middle period can be considered probable.
On the other hand, both the Proto-Iranian suffix -i̭a and the Middle Iranian suffix -īh/-īy were used to form the present stem. To form the past stem in the Middle period of Iranian languages, an additional stem-forming element was required. One of the Gorani stem-forming suffixes that forms a past stem by attaching to the present stem of the verb (morphological root) is “-ā.” In Middle Iranian languages, one of the stem-forming suffixes is -ād, which was used in Parthian to form derived past stems. The tendency to omit ‘d’ at the middle and end of words exists in Gorani, Awrami, and their neighboring dialects. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Gorani stem-former “-ā” is a replacement for the Middle period suffix -ād.
5.Conclusion
By examining the phonological developments of Iranian languages and the rules governing them from the ancient to the modern period, and considering that the ancient suffix -i̭a evolved into -ī in the Middle period, it is hypothesized that when combined with the derived past stem-forming suffix -ād, it resulted in *-yād in passive past stems. Subsequently, in the present period, with the omission of ‘d’, it evolved into the final form –yā. This suffix is used not only in literary Gorani but also in some contemporary dialects, including the Kurdish language group, Awrami, Lori, and Raji.
Although no passive present stems were found in the literary Gorani texts studied in this research, for the sake of completing the discussion, the passive present stem-forming suffix in similar and neighboring dialects was examined. This suffix actually consists of a single phoneme, and the vowel introduced as the second phoneme of this suffix is in fact part of the present tense verb ending. The first phoneme of this suffix is the result of the evolution of the Proto-Iranian suffix -i̭a, which has remained as -y/-ī in some dialects.
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