TITLE:
A Historical Investigation into Persian Modal Auxiliaries
AUTHORS:
Jalal Rahimian, Hossein Najari, Shole Hesarpuladi
KEYWORDS:
Old Persian, Middle Persian, Modern Persian, Modality, Modal Verbs
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics,
Vol.5 No.4,
August
27,
2015
ABSTRACT: Modal
verbs are typically used in expressing conditional situations and events. This
research aims at investigating into the history of modal verbs in Persian from
Old to Modern period. Based on the written data related to Old Persian, this
language lacks any modal verb. In this period of Persian, conditional events and situations are expressed by other means,
including certain verb moods and adverbs. In uncertain periods of Middle
Persian four main verbs related to Old Persian had been implemented in new capacities,
known as modal verbs, to express modalized events and situations. In Modern
Persian, only two of the four Middle Persian modal verbs, namely, tavǎnestan and bǎyestan, plus a new modal verb called šodan are used in
expressing different kinds and degrees of modality. However, it was revealed
that the range of meanings expressed by Modern Persian modals is not as diverse
as those used in Middle Persian.