Comprative Study of Motion Verbs in the Middle and Modern Persian

Cognitive typology is focused on conceptual principles, experience, and cognition to analyze language universals and differences in the representation of categories, experiences, etc. among the languages of the world. One of the fundamental principles of cognitive linguistics, and thus cognitive typology is the rejection of the distinction between diachronic and synchronic linguistics. In fact, neglecting the changes a language goes through time, results in neglecting the evidences that historically affected today’s language use. Therefore, this research aims to study different ways of using motion verbs in the Middle Persian (focusing on Zoroastrian Middle Persian) and comparing them with Modern Persian to find out about the changes in representation of motion verbs through the history of Persian language. Theoretical framework of this research is cognitive typology (Talmy, 2000) based on which languages are classified into two types of verb-framing and satellite-framing. In verb-framing languages, the information about path of movement is expressed in a verb, but in satellite –framing languages, information about the path is expressed outside the verb. One of the main elements of events is the path of motion which is represented in different ways in different languages based on their features and capacities. Therefore, motion verbs represent different information about the path of motion. In this article motion verbs in Middle and Modern Persian are analyzed and compared based on a cognitive approach. Results show that in this regard, Middle Persian is verb-framing, but Modern Persian is both verb-framing and satellite framing which may be due to the cognitive development of the speakers through time, and the growing capacity of languages to communicate the concepts.