VERB:
Definition
A verb in Middle Persian can constitute a minimal predicate in a clause, and govern the number and types of other constituents which may occur in the clause.
Verbs are traditionally classified as either transitive or intransitive, which is relevant for the ergative contruction, but one also finds causative (or transitivized), passive (or intransitivized), and middle (i.e. the diathesis medium). There are no inherently reflexive verbs in Middle Persian.
Verbs can be finite or infinite. If finite, it usually agrees with the morphological subject but rare cases of agreement with indirectly affected participants are attested. If no subject exists (zero valency), the default form is 3rd person singular.
Auxiliary verbs are not annotated as VERB but as AUX.
Examples
- raftan, xwardan “to move, to eat”
- rawēd, xwarēd “moves, eats”
- raft, xward “moved, ate” or participle “moved, eaten” or short infintive “to move, to eat”
- rawišn, xwarišn “moving, eating” or necessitative “to be moved, to be eaten”
Border cases
Modal verbs exhibit characteristics of auxiliaries. They are annotated as VERB nevertheless because they have their own case frame (oblique subjects) and display peculiar syntax.
- čē=t pad frazām hamāg abāyēd hištan “For, in the end, you (obl.) have to leave everything behind!”
Verbal nouns typically appear as NOUNs but can also be used as necessitatives, in case of which they are annotated as VERBs. Infinitival clauses are considered as being headed by a VERB. This also includes periphrastic constructions (e.g. with modal verbs) where the dependent verb appears in its infinitival form.
In Middle Persian translations of Avestan text, deverbal nominal derivations appear to be used as predicates (e.g. nomina agentes), probably in an attempt to find an equivalent for the more complex Avestan verbal morphology. If syntax suggests a clausal structure, such heads are annotated as VERB as well.
VERB in other languages: [axm] [bej] [bg] [bm] [cs] [cy] [da] [el] [en] [es] [ess] [et] [eu] [fi] [fr] [fro] [ga] [grc] [hbo] [hu] [hy] [it] [ja] [ka] [kk] [kpv] [ky] [myv] [naq] [nmf] [no] [oge] [pal] [pcm] [pt] [qpm] [ru] [sl] [sv] [tr] [tt] [u] [uk] [urj] [xcl] [xmf] [yue] [zh]