Vowel shortening in Persian: A phonological analysis

Aliyeh K.Z. Kambuziya; Amir Ghorbanpour; Nader Mahdipour

doi:10.1515/psicl-2017-0014

Article

Vowel shortening in Persian: A phonological analysis

Aliyeh K.Z. Kambuziya , Amir Ghorbanpour and Nader Mahdipour

Published/Copyright: October 19, 2017

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From the journal Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics Volume 53 Issue 3

Abstract

This study is a phonological analysis of the process of vowel shortening in Persian. The aim was to find out whether there are any rules governing the different cases of vowel shortening in simple and complex words of formal standard Persian, and to analyse the conditions under which the long vowels /a, i, u/ change into the corresponding short vowels /æ, e, o/. In doing so, data were gathered from a 75000-word contemporary dictionary of Persian, and all the instances undergoing vowel shortening were extracted. Analysing the data showed that the change of /a/ into [æ] is the most frequent type of vowel shortening in Persian. In addition, it turned out that vowel shortening rarely occurs inside simple words in the formal standard form of the language (only in 35 entries out of 519 words in total; i.e. 6.7%); while on the contrary, in complex words it happens quite frequently. Furthermore, regarding the phonemic environment in which vowels undergo shortening, it was found that vowel shortening is most frequent before the glottal consonant /h/, next frequent before nasals /n/ and /m/, and then before /r/. The process also occurs rather frequently in morpheme-final positions in affixation. Lastly, it turns out that another important factor in vowel shortening is the syllable structure of the word; as the super-heavy and ultra-heavy syllables of Persian tend to lose one mora and become lighter in certain positions in the word.

Keywords: Vowel shortening; vowel length; syllable weight; Persian

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Appendix

A list of morphemes undergoing vowel shortening (in simple and complex words)

Simple words

/ɑ/ → [æ]
/pirɑhɑn/	‘shirt’	→	[pi.rɑ.hæn]
/jæɢlɑvi/	‘dish, pan’ (Tr)	→	[jæɢ.læ.vi]
/lɑʃe/	‘corpse’	→	[læʃ]
/tʃɑχmɑɢ/	‘flint’ (Tr)	→	[tʃæχ.mɑɢ]

/i/ → [e]
/zinhɑr/	‘beware’	→	[zen.hɑr]
/pehin/	‘dung’	→	[pe.hen]
/æhrimæn/	‘demon’	→	[ʔæh.re.mæn]
/dʒɑdʒim/	‘woolen carpet’	→	[dʒɑ.dʒem]
/niʃɑbur/	‘city name’	→	[nej. ʃɑ.bur]
/miljun/	‘million’ (Fr)	→	[mel.jun]
/miljɑrd/	‘billion’ (Fr)	→	[mel.jɑrd]
/mihmɑn/	‘guest’	→	[meh.mɑn]
/niʃɟun/	‘pinch’	→	[neʃ.ɡun]
/teriljun/	‘trillion’ (Fr)	→	[te.rel.jun]
/tʃelip/	‘(onomatopoeia)’	→	[tʃe.lep]
/ʔid/	‘holiday’ (Ar)	→	[ʔejd]

/u/→[o]
/bɑlun/	‘balloon’ (Fr)	→	[bɑ.lon]
/bohbuhe/	‘amid’ (Ar)	→	[boh.bo.he]
/bɑsluɢ/	‘kind of sweets’(Tr)	→	[bɑs.loɢ]
/bulvɑr/	‘boulevard’ (Fr)	→	[bol.vɑr]
/bute/	‘bush’	→	[bo.te]
/dʒudo/	‘judo’ (Ja)	→	[dʒo.do]
/jurtme/	‘trot’ (Tr)	→	[jort.me]
/jureʃ/	‘raid’ (Tr)	→	[jo.reʃ]
/mondʒuɢ/	‘glass bead’ (Tr)	→	[mon.dʒoɢ]
/surme/	‘kohl’	→	[sor.me]
/sænduɢ/	‘box’ (Ar)	→	[sæn.doɢ]
/ʃu(j)/	‘husband’	→	[ʃow.hær]
/tumɑn/	‘currency’ (Tr)	→	[to.mɑn]
/tʃɑbuc/	‘brisk’	→	[tʃɑ.boc]
/tʃɑvuʃ/	‘herald’ (Tr)	→	[tʃɑ.voʃ]
/tʃopuɢ/	‘pipe’ (Tr)	→	[tʃo.poɢ]
/tʃumɑɢ/	‘stick, club’ (Tr)	→	[tʃo.mɑɢ]
/tʃun/	‘like’	→	[tʃon]
/χub/	‘good, well’	→	[χob]

Compounds and derivatives

/ɑ/ → [æ]
/ɑɟɑh/	‘aware’	→	[ʔɑ.ɟæh]	in	[ʔɑ.ɟæ.hi]	‘awareness, advertisement’
/ɟɑh/	‘time period’	→	[ɟæh]	in	[ɟæh.gɑh]	‘sometimes’
					[nɑ.ɟæh]	‘sudden’
					[nɑ.ɟæ.hɑn]	‘suddenly’
					[nɑ.ɟæ.hɑ.ni]	‘sudden’
					[ɟæh.vɑ.re]	‘cradle’
/ɟonɑh/	‘sin’	→	[ɡo.næh]	in	[ɡo.næh.kɑr]	‘sinful’
/cutɑh/	‘short’	→	[ku.tæh]	in	[ku.tæh næ.zær]	‘short-sighted’
					[ku.tæh fecr]	‘narrow-minded’
/mɑh/	‘moon’	→	[mæh]	in	[mæh.roχ]	‘moon-faced, pretty’
					[mæh.ru]	‘moon-faced, pretty’
					[mæh.tɑb]	‘moonlight’
					[mæh.tɑ.bi]	‘moonlit, fluorescent’
					[mæh.doχt]	‘(name)’
					[mæh.nuʃ]	‘(name)’
					[mæh.jɑr]	‘(name)’
					[mæh.væʃ]	‘(name)’
					[mæ.hin]	‘(name)’
/neɟɑh/	‘look	→	[ne.ɟæh]	in	[ne.ɟæh.dɑ.ri]	‘keeping’
					[ne.ɟæh.dɑr]	‘keeper’
					[ne.ɟæh.bɑ.ni]	‘guarding’
					[ne.ɟæh.bɑn]	‘guard’
/rɑh/	‘way’	→	[ræh]	in	[ræh.ɡo.zær]	‘passer-by’
					[ræh.ne.mun]	‘guidance’
					[ræh.ne.mud]	‘guidance’
					[ræh.næ.mɑ]	‘guide’
					[ræh.næ.værd]	‘traveller’
					[ræh.bær]	‘leader’
					[ræ.hɑ.værd]	‘souvenir’
/sepɑh/	‘corps’	→	[se.pæh]	in	[se.pæh.sɑ.lɑr]	‘general’
					[se.pæh.bod]	‘general’
					[se.pæh.dɑr]	‘commander’
/selɑh/	‘weapon’	→	[se.læh]	in	[sæ.læh.ʃur]	‘warrior’
/sejɑh/	‘black’	→	[si.jæh]	in	[si.jæh.tʃor.de]	‘dark-skinned’
					[si.jæh.puʃ]	‘dressed in black’
					[si.jæh.dʒɑ.me]	‘dressed in black’
					[si.jæh.ruz]	‘miserable’
/ʃɑh/	‘king’	→	[ʃæh]	in	[ʃæh.vɑr]	‘kingly’
					[ʃæh.bɑ.nu]	‘queen’
					[ʃæh.zɑd]	‘prince’
					[ʃæh.ri.jɑr]	‘king’
					[ʃæh.sæ.vɑr]	‘knight’
					[ʃæh.bɑz]	‘hawk’
/tæbɑh/	‘crime’	→	[tæ.bæh]	in	[tæ.bæh.kɑr]	‘criminal’
/dæhɑn/	‘mouth’	→	[dæ.hæn]	in	[bæd dæ.hæn]	‘foul-mouthed’
					[dæ.hæn bin]	‘whimsical person’
					[dæ.hæ.ne]	‘harness, opening’
/dɑmɑn/	‘lap’	→	[dɑ.mæn]	in	[pɑc dɑ.mæn]	‘chaste’
					[piʃ dɑ.mæn]	‘apron’
					[dɑ.mæn.ɟir]	‘entangled’
/-mɑn/	‘like’	→	[-mæn]	in	[tor.cæ.mæn]	‘Turk-like, Turcoman’
/bɑzɑr/	‘bazaar’	→	[bɑ.zær]	in	[bɑ.zær.ɡɑn]	‘trader, merchant’
					[bɑ.zær.ɡɑ.ni]	‘trade’
/-cɑr/ /-ɟɑr/	‘doing’	→	[-ɟær]	in	[se.tæm.ɟær]	‘tyrant, cruel’
					[ʃi.ʃe.ɟær]	‘glazier’
					[ku.ze.ɟær]	‘potter’
					[bær.ze.ɟær]	‘cultivator’
					[rof.te.ɟær]	‘dustman’
					[dɑd.ɟær]	‘just’
					[zær.ɟær]	‘goldsmith’
					[ʔɑ.hæn.ɟær]	‘balcksmith’
/-sɑr/	‘head’	→	[-sær]	in	[sæ.boc.sær]	‘frivolous’
					[χi.re.sær]	‘stubborn’
					[ʔɑ.si.me.sær]	‘bewildered’
/nɑ-/	‘not, un-’	→	[næ-]	in	[næ.di.de]	‘unseen’
					[næ.fæhm]	‘witless’
					[næ.dɑr]	‘poor’
					[næ.ʃo.dæ.ni]	‘impossible’
					[næ.ne.veʃ.te]	‘unwritten’
					[bɑ.vær næ.cær.dæ.ni]	‘unbelievavle’
/hɑm-/	‘co-, homo-’	→	[hæm-]	in	[hæm.rɑh]	‘compeer’
					[hæm.ɡun]	‘homogenous’
/pejɢɑm/	‘message’	→	[pej.ɢæm]	in	[pej.ɢæm.bær]	‘messenger’
[pej.ɢæm.bær]	‘message’	→	[pæ.jæm]	in	[pæ.jæm.bær]	‘messenger’
/i/ → [e]
/diɟær/	‘other’	→	[de.ɟær]	in	[de.ɟær.ɡun]	‘transformed’
					[de.ɟær.ɡu.ni]	“transformation”
/dʒɑvid/	‘eternal’	→	[dʒɑ.ved]	in	[dʒɑ.ve.dɑn]	‘eternal’
/nicu/	‘good’	→	[ne.ku]	in	[ne.ku.nɑm]	‘well-known’
					[ne.ku.dɑʃt]	‘commemoration’
					[ne.ku.ji]	‘goodness’
/u/ → [o]
/tʃun/	‘like’	→	[tʃon]	in	[tʃo.nɑn]	‘like, as’
					[hæm.tʃon]	‘like, as’
					[tʃo.nin]	“such”
/ruh/	‘spirit’	→	[roh]	in	[ro.hɑ.ni]	“spiritual”
					[ro.hɑ.ni.jæt]	“spirituality”
/bu/	“scent”	→	[bo]	in	[bos.tɑn]	‘garden’
/huʃ/	‘intelligence’	→	[hoʃ]	in	[hoʃ.jɑr]	‘conscious’
					[hoʃ.jɑ.ri]	‘consciousness’

Published Online: 2017-10-19

Published in Print: 2017-10-26

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/psicl-2017-0014

Keywords for this article

Vowel shortening; vowel length; syllable weight; Persian