Cover not available

In:Give Constructions across Languages
Edited by Myriam Bouveret
[Constructional Approaches to Language 29] 2021
► pp. 223–243

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
authorization required

Chapter 9
Grammar in usage and grammaticalization of dan ‘give’ constructions in Kurmanji Kurdish

 | University of Rouen, Dylis
 | University of Rouen | Lattice ENS-CNRS-Paris3
Published online: 10 March 2021
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/cal.29.09aki
Belonging to the family of Indo-European languages, Kurdish is part of the Iranian group of this family, which gathers several modern languages such as Balochi, Ossetic, Persian, Tadjik, etc. The two main dialects that are closely related to each other are the Kurmanji dialect and the Sorani dialect. The Kurmanji dialect, spoken by 65% of the Kurds, appears more archaic than the other dialects in its phonetic and morphological structure. We focus on two dominant grammatical categories used with dan ‘give’ in Kurmanji Kurdish, light verb constructions (LVC) and causative constructions, illustrating issues of language change. Causative and light verb constructions are dominant in the Kurdish language, as illustrated through our various corpora. We illustrate the grammaticalization of dan in Kurmandji Kurdish corresponding to a typological fact found in other languages (Bouveret 2012; Gougenheim 1929; Von Waldenfels 2012; Newman 1997, 1998). We show that the causative use of dan as an auxiliary construction is a major grammatical fact in the Kurmanji Kurdish and categorize three kinds of causative constructions.
As discussed in the grammaticalization literature, the wide usage of a very common verb, and its extensive productivity can lead to a bleaching process from full verb towards auxiliary. The grammaticalization process for dan is also shown in Kurmanji Kurdish through the use of light verb constructions and the high productivity of the verb in compounds.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Object of the paper
    • 1.2Traditional grammars
    • 1.3Salient linguistic characteristics of Kurmanji Kurdish
    • 1.4The corpora
  • 2.Analysis
    • 2.1Results
    • 2.2Polysemy and productivity of dan in synchrony
      • 2.2.1Definition and examples of dan in dictionaries
      • 2.2.2 Newspapers
  • 3.Verbal constructions
    • 3.1 Light verb constructions (LVC)
    • 3.2Light verbs and reflexive forms
    • 3.3Various causative constructions with dan
      • 3.3.1The causative construction [dan + kirin V-Inf]
      • 3.3.2Simple causation [dan V-Inf]
      • 3.3.3Double causation with [dan + causative morpheme] and in the transitive/intransitive alternation [ dan + V-and]
      • 3.3.4A complex construction: Light verb and causative constructions: [dan + kirin V-Inf]
  • Conclusion
  • List of abbreviations
  • Notes
  • References
References (49)
References
Akin, S. (2002). Discours rapporté et hétérogénéité discursive en kurde, Faits de langue, n°19, 71–84.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2006). Le médiatif : l’émergence d’une nouvelle catégorie grammaticale en kurde ?, 7e Colloque Chronos, Anvers, 18–20 sept. 2006.
(2011). Language planning in Diaspora : The case of Kurdish Kurmanji dialect, Journal of Estonian and Finno-Ugric Linguistics, 2–1, Ed. by Urmas Sutrop, Karl Pajusalu and Mari Mets. Tartu: Tartu Ülikool: 10–29.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Akin, S. & Araz, S. (2014). Kürtçe seçmeli dil eğitimi: Sorunlar ve öneriler. Taraf, 21/09/2014Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Aygen, L. (2007). Kurmandji Kurdish. Lincom Europa.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Aykoc, F. M. (1996). Kurdîzan : rûberîna zaravên kurdî, Veşanên Înstîtûya Kurdî, Berlin, 311 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Auroux, S. (1994), La révolution technologique de la grammatisation, Liège, Mardaga, 216 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Badilli, K. (1965). Türkçe Izahli Kürtçe Grameri (Kurmançça Lehçesi) [Grammaire kurde avec des explications en turc (Dialecte Kurmanji)], Ankara Basim ve Ciltevi, 160 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Beidar, P. (1926). Grammaire kurde, éd. Geuthner, 77 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bedir Khan, Dj. & Lescot R. (1991). Grammaire kurde (Dialecte kurmandji), Maisonneuve, Paris, 388 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bouveret, M. (2008). Give verb-object constructions in French from grammar to idioms. BLS 34, n°1. Proceedings of the 34th Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society, Berkeley, CA, February 16, 2008, 35–56.
(2012). Give verb object constructions in French. Bouveret and Legallois (eds), Constructions in French (2012), John Benjamins publishing company, 99–126. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bulut, C. (2000). Indirectivity in Kurmanji. Evidentials : Turkic, Iranian and Neighbouring Languages, Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, 147–184. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bybee, J. (2003). Mechanisms of Change in Grammaticization: The Role of Frequency. B. Joseph, & R. Janda, (Eds.), The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 602–623. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2014). The New Psychology of Language: Cognitive and Functional. Tomasello M. (ed)., 2014. Volume 2, Psychology Press, 145–147.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ciwan, M. (1992). Türkçe Açiklamali Kürtçe Dilbilgisi Dilbilgisi [Grammaire kurde avec des explications en turc], Bölinge, Jina Nû, 224 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dorleijn, M. (1996). The decay of ergativity in Kurmanci, Tilburg, Tilburg University Press, 183 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Farqini, Z. (2005). Ferhenga Kurdî-Tirkî Institut kurde d’Istanbul, 2132 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fossum, L. (1919). Practical Kurdish Grammar. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Garzoni, M. (1787). Grammatica e Vocabulario della lingua kurda, Rome, éd. Sacra Congregazione di Propaganda Filde, 288 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gosselin, L. (1996). Sémantique de la temporalité en français. Un modèle calculatoire et cognitif du temps et de l’aspect, Louvain-la-neuve, Duculot, co. Recherches, 292 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gougenheim, G. (1929). Étude sur les périphrases verbales de la langue française, Les Belles Lettres, Paris.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Haig, G. (2002). The corpus of contemporary Kurdish newspaper texts (CCKNT) : A pilot project in corpus linguistics for Kurdish. Kurdische Studien (1)2. Berlin, 148–155.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Haig, G. and Matras, Y. (2002). Kurdish linguistics: a brief overview. Language Typology and Universals 55. 3–14. Walter De Gruyter. Akademie Verlag.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hassanpour, A. (1992). Nationalism and language in Kurdistan, 1918–1985, San Francisco: Mellon Research University Press, 520 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Heine, B., Reh, M. (1984). Grammaticalization and Reanalysis in African Languages. Helmut Buske, 308 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Heine, B., Claudi, U. and Hünnemeyer, F. (1991). Grammaticalization: A Conceptual Framework. University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hirori, N. (2005). Rewşa zimanê kurdî li Îraqê. Nefel, [URL]
Hopper, P., J. and Traugott, E.C. (1993). Grammaticalization. Cambridge University Press, 276 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jaba, A. (1879). Dictionnaire Kurde-Français, St. Pétersbourg.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jardine, R. F. (1922). Bahdinan Kurmanji. A grammar of the Kurmanji of the Kurds of Mosul division and surrounding districts of Kurdistan, Baghdad, the Government Press, 114 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kamandar, F. I. (2003). Les Dialectes kurdes méridionaux: Etude linguistique et dialectologique, Peeters, Col. Acta Iranica, 920 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lamiroy, B. (1999). Auxiliaires, langues romanes et grammaticalisation. Langages, n° 13 5, Larousse. 33–45.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Levin, B. (1993). English Verb Classes and Alternations: A Preliminary Investigation, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lehmann, C. (1982). Thoughts on grammaticalization. Working Papers. Assidue Arbeitspapiere des Seminars für Sprachwissenschaft der Universität Erfurt. Nr.9.
Matras, Y. (1992–1993). Ergativity in Kurmanji. Notes on its use and distribution. Orientalia Suecana XLI–XLII, 139–154.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Meillet, A. (1912). Introduction à l’étude comparative des langues indo- européennes. 3e édition corrigée et augmentée. Paris, Hachette. In-8°, xxvi–502 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nezan, K. (2017). Dictionnaire kurde-français, Paris, Riveneuve Editions, 1995 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Newman, J. (ed.) (1998). The Linguistics of Giving. [Studies in Typological Linguistics 36]. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 384 p. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(1996). Give: A Cognitive Linguistic Study. [Cognitive Linguistics Research 7] Berlin and New York: Mouton de Gruyter. 319 p. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rhea, S. A. (1880). Brief Grammar and Vocabulary of the Kurdish Language of the Hakari District, éd. American Oriental Studies, 155 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Scalbert Yücel, C. (2006). La diaspora kurde en Suède. Conservation, production et diffusion d’un savoir linguistique. European Journal of Turkish Studies, Thematic Issue N°5, Power, ideology, knowledge – deconstructing Kurdish Studies, URL : [URL].
Shibatani, M. (ed.) (2002). The Grammar of Causation and Interpersonal Manipulation. [Typological Studies in Language, 48] 2002. xviii, John Benjamins Publihsing Company. 551 p. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Soane, E. B. (1919). Elementary Kurmanji Grammar, Baghdad, the Government Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tan, S. (2000). Waneyên rezimanê kurmancî [Les cours de la grammaire du kurmandji], Weşanên Welat, Istanbul, 192 p.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Thackston, W.M. (2006). Kurmanji Kurdish: a reference grammar with selected readings. Iranian Studies at Harvard University [online]. Available at: [URL]Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Traugott, E. and Trousdale, G. (2013). Constructionalization and constructional changes, Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Traugott, E. C. (1989). On the Rise of Epistemic Meanings in English: An Example of Subjectification in Semantic Change. Language, 65, 31–55. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Von Waldenfelds, R. (ed.) (2012). The Grammaticalization of ‘Give’ + Infinitive: A Comparative Study of Russian, Polish, and Czech. De Gruyter Mouton. 334 p. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (2)

Cited by two other publications

Bouveret, Myriam, Françoise Gallez & Manon Hermann
2022. Constructionalization of verbal causative periphrases in French faire, laisser, mettre à, donner à + Vinf. In Cognition and Contrast, ► pp. 133 ff. DOI logo
Matras, Yaron, Geoffrey Haig & Ergin Öpengin
2022. Introduction. In Structural and Typological Variation in the Dialects of Kurdish, ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 15 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue