Modern Persian Verb Morphology

Abstract

The morphological structure of the Modern Persian verb can be described as a six-slot string of constituents, with each slot rewritten as a pair of features or as a phonological matrix. Some of the features, all of which are necessary for semantic and syntactic rules, are not interpreted as phonological matrices, and emerge as phonetically null. Inflectional affixes are spelled directly as phonological matrices. Morphophonemic alternations in verb stems which are regular are described by general rules which operate on phonological and/or morphological features. Irregular alternations are described by minor rules for which formatives must be marked, their unmarked value being minus; the unmarked value of general rules is plus. Minor rules describe suppletive alternations as well as unique but non-suppletive ones; verbs which undergo both minor and general rules are so marked.