A Case of Paradigmatic Levelling in Central Plateau Dialects

The present paper studies a case of paradigmatic levelling in the Central Plateau Dialects (CPD). Paradigmatic levelling is a kind of analogical change which reduces stem alternations within a paradigm. In most CPD, the verb ڮcomeڰ shows a stem alternation in the non-imperative and imperative moods, that is to say, the present stem [a:j-] has the suppletive stem [ur-/or-] in the imperative mood. But in some CPD, consisting of just four dialects Ardestani, Fasakhodi, Komshechei and Hendu-Abadi, spoken in the Ardestan area, analogical levelling has extended the suppletive stem to the other mood forms. In other words, the [a:j-] ~ [ur-/or-] alternation was eliminated and no longer exists.