Introduction to Persian: 4th Revised Edition » (4th Edition)

An Introduction to Persian is an introduction on the elementary level to the modern Persian language. Each lesson is provided with specific exercises and drills for the major grammatical and syntactical points introduced therein. The vocabulary included at the end of each lesson are intended for active acquisition. Specialized supplementary vocabulary lists are also scattered throughout the book. In part two the outstanding differences between modern and classical usage are given. In part three the distinguishing features of ordinary colloquial Persian are given.

Preface ix

Introduction: Phonology and Script xi

The Phonology of Persian xiii

Syllabification xvi

Stress xvii

The Persian Alphabet xviii

Pronunciation Exercise xxxiv

Reading Exercise xxxv

Part 1 The Grammar of Modern Persian 1

Lesson 1 3

1 Word Order

2 Stress

3 Gender

4 State of the noun

5 Orthography of the indefinite enclitic

6 Adjectival order

7 The plural

8 The non-specific plural

Lesson 2 8

9 Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns

10 Verbal agreement with the plural

11 Co-ordination

12 Adverbs

13 Interrogative sentences. Supplementary Vocabulary: Courtesy Phrases

Lesson 3 14

14 The ezâfe

15 The noun in the predicate position

Lesson 4 21

16 Pronouns

17 Present copulas

18 The negative copula

19 kist and chist. Supplementary Vocabulary: Courtesy phrases

Lesson 5 26

20 The vocative

21 The possessive ezâfe

22 The long copula

Review 1 32

Lesson 6 33

23 The infinitive

24 The past stem and the past absolute tense

25 The specific direct-object marker -râ. Supplementary Vocabulary: Countries, Peoples, and Languages

Lesson 7 41

26 Compound verbs

27 the continuous prefix

28 The past participle

29 The past narrative tense

Lesson 8 47

30 Uses of che and kodâam

31 Comparison of adjectives

Lesson 9 55

32 Other plurals

33 Pronominal possessives

Lesson 10 60

34 The present stem

35 The present indicative

Review II 55

Lesson 11 68

36 Pronominal enclitics

37 Reflexive pronouns

Lesson 12 75

38 Cardinal numbers

39 Ordinal numbers. Supplementary vocabulary: Weights and Measures

Lesson 13 82

40Relative clauses

41 The past perfect tense

42 The past perfect narrative tense

Lesson 14 90

43 The future tense

44 Other numerical expressions. Supplementary Vocabulary: Family Relationships

Lesson 15 97

45 The imperative

46 Resumptive-sentence construction. Supplementary Vocabulary: Foodstuffs

Review III 505

Lesson 16 106

47 On the nature of compounds

48 The present subjunctive

49 Uses of the present subjunctive I. Supplementary Vocabulary: Articles of Clothing

Lesson 17 115

50 Impersonal constructions

51 Uses of the present subjuctive II

Lesson 18 122

52 Totally impersonal constructions

53 The participial absolute

54 Reported speech and verbs of sense perception

Lesson 19 127

55 The past subjunctive

56 Back-formation of infinitives and denominative verbs

57 Temportal use of ke

58 Impersonals with âdam

Lesson 20 135

59 Uses of the subjunctive III: Adjectival clauses

60 Uses of the infinitive. Supplementary Vocabulary: Common Materials

Review IV 143

Additional Vocabulary: Academic Fields and Related Vocabulary 143

Lesson 21 145

61 Conditionals

62 Other irrealis constructions

63 Expressions of temporal duration. Additional Vocabulary: Mishaps

Lesson 22 154

64 Uses of the subjunctive IV: Adverbial clauses

65 Participial forms. Additional Vocabulary: Travel

Lesson 23 162

66 Abstraction of substantives

67 Double-substantive compounds

68 Adjectives/adverbs in -&acric;ne

69 Magar. Supplementary Vocabulary: Parts of the body

Lesson 24 171

70 "As...as possible."

71 "The more...the more."

72 Factitive verbs

73 Verbal nouns

74 Infinitival adjectives. Supplementary Vocabulary: Animals

Lesson 25 180

75 The passive

76 Uses of the past participle

77 Diminutives

Review V 185

Part 2 Classical and Archaic Usages 187

78 The majhul vowels

79 Euphonic -d-

80 The optative and negative imperative

81 The vocative enclitic

82 Dative usages

83 Circumpositions

84 The perfective aspect; the be- prefix

85 Cho(n)

86 The continuous marker hami

87 The past habitual and conditional

88 The archaic present stem of budan

89 The archaic negative copula

90 The archaic past narrative

91 The gnomic past

Part 3 Colloquial Transformations 199

92 Phonological transformations

93 The copulas

94 Verbal inflections

95 Reduced, altered, and contracted verbal stems

96 The present and past progressive

97 Direct-object marker

98 The emphasizing particle ke

99 Pronominal enclitics

100 Prepositions

Appendix A The Uses of tâ 208

Appendix B Telling Time, Days of the Week, Months of the Year, Reading Dates, Arithmetical Operations 210

Examples of Contemporary Persian Prose 215

Examples of Classical Persian Prose 237

Vocabularies

English-Persian 248

Persian-English 254

Index 284