Investigating the Challenges of Lehmann and Whaley’s Frameworks on Determining Word Order: Evidence from Gilaki (Lahijani Dialect)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 English Language Department, Rasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Guilan,

2 Linguistics Department, at Ayatollah Ozam Boroujerdi, Lorestan, Iran.

3 English Language Department , Rasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Guilan, Iran.

Abstract

One of the parameters that is widely used in Typology is basic word order. In this paper, word order is investigated in Gilaki Language (Lahijani dialect). The objective of this study is to know what the word order is and show the challenges of Lehman’s  (1978)features in Lahijani dialect. To gather the data, native speakers’ conversations have been recorded. The both models’ analysis displayed that the Whaley’s model is in line with Lahijani features more than Leman’s model. Moreover, Data analysis showed that Lahijani is a verb final language (with a high frequency of SOV order) with a free word order (as unmarked form); that is, it is a non-configurational language. Therefore, Lahijani has flexible word order in which syntactic elements and information structures can be moved freely by speakers’ pragmatic intention. Thus, the main factor for this flexibility is the speakers’ pragmatic intention.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Akhlaghi, F., & Mostafavi, P. (2019). A typology of word order in the western and eastern varieties of Gilaki. Persian Language and Iranian Dialects, 4(1), 85–111.
Dabir-Moghaddam, M. (2001). Word Order Typology of Iranian Languages. International Journal of Humanities, 8(2), 17–24.
Dabir-Moghaddam, M. (2013). A typology of Iranian languages. Tehran: SAMT Publishing.
Dery, j. E. (2007). Pragmatic Focus and Word Order Variation in Tagalog. Language and Linguistics, 8(1), 373-402.
Dryer, M  S.(1992). “The Greenbergian Word Order Correlations”. Language. 68. 81–138.
Dryer, M. S. (2007). Language Typology and Syntactic Description. Vol. 1: Clause structure.Cambridge University Press. Edited by Timothy Shopen.
Dryer, M. S. (2013). Order of subject, object and verb. In M. S. Dryer & M. Haspelmath (Eds.), The World Atlas of Language Structures Online (Chapter 81). Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
Greenberg, J. H. (1966). Some Universals of Grammar with Particular Reference to the Order of Meaningful Elements. Universals of Language. Cambridge Mass: MIT Press, 73-113.
Hawkins, J. A. 1983. Word Order Universals. New York: Academic Press.
Kirt, A. (2012). Word order and Information structure in New Testament Greek. Canada. Alberta.
Lambrecht, K. (1994). Information Structure and Sentence Form. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lehmann, W. P. (1973). A Structural Principle of Language and its Implications. Language, 49, 47-66.
 Lehmann, W. P. (1978). Syntactic Typology: Studies in the Phenomenology of Language. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Pourhadi, M. (1392). Investigation of Gilaki Language. Vije name Fahangestan, Zabanha va guyeshhay Irani, 3, 201-226.
Qorbani, M.A. (1375). Historical and Cultural Background of Lahijan. Tehran: Nashr-e Sayeh.
Rasekhmahand, M. (1385). The relationship between scrambling and focus in Persian. Dastur, 2, 20-33.
Rastorgueva, V. S., Kerimova, A. A., Mamedzade, A. K., Pireiko, L. A., & Edel’man, D. I. (2012). The Gilaki Language. Acta Universitati. Upsaliensis. Studia Iranica Upsaliensia, 19, 1 - 445.
Rezapour, E. (1393). Scrambling in Mazandarani Dialect. Jostarhay Zabani, 5, 95-115.
Rodionova, E. (2001). Word Order and Information Structure in Russian Syntax. University of North Dakota.
Sugisaki, K. (2010). Case, Word order, General function and Information Structure in Japanese. Bielefeld University.
Thompson, G. (1997). Introducing Functional grammar. USA: St Matin’s Press.
Vahedi Langarudi, M.M. (1382). Word Order and Correlation Pairs in Simple Sentences of Langarudi Gilaki dialect.  Vije name Farhangestan, Zabanha va guyeshhay Irani,1, 8-121.
Van Valin, R. D., J. (1999). A typology of the interaction of focus structure and syntax. In E. Raxilina & J. G. Testelec (Eds.), Typology and linguistic theory: From description to explanation. Languages of Russian Culture, 511–524.
Vennemann, T. (1974). Analogy in Generative Grammar: The Origin of Word Order. Proceedings of the Eleventh International Congress of Linguists. Luigi Hellmann, 79-83.
Vennemann, T. (1976). Categorical Grammar and the Order of Meaningful Elements. Linguistic Studies Offered to Joseph Greenberg on the Occasion of his Sixtieth Birthday. Saratoga, California, 615-634.
Whaley, L. J. (1997). Introduction to Typology: The Unity and Diversity of Languages. India: Sage publication.
Journal of Linguistics & Iranian Languages
Volume 11, Issue 1
February 2026
Pages 91-115

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 07 June 2026
  • Revise Date: 16 September 2026
  • Accept Date: 17 September 2026

Share

How to cite

Statistics