A Study of Topicalization in Complex Sentences of Persian Language Based on the Lexical - Functional Grammar Approach

According to Bresnan et al. (2016), using morphological (lexocentric) or structural means to specify argument functions results in different representations of grammaticalized discourse functions in LFG. Furthermore, the AF specification is local to a single clause in this theory, resulting in a different representation of grammaticalized DFs in complex sentences during the topicalization and left-dislocation processes. The aim of this study is to investigate the processes of topicalization and left-dislocation in Persian complex sentences. Using a descriptive method, it also aims at showing how the subject and object functions in Persian are specified in the aforementioned framework. The findings indicate that the left-dislocated object and topicalized subject NP in the higher clause have both a DF in the f-structure. Both the agreement inflection and clitic pronoun have AF and anaphorically agree with the DF based on the well-formedness conditions. The agreement inflection, unlike the clitic pronoun, lacks an independent node in the c-structure as a morphological component of the verb. The semantic feature of the marked-râ object is placed in the value of the topic in f-structure, and the topic has the accusative case via postposition-râ. Since the AF specification is local to a single clause, in order to observe well-formedness conditions based on the economy principle, an empty category is required exocentrically in the canonical position of the NP in the lower clause of the c-structure. The object without-râ takes a similar approach, but it lacks morphological means to specify the object function. Thus, the empty category is considered endocentrically in the VP in the lower clause of the c-structure.