The Optimality Theory Approach to"Partial Prefixed Reduplication" in Persian

Each language uses different ways to create a new word. One of the ways is “Reduplication process”. It is a productive process in morphology. In this process, it is possible to repeat the whole or partial word (or base) and produce a new word with a different meaning. According to this method, the new part is added to the base which has the main role to determine its form and to repeat the whole or partial base in the left, right, and sometimes middle positions of the base. Also, this process can be divided into “Full/Total” and “Partial” reduplication in Persian. In partial reduplication, a part of the base not only does not possess phonological identity, but it also carries no meaning. It only adds concepts such as intensity, emphasis and categorization to the base meaning which is called “Reduplicant”. The partial reduplication per se is divided into “Prefixed and Suffixed reduplication”. With respect to the new definitions and studies in this field, “partial prefixed reduplication” is classified into three groups in Persian: In the first type, the last phoneme of the base is deleted and the modified form precedes the base, like: (nâ nâz) ,ناناز (gol goli) ,گل گلی (dæ dær) ددر In the second type, the base first consonant is reduplicated with the fixed half-syllable before the base, such as: (cæt-o coloft)، کت‌ وکلفت (pæt-o pæhn)، پت و پهن (Ɂâl-o Ɂâdʒil) آل ‌وآجیل In the third type, the base first consonant is reduplicated with a fixed part (together with a section which is constantly fixed, for example:(veleng-o vâz/bâz) ,ولنگ و واز/باز (∫ælæm ∫urvâ/∫urbâ),شلم شوروا/شوربا (zælæm zimbo) زلم زیمبو After introducing different kinds of reduplication process in Persian, this article studied the partial prefixed reduplication based on the standard version of “Optimality Theory” that is called “Correspondence Theory”. In fact, it aims at investigating this process towards incorporating Persian to the new theory in “Generative Grammar”. So, the main question targeted by the study is: - Can we describe the “Partial prefixed reduplication process” in Persian based on “Correspondence Theory” (the standard version of Optimality Theory)? To answer this question, first, we should be familiar with Optimality and Correspondence Theories. Optimality Theory which was first established through introducing “over application” by Wilbur (1973) in his studies, was later noticed by researchers through publishing Prince and Smolensky’s (1993, 2004) and McCarthy and Prince’s (