Semantic Space of šod-{n  to become in Persian: A Cognitive Account

This paper attempts to explore the semantic space of šod-{n ‘to become’ in Persian in order to address some basic features of linguistic cognition (e.g. analyzability and compositionality). One of the highly-frequent verbs in Persian is šod-{n, which with regard to its different functions at the level of sentence, can be considered as the most active verb in this language. According to a diachronic viewpoint, the same verbal form, šod{n, with four distinctive functions (as a main verb, as a copula, as a modal verb, and as the verbal constituent of complex predicates) plays an important role in Persian verbal system. The passive construction in Persian is considered as a Complex Predicate in which šod-{n combines with different linguistic categories such as noun, adjective, prepositional phrase and past participle (X in general).Its semantic space indicates that various types of constructions including šod-{n form a network of meanings, in which the verbal element šod-{n is meaningful, in contrast to the previous studies it's passive construction which considered it as a purely syntactic element carrying no meaning. Therefore, the passive construction in Persian is viewed as analyzable in which šod-{n is not a random occurrence but rather an extension of its other uses. The relatedness of the uses of šod-{n provides further evidence for the claim in Cognitive Grammar that the passive construction is part of a larger network of related syntactic constructions and not derives from the active construction.