SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The subject of this thesis is the description of the noun-phrase in Persian on the basis of the transformational theory as described by Chomsky in Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. The first chapter of the thesis is devoted to a description of the syntactic behaviour of the noun-phrase within simplex sentences - both those formed by the verbs budan or odan and those formed by other verbs. This involves description of the noun-phrase within simple interrogative sentences and, also, within sentences formed with passive verbs. The subject of the second chapter is a description of the syntactic behaviour of the noun-phrase within complex sentences. The differences between restrictive and non-restrictive clauses have been discussed. The syntactic behaviour of the noun-phrase within sentences formed by the verbs budan or odan has been described separately in this chapter. The last part of the second chapter is devoted to a description of complements. Pronouns and the process of pronominalization in Persian constitute the subject of Chapter Throe. The syntactic behaviour of the reflexive and the emphatic pronouns, as well as that of the personal pronouns, is (i)budan="to be", odan="to become" . illustrated and discussed in this chapter. Chapter Four has been devoted to adjectives. Different kinds of adjectival/nominal constructions are illustrated in this chapter. Chapter Five deals with the grammatical status of determiners in Persian. It also gives a definition and goes into a description and classification of different kinds of determiners in Persian. Finally, the three senses of the noun, the composition of the noun-phrase in the surface structure and the grammatical status of the infinitive in Persian are illustrated in Chapter Six.