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Поле ‘менять’ в персидском языке
This article investigates the semantic field of ‘change’ in Persian from a lexical-typological perspective, applying the frame-based approach of the Moscow Lexical Typology Group. The study examines over 20 verbs related to this field, relying on data from dictionaries, corpora, and native speaker elicitation. In Persian, this semantic zone is primarily serviced by compound verbs. Our analysis reveals that the choice of the light verb does not correlate with the frames the compound verb covers; instead, the light verb is a feature of each individual lexeme. The verbal inventory is diverse: the quasi-dominant verb ‘avaż kardan /šodan covers the majority of frames, while other verbs occupy specific areas of the semantic map, sometimes overlapping with each other. For example, the verb jābejā kardan (‘substitute’) is restricted to Duty Shifts and Swapping Places, while jāygozin kardan /šodan (‘replace’) is used in Duty Shifts and Substitution as well, but also extends to Switching between objects and Compensatory Replacement. Furthermore, some verbs are limited to just one frame; for instance, degargun kardan /šodan (‘modify’) is used exclusively in Modification contexts. The Persian data demonstrate a contiguity of the semantic field of ‘change’ with the domains of transformation and movement. Specifically, verbs like tabdil kardan uniquely colexify Transformation and Switching while excluding Modification. An etymological analysis of Arabic loanwords further reveals that nominal components
derived from Arabic III and VI verb patterns, which denote joint or reciprocal actions, are exclusively used within Exchange frames (e.g., mobādele, tabādol, moʻāveże). Lastly, the data reinforce the existing semantic map while providing evidence that the “exchange of different things” and “reciprocal exchange” constitute two separate frames.