APPLICATION OF THEMATIC ROLES IN URDU SENTENCE STRUCTURE

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ABSTRACT

This research aims at exploring theta roles- theoretical entities in the Urdu language that are very crucial in enabling
one to Account for relations between verbs and their associated arguments. This is explained by the elaborate
framework of theta roles that are commonly used, and consist of the Agent, Theme, Goal, Source, Experiencer, Patient

and Instrument. For instance, in the case of “He is reading the book,” while the Agent role refers to the performer of

an action, the Experiencer role refers to the

passive experience as it is illustrated in “I am hungry.” This paper provides

a way of differentiating and studying the intricate relationship between various features of the Urdu language.
However, in order to investigate this issue more vigorously, the

research also applies Chomsky’s minimalist agenda.

Research Article

APPLICATION OF THEMATIC ROLES IN URDU SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Submission Date:

July 31, 2024,

Accepted Date:

Aug 05, 2024,

Published Date:

Aug 10, 2024

Crossref doi:

https://doi.org/10.37547/ijll/Volume04Issue08-03

Khalid Iqbal

Institute of Language and Literature, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Hira Munir

Institute of Language and Literature, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Anam Ikhtiar

Institute of Language and Literature, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Muhammad Haseeb Nawaz

Institute of Language and Literature, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Muhammd Umair

School of language and literature, National College of Business Administration and Economics, Lahore,
Pakistan

Beenish Anwar

School of language and literature, National College of Business Administration and Economics, Lahore,
Pakistan

Journal

Website:

https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ijll

Copyright:

Original

content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons

attributes

4.0 licence.

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Analyzing the studied theories in the given program, this investigation provides a more detailed interpretation of the
structural and semantic characteristics of Urdu, greatly increasing the awareness of t

he language’s sophistication

.

KEYWORDS

Thematic roles, Urdu

sentence structure, Chomsky’s agenda

.

INTRODUCTION

Language is a fundamental aspect of human
communication, and its complexity has fascinated
linguists for centuries. The study of language and its
structure is crucial for understanding how humans
communicate and interact with each other. This study
focuses on the application of theta roles in the Urdu
language sentence structure.

Urdu is also a language spoken in Pakistan, India, and
parts of Afghanistan. It is the official language of
Pakistan and is one of the 22 scheduled languages of
India. Urdu belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of
languages and is closely related to Hindi, another
language spoken in the region. The two languages
share a common vocabulary and grammar, but differ in
their writing systems and some aspects of
pronunciation. Urdu is a member of the Indo-Aryan
branch of the Indo-European language family, and it is
closely related to Hindi. Urdu uses a modified version
of the Arabic script, called Nastaliq, which is a cursive
style of writing. The language is known for its rich
literary tradition, including poetry, prose, and drama.
Urdu poetry is particularly famous for its use of
complex rhyming schemes and rich imagery. In
addition to Pakistan and India, Urdu is also spoken by
diaspora communities around the world, including in
the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and
the Middle East. Urdu is the national language of

Pakistan and is spoken by over 70 million people
worldwide. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the
Indo-European language family and has a complex
grammar with a rich system of inflection and
derivation. The sentence structure of Urdu is also
unique, with different word orders used to convey
different meanings. Understanding the grammar and
syntax of Urdu is crucial for effective communication
and language learning. When compared to other
languages, Urdu has some unique features in its
grammar and syntax. For example, it is a subject-
object-verb (SOV) language, which means that the
subject of a sentence typically comes before the object
and the verb comes at the end. This is different from
English, which is a subject-verb-object (SVO) language.
Additionally, Urdu has a complex system of honorifics,
which are used to show respect to the person being
addressed. This system includes different verb forms
and pronouns, depending on the social status and
gender of the speaker and the listener. These are just a
few examples of how Urdu compares to other
languages in terms of morphology, syntax, script, and
vocabulary

Morphology

: Urdu is an inflectional language, which

means that it changes the form of words to indicate
tense, number, gender, and case. Other inflectional
languages include Arabic, Persian, and Hindi. In

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contrast, English is a derivational language, which
means that it creates new words by adding prefixes or
suffixes to existing ones.

Syntax

: Urdu has a subject-object-verb (SOV) word

order, which means that the subject usually comes
first, followed by the object, and then the verb. Other
languages with SOV word order include Japanese,
Korean, and Turkish. In contrast, English has a subject-
verb-object (SVO) word order.

Script

: Urdu is written in a modified form of the Arabic

script, called Nastaliq. This script is also used for writing
Persian and Arabic. In contrast, Hindi is written in the
Devanagari script, while English is written in the Latin
script.

Vocabulary

: Urdu has a rich vocabulary, which draws

on Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit. Some common words
in Urdu are "salaam" (hello), "shukriya" (thank you),
and "qalam" (pen). In contrast, English has a
vocabulary that draws on Latin, Greek, and Germanic
languages.

There is a lack of comprehensive research on the
application of theta roles in Urdu language. Most of the
research on Urdu language focuses on other areas
such as phonetics, morphology, and syntax. Therefore,
there is a need to conduct research on the application
of theta roles in Urdu sentence structure. This study
will fill the research gap and provide insights into the
application of theta roles in Urdu language, which can
contribute to the overall understanding of language
structure and syntax. There is a problem to identify the
theta markers in Urdu language. There is not a
particular study in Urdu sentence structure while in
English sentence structure. There are number of works
on thematic roles and markers. This research intends to

describe the assignment and marking of theta roles in
the Urdu language. This study aims to fill this gap by
conducting a comprehensive analysis of the
application of theta roles in Urdu sentence structure,
which can contribute to the understanding of language
processing and comprehension in Urdu-speaking
populations. The application of theta roles in Urdu
sentence structure has not been extensively studied,
and there is a need for research to understand the
mechanisms of theta role assignment in Urdu.

Therefore, this study aims to investigate the
application of theta roles in Urdu sentence structure.
Specifically, it seeks to explore how theta roles are
assigned and marked in Urdu sentences, and to identify
the theta role markers and assigners used in the
language. The study has analyzed a sample of
sentences from Urdu literature, with a focus on
identifying patterns of theta role assignment and
marking. The findings of this study will contribute to
the overall understanding of Urdu sentence structure
and the role of theta roles in natural language. It will
also have implications for language learning and
teaching, as a better understanding of the grammar
and syntax of Urdu can aid in effective communication
and language acquisition.

Literature Review

Gruber (1965) and Fillmore (1968) (as cited in Everaert,
Marelj, & Siloni, 2012) argued that thematic roles play
an important part in the transformation of lexical items
into sentence structure. Fatima (2012) opined that
semantic role is assigned to argument on the basis of

predicate’s essence. It means that lexical property of

verb decides the sort of theta role to the argument.

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These roles create the relation between verb and
arguments within the sentence. Theta theory discusses
that the valency needs of verb or predicate. It
consolidates a conglomeration of dependent roles
known as Theta Roles. The Projection Principle and the
Theta-Criterion serve as the main mediators for their
placement in the sentence construction.

In linguistic theory, Theta Roles, also known as
thematic roles, are relational concepts that play a
crucial role in determining the structural organization
of

conceptual

representations.

According

to

Jackendoff (1990), Theta Roles have a significance
similar to that of subject and object in different
syntactic theories.

Theta Roles provide a way to understand the semantic
relationships between participants in a sentence. They
represent the different types of roles that nouns or
noun phrases can play in relation to the action or event
described by the verb. For example, in the sentence
"John ate an apple," the noun phrase "John" can be
assigned the Theta Role of "agent," indicating that
John is the one performing the action. Similarly, the
noun phrase "an apple" can be assigned the Theta Role
of "theme," indicating that it is the object affected by
the action.

Importantly, Jackendoff argues that Theta Roles are
not explicitly stated or indicated at the level of specific
representations, such as D-structure or verb argument
structure. Instead, they are determined structurally
within the conceptual structure. This means that the
assignment of Theta Roles is based on the overall
organization of the conceptual representation,
considering factors such as semantic properties,
syntactic patterns, and discourse context.

In summary, Theta Roles provide a way to represent
the semantic relationships between participants in a
sentence. They are determined structurally within the
conceptual structure, and their significance is
comparable to that of subject and object in various
syntactic theories.

Trask (1993) claims that "θ

-role" is the common term

for one of the thematic roles identified in GB. It is
allocated to arguments by verb in accordance with the
needs of Theta Theory. Each predicate has a
predet

ermined set of θ

-roles that must be expressed in

order for the sentence to be grammatically correct.
These roles are required to describe the argument
structure of the verb.

The notion of semantic roles has received a great deal
of attention since the late 1960s. The study of Noam
Chomsky's syntactic theory at that period stimulated
the

linguistic

discussion.

The

Generative

Transformation Grammar was part of Chomsky's 1965
book 'Characteristics of the Theory of Syntax', which
was published. In addition to some semantic details, he
talked on the syntax's key role in language
descriptions. Throughout this time, linguists like
Gruber, Jackendoff and Andrew Radford made an
effort to integrate semantics more deeply into the
theory. According to Jackendoff (1972), Khuram is the
agent in both lines given below since it starts and
maintains the movement and theme but can be moved
or replaced by the object. To further illustrate, here is
an example;

a.

Khuram goes to school.

b.

Khuram loves his mother.

Khuram is playing the agent role in above two
sentences (a and b).

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The valency needs of verbs are addressed by the
thematic theory, often known as theta theory, which is
a branch of universal grammar. It comprises a set of
rules that govern how thematic roles are assigned.
According to Riemsdijk (1986), theta theory is the
fundamental theoretical concept of "argument of," a
concept that all theories of grammar must take into
consideration. The purpose of this theory, he
continues, is to identify which NP can serve as a verb's
argument. Therefore, agent, goal, patient, etc. are
frequently employed to denote verbal argument.
Sadiqi (1992) affirms that the purpose of theta theory
is to ascertain the semantic relationship between

structures’ constituent. This theory uses the t

heta

criterion and the projection principle, two fundamental
principles, to illustrate these relationships.

Sara hit the boy.

Theta theory states that the preceding structure is
based on specific semantic correlations. As a result, the
NP [Sara] plays the role of "agent," and the NP [The
Boy] plays the part of "patient."

Carnie (2013) argued that there are certain semantic
expressions. These are used to identify the roles that
argument emulates with admire to the predicate.
Roles make the thematic relations of predicate with its
arguments in the phrase or sentence. These roles to be
known such as thematic roles, semantics roles. It is
underlying system and maintain the relationship within
the structure of verb with its arguments. There are
roles which have been shown in below.

Categorization of Semantic Roles

Role

Definition

Example

Agent

The doer or inaugurator of an
action is called the agent. It
often

comes

at

subject

position.

Teacher

taught the class.

Patient

The object affected by a
certain

action,

frequently

experiencing a change in
condition to be called as
patient. It often comes at
object position.

The dog bites

the man

.

Experiencer

Arguments that observe or
endure the circumstances are
called experiencer. It can
come at both places such as
subject and object.

The child

frightened from ghost.

The explosion was heard by

everyone

.

Theme

The entities that encounter
some actions,

movement,

Umar gave Tahir

the book.

The player kicked

the ball

.

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experienced or grasp are
called theme.

Goal

The movement takes place
assisting to object is called
goal. It might be involved in
abstract motion. The action is
directed toward the entity.

Students went to the park for a

picnic.

Ali throws the ball to

basket.

Source

The entity acts from the
source location, the thing that
causes a physical experience
and the initial transferee in a
transaction is called source.

He got the pen from

Ali.

Uzma bought the cloth from

boutique

.

Location

The place where the action of
predicate takes place or the
acting place is called location

Mother cooked the food in the

kitchen.

Instrument

The entity with the action of
predicate to be execute is
called instrument.

He broke the leg with a

stick

.

He is writing a story with

black pen.

Beneficiary

The entity of a referent which
gets benefit or trouble by an
action executed is called
beneficiary.

She struggles for

her family

.

Husband bought jewelry for

his wife.

According to Chomsky's Theta Criterion, each

argument in a sentence must be the sister of a θ

-

assigner, and conversely, each θ

-assigner must be the

sister of an argument. In syntactic theory, the concept
of "sisterhood" refers to the hierarchical relationship
between constituents within a sentence. A constituent
is a group of words that together function as a single
unit within a sentence.

An argument is a noun phrase or a constituent that
plays a role in the event or action expressed by the
verb. For example, in the sentence "Mary eats an
apple," "Mary" and "an apple" are arguments.

A θ

-assigner, on the other hand, is a verb or other

lexical item that assigns a theta role to an argument.

The theta role represents the semantic relationship
between the argument and the verb, such as "agent,"
"theme," or "goal."

The Theta Criterion states that for every argument,

there must exist a θ

-assigner that assigns a theta role

to it. In the example sentence above, the verb "eats"

serves as the θ

-assigner for the argument "Mary" and

assigns it the theta role of "agent."

Furthermore, the Theta Criterion also states that each

θ

-assigner must be the sister of an argument. This

means that the θ

-assigner and the argument should be

immediately connected in the syntactic structure of
the sentence. For example, in the sentence "Mary eats

an apple," the verb "eats" (θ

-assigner) is the sister of

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the argument "an apple." In summary, according to
Chomsky's Theta Criterion, each argument must be the

sister of a θ

-

assigner, and each θ

-assigner must be the

sister of an argument. This principle reflects the
hierarchical relationship between arguments and their
corresponding theta roles in the syntactic structure of
a sentence.

Lexical

semanticists

generally

agree

that

a

comprehensive theory of event depiction should be
considered when examining the characteristics of
thematic roles. This theory would establish natural
classes of roles and take into account the schema of
events. By doing so, it is hoped that a solution to the
challenge of defining the attributes of certain thematic
roles can be found.

However, it is not guaranteed that any of the event
representations that have been explored thus far are
the most relevant for syntactic structure. The
relationship between the syntactic structures used to
express structured events and how they are mapped
onto semantics is an ongoing area of uncertainty and
research. There are three ways of approaching the
conception of events.

Lexical

semanticists

generally

agree

that

a

comprehensive theory of event depiction should be
considered when examining the characteristics of
thematic roles. This theory would establish natural
classes of roles and take into account the schema of
events. By doing so, it is hoped that a solution to the
challenge of defining the attributes of certain thematic
roles can be found.

However, it is not guaranteed that any of the event
representations that have been explored thus far are
the most relevant for syntactic structure. The

relationship between the syntactic structures used to
express structured events and how they are mapped
onto semantics is an ongoing area of uncertainty and
research. There are three ways of approaching the
conception of events.

According to Haiden (2005), Gruber talked about two
main kinds of events: things that involve movement
and things that involve location. He thought that all
events could be thought of as being connected to
space in some way. Later, Jackendoff expanded on this
idea and called it the "Thematic Relation Hypothesis"
(TRH). The study of spatial motion and location are
employed by the subset of primary event, path, place
and state in entire semantic field of events and
location. Fields can be distinguished in three ways;

I.

Identifying the types of things that can appear

as the main focus or theme in this context.

II.

Recognizing the types of things that can

appear as reference points, such as specific locations.

III.

Understanding the expected connections or

relationships between the roles played by location in
the context of spatial metaphors.

The advantage of this approach is that it can take
systematic polysemy into consideration. There are
many thematic connotations experience by object NP
of same predicate in following example, according to
L&R 1996.

I.

Ali has served his time in the meeting. spend

some time (in institution).

II.

They served many dishes on his marriage.

provide.

III.

This way has served me well

→

be useful.

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IV.

My father serves in the Education department.

work as.

The primary issue with the localist perspective is that it
doesn't appear as the local relations are highly
applicable in order to realize the lexical-semantic
responsibilities in the syntax argument places.
Jackendoff acknowledged this, it presents an action
tier that determines which subjects and objects are
chosen before the thematic tier. Local relationships are
encoded by the thematic tier, whereas causal
relationships, such as agent vs. patient, are encoded by
the action tier. The causal approach is more suitable for
studying the interaction between lexicon and syntax
than the localist approach, according to the priority of
the action tier in relation to grammatical functions.

According to the aspectual approach, argument
realization received consideration for its initial
plausibility, such as the idea of delimitation and
measuring out are insufficient than theta roles
inventory and event constituents make internal
arguments to explain the lexicon-syntax interaction.

Tenny (1994) argued “Aspectual Interface Hypothesis
(AIH)” as ‘Aspectual qual

ities determine the general

rules for how semantic structure and syntax structure
map out. The aspectual features of direct internal
arguments are subject to restrictions. The syntactic
structure and external arguments have a limit on the
kinds of event participants that may use these slots.
The universal linking principles can only see the

aspectual portion of theme structure.’

The authors of "The Theta System" (2012) by Everaert,
Marelj, and Siloni presented a theory on the Theta
System, which is the mind's conceptual framework.
This system includes several crucial parts, including:
building blocks of the framework;

I.

Lexical entries: These reflect encoded

concepts with distinct characteristics that specify how
verb entries and other linguistic categories relate to
one another.

II.

Marking techniques: These techniques set up

written and vocal entries for syntactic derivation. They
decide whether arguments are combined internally or
externally and, when necessary, give the verb an
accusative characteristic.

The Theta System additionally includes a number of
lexical arity (valence altering) operations. This
indicates that it has an active lexical element that
enables these arity operations to be used to
manipulate

–

grids. This theory emphasizes the

importance of these components in understanding
how language concepts are structured and processed
within the mind.

Haiden (2008) argued that the compositional lexical
semantic structure chewed up through underlying
structure of lexical items into syntactic structure.
Perlmutter and Postal (1984) and Lavin and Rapport
(1996) proposed the Universal Alignment Hypothesis
(UAH). The UAH discusses the Universal grammar rules
that the relation with its meaning and each entity of

the phrase’s structure. It is realization o

f thematic

relation. Rosen (1984) proposed the Little Alignment
Hypothesis (LAH) that one predicate has fixed
mapping in any language which aligns every semantic
role with primary GR. It varies for all clauses with that

predicate. It is nearer to Chomsky’

s Projection

Principle. The LAH emphasizes the semantic role, while
discussing the projection principle concerning
structure as a sub categorization.

Research Objectives

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The study has the following research objectives:

• To describe the theta roles in the

Urdu sentence

structure

• To identify the theta markers in Urdu sentence

structure

• To find the theta roles assigner on surface level text.

Research Questions

The study has the following research questions:

1.

How are the theta roles assigned in the Urdu

sentence structure?

2.

What are the theta roles markers and the theta

roles assigners in the Urdu sentence structure?

3.

How are the theta roles marked to the

arguments?

METHODOLOGY

This study has used a descriptive qualitative research
design, which involves collecting and analysing data to
describe and document the characteristics of a
particular phenomenon. The study analyzed authentic
Urdu sentences from literary books and Urdu
grammars to identify the presence of theta markers
and theta assigners. The population of the study is
Urdu sentences, while the sample consists of 10
sentences for each of the theta roles.

This research is descriptive research. The purpose of
this study is to explore the application of theta roles in
Urdu sentence structure. Specifically, this study aims to
investigate how theta roles are assigned and marked in
Urdu, as well as the markers and assigners used to
indicate theta roles in the language. By providing a

detailed description of theta roles in Urdu sentence
structure, this study seeks to contribute to the
understanding of the principles of sentence structure
in this language.

Research Design

A descriptive qualitative research design has been used
to investigate how theta roles are assigned and
marked in Urdu sentences, specifically focusing on the
theta markers and assigners used in the language.

The Research Paradigm

The research paradigm for this study is interpretivist,
as the study seeks to understand the meaning and
interpretation of theta roles in the context of Urdu
language. The study aims to provide insights into the
underlying structures of Urdu sentences and
contribute to the broader field of linguistics.

Overall, this study aims to provide a comprehensive
understanding of the application of theta roles in Urdu
sentence structure. The research methodology has
been carefully designed to ensure the validity and
reliability of the findings and to provide a solid
foundation for the study.

Participants and Sampling

The participants in this study are Urdu books and
native speakers that serve as the source of data for the
study. The sampling strategy involves selecting books
in Urdu and collecting five sentences for each theta
role to describe the theta marker and theta assigner in
the Urdu language.

Data analysis methods:

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The data collected in this study is analysed using
qualitative content analysis, which involves identifying
and categorizing the different types of theta markers
and assigners used in the Urdu sentences.

Ethical considerations:

Since this study involves the analysis of pre-existing
data from published books, there are no ethical
considerations that need to be addressed.

Limitations and delimitations:

Limitations of this study include the sample size, which
is limited to two books, and the fact that the sentences
were not produced in a controlled setting. Additionally,
this study is limited to the Urdu language, and the
findings may not be generalizable to other languages.

Theta Theory

Theta theory was first introduced and developed by
Noam Chomsky and his colleagues in the early days of
generative grammar. Chomsky and his followers were
interested in understanding the rules that govern the
structure of sentences in natural language, and theta
theory was a significant part of this research program.
Chomsky and others used theta theory as a way to
describe the relationships between the arguments of a
sentence and the roles that they play in the event or
situation described by the sentence. Thus, Chomsky
can be considered the pioneer of theta theory.

Theta theory is a key aspect of linguistic theory that
addresses the relationship between words in a
sentence and their semantic roles, which are referred
to as "thematic roles". The goal of theta theory is to
provide a way to describe the distribution of these

semantic roles in a sentence and to describe the
grammatical rules that govern their assignment.

Theoretical Framework

Theoretical frameworks such as the theta theory
provide a useful framework for understanding the
assignment of thematic roles in natural language. The
theta theory proposes that each verb assigns thematic
roles to its arguments based on their semantic
properties, and these roles are then marked in the
sentence structure using theta role markers or
assigners. However, the application of theta theory in
the Urdu language has not been well documented, and
more research is needed to understand how theta
roles are assigned and marked in Urdu sentence
structure.

Theoretical frameworks like theta theory are valuable
tools for understanding how thematic roles are
assigned in natural language. The theta theory posits
that verbs assign thematic roles to their arguments
based on their semantic properties, and these roles are
then expressed through sentence structure using
theta role markers or assigners.

However, the application of the theta theory in the
Urdu language has not been extensively documented.
There is a need for further research to better
understand how theta roles are assigned and marked
in Urdu sentence structure. Conducting such research
would involve analyzing Urdu sentences, studying the
verbs and their corresponding argument structure, and
examining how thematic roles are expressed.

By conducting thorough linguistic analysis and
gathering empirical data, researchers can shed more
light on the application of theta theory in Urdu and

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contribute to our understanding of how thematic roles
are assigned and marked in this language.

Analysis

The thematic structure plays a crucial role in some
syntactic structures; however, it's important to note
that the theory of thematic roles, often referred to as
theta theory, can be somewhat vague and lacks
consensus regarding the specific number and labels of
thematic roles. Thematic roles are often discussed in a
general and informal manner, and there is no
universally accepted set of definitions for them. The
inventory of thematic roles provided below is tentative
and not comprehensive.

Theta Roles Assigned by

Ne

1.

"

یھڑپ باتک ےن ںیم

"

/me

ɪ

n ne

ː

k

ɪˈ

t

̪

a

ː

b

ˈ

p

ə

r

ɦ

i/

I read the book.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

ںیم

" (main) - The doer of the

action (reading).

Theme (Patient Role): "

باتک

" (kitaab) - The object that

is being read.

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

ںیم

" (main) - Assigns the agent role.

2.

"

ایانب اناھک ےن یما

"

/ami

ː

ne

ː

ˈ

k

ʰ

a

ː

na b

əˈ

naja/

Mother cooked the meal.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

یما

" (Ami) - The doer of the

action (cooking).

Theme (Patient Role): "

اناھک

" (khana) - The meal that

was cooked.

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

یما

" (Ami) - Assigns the agent role.

3.

"

؟ایک ایک ےن مت

"

/t

ʊ

m ne

ː

kja

ː

kja

ː

/

What have you done?

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Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

مت

" (Tum) - The doer of

unspecified actions.

Theme (Patient Role): "

ایک

" (kya) - Placeholder for

various actions.

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

مت

" (Tum) - Assigns the agent role.

4.

"

ایک ماک ےن ہمزلام

"

/mai:d ne

ː

ka

ː

m

ˈ

kja

ː

/

The maid did the work.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

زلام

ہم

" (Maid) - The doer of

the action (work).

Theme (Patient Role): "

ماک

" (kaam) - The work that

was done.

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

ہمزلام

" (Maid) - Assigns the agent role.

5.

"

ایلاب وک تسود ےنپا ےن رماع

"

/

ɑːˈ

mi

ː

r ne

ː

əˈ

pe

ɪ

ne

ː

ˈ

d

̪

o

ː

st ko

ː

b

əˈ

la

ː

ja/

I called my friend.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

رماع

" (Aamir) - The doer of

the action (calling).

Goal (Goal Role): "

تسود

" (dost) - The entity who was

called (friend).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

رماع

" (Aamir) - Assigns the agent role.

These explanations highlight the thematic roles

(agent, theme, goal), markers (

ےن

- "ne"), and

assigners (

ںیم

- "main,"

یما

- "Ami,"

مت

- "tum,"

ہمزلام

-

"maid,"

رماع

- "Aamir") in each sentence. The markers

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indicate the agent and the past tense, while the

assigners assign the agent role to the respective

nouns.

6.

"

لایھک لیھک ےن ںوچب

"

/

ˈ

ba

ːʧ

o

ː

n ne

ː

k

ʰ

el k

ʰ

e

ː

la/

The children played.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

ںوچب

" (Bachon) - The doers of

the action (playing).

Theme (Patient Role): "

لیھک

" (Khel) - The action of

playing.

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

ںوچب

" (Bachon) - Assigns the agent role.

7.

"

ایاھک وک یرکب ےن ریش

"

/

ʃ

er ne

ː

b

ə

kri ko

ː

k

ʰ

a

ː

ja/

The lion ate the goat.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

ریش

" (Sher) - The doer of the

action (eating).

Theme (Patient Role): "

یرکب

" (Bakri) - The object that

was eaten (goat).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

ریش

" (Sher) - Assigns the agent role.

8.

"

اجیھب لوکسا وک ںوچب ےنپا ےن ںیم

"

/me

ː

n ne

ː

əˈ

pe

ɪ

ne

ː

ˈ

ba

ːʧ

o

ː

n ko

ː

ə

s

ˈ

ku

ː

l b

ʱ

e

ː

d

͡ʒ

a/

I sent my children to school.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

ںیم

" (Main) - The doer of the

action (sending).

Theme (Patient Role): "

ںوچب

" (Bachon) - The entities

who were sent (children).

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Goal (Goal Role): "

لوکسا

" (School) - The destination

(school).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

ںیم

" (Main) - Assigns the agent role.

9.

"

یئانس یناہک وک یٹیب ےن دلاو

"

/

ˈ

wa

ː

ld ne

ː

ˈ

be

ːʈ

i ko

ː

k

əˈ

ha

ː

ni s

əˈ

na

ː

i/

Father told a story to his daughter.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

دلاو

" (Walid) - The doer of the

action (telling).

Theme (Patient Role): "

یناہک

" (Kahani) - The story that

was told.

Goal (Goal Role): "

یٹیب

" (Beti) - The recipient of the

storytelling (daughter).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

دلاو

" (Walid) - Assigns the agent role.

10.

"

ک تسود ےن مت

ی

یک ددم

"

/t

ʊ

m ne

ː

ˈ

do

ː

st ki

ː

ˈ

m

ə

d

̪

d

̪

ki

ː

/

You helped your friend.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

مت

" (Tum) - The doer of the

action (helping).

Theme (Patient Role): "

ددم

" (Madad) - The help that

was provided.

Goal (Goal Role): "

تسود

" (Dost) - The recipient of the

help (friend).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

مت

" (Tum) - Assigns the agent role.

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Table 1: Different roles assigned by

ne

in Urdu

Role

Clitic

Agent

ne

Experiencer

ne

Instrument

ne

Force

ne

Patient

ne

Theme

ne

Thus,

ne

assigns and marks different thematic

roles. Its prototypical role is that of an agent but in

addition to this role it also indicates the roles of an

experience, instrument, force, patient and theme.

Theta Roles Assigned by

ko

Theta role of a recipient, which is a particular kind

of objective, is the one that the clitic "ko" most

frequently assigns. Usually, recipients are used with

verbs that denote a change in possession. An

animated person who receives something is a

beneficiary.

1.

"

اھڑپ وک باتک ےن ںیم

"

/me

ɪ

n ne

ː

k

ɪˈ

t

̪

a

ː

b ko

ː

ˈ

p

ə

r

ɦ

a/

I read the book.

Thematic Roles:

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Agent (Agentive Role): "

ںیم

" (Main) - The doer of the

action (reading).

Theme (Patient Role): "

باتک

" (kitaab) - The object that

is being read.

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

ںیم

" (Main) - Assigns the agent role.

2.

"

ایاھکد ےکلھک وک ںوچب ےن دلاو

"

/

ˈ

wa

ː

ld ne

ː

ˈ

ba

ːʧ

o

ː

n ko

ː

ˈ

k

ʰɪ

lke

ː

d

̪ɪˈ

k

ʰ

a

ː

ja/

Father showed toys to the children.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

دلاو

" (Walid) - The doer of the

action (showing).

Theme (Patient Role): "

ےکلھک

" (khilke) - The toys that

were shown.

Goal (Goal Role): "

ںوچب

" (bachon) - The recipients of

the action (children).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

و

دلا

" (Walid) - Assigns the agent role.

3.

"

؟ایک ےسیک دای وک ھجم ےن مت

"

/t

ʊ

m ne

ː

mu

ʤʰ

ko

ː

ja

ː

d k

əˈ

se

ː

ki

ː

ja/

How did you remember me?

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

مت

" (Tum) - The doer of the

action (remembering).

Theme (Patient Role): "

دای

" (yaad) - The concept of

memory.

Goal (Goal Role): "

ھجم

" (mujh) - The entity who is

remembered (me).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

مت

" (Tum) - Assigns the agent role.

4.

"

اھکید وک سا ےن ںیم

"

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/me

ɪ

n ne

ː

ə

s ko

ː

ˈ

de

ː

k

ʰ

a/

I saw it.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

ںیم

" (Main) - The doer of the

action (seeing).

Theme (Patient Role): "

وک سا

" (is ko) - The object that

was seen (it).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

ںیم

" (Main) - Assigns the agent role.

5.

"

اھکید رک کسم وک بلاگ ےن ہراس

"

/sara ne

ː

ɡʊˈ

la

ː

b ko

ː

m

ʊ

sk kar

ˈ

de

ː

k

ʰ

a/

Sara saw the rose while smiling.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role):

“

ہراس

“(

Sara) - The doer of the

action (seeing).

Theme (Patient Role): "

بلاگ

" (gulab) - The rose that

was seen.

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner:

“

ہراس

“(

Sara) - Assigns the agent role.

Theta roles are also marked by the clitic "ko," and

an experiencer is one of these roles. An entity that

changes its internal or psychological state or has an

event stated by the predicate is referred to as an

experiencer. Examples of such entities are perceivers

and emoters. The subjects of verbs like "love,"

"think," "hate," "believe," and so on can be

experiencers (Van Valin, 1999). Experiencers can also

be subjects in Urdu when using verbs like "sotn,"

"psd/mhsus hon/krn," "lgn," and "ykin hon/krn."

6.

"

ید یئاھچرپ وک ھجت ےن ںیم

"

/me

ɪ

n ne

ː

t

ʊʤʰ

ko

ː

p

ə

r

ˈʧ

a

ː

i di

ː

/

I gave you a shadow.

Thematic Roles:

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Agent (Agentive Role): "

ںیم

" (Main) - The doer of the

action (giving).

Theme (Patient Role): "

ھجت

" (tujh) - You (the recipient

of the shadow).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

ںیم

" (Main) - Assigns the agent role.

7.

"

اھڑپ وک باتک ےن بیط

"

/tayyab ne

ː

k

ɪˈ

t

̪

a

ː

b ko

ː

ˈ

p

ə

r

ɦ

a/

Tayyab read the book.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role):

“

"بیط

(Tayyab) - The doer of

the action (reading).

Theme (Patient Role): "

باتک

" (kitaab) - The book that

was read.

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner:

“

"بیط

(Tayyab) - Assigns the agent role.

8.

"

یئاھڑپ یناہک وک ںوچب ےن داتسا

"

/ u

ː

sta

ː

d ne

ː

ˈ

ba

ːʧ

o

ː

n ko

ː

k

əˈ

ha

ː

ni p

əˈ

r

ʰ

a

ː

i/

Teacher taught a story to the children.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role):

“

داتسا

" (teacher) - The doer of

the action (reading).

Theme (Patient Role): "

یناہک

" (kahani) - The story that

was read.

Goal (Goal Role): "

ںوچب

" (bachon) - The recipients of

the storytelling (children).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner:

“

داتسا

" (teacher) - Assigns the agent role.

9.

"

ایاھکس راتیگ وک ںوچب ےن ںیم

"

/me

ɪ

n ne

ː

ˈ

ba

ːʧ

o

ː

n ko

ː

ɡ

i

ːˈ

t

̪

a

ː

r s

ɪˈ

k

ʰ

a

ː

ja/

I taught the children to play the guitar.

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Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

ںیم

" (Main) - The doer of the

action (teaching).

Theme (Patient Role): "

راتیگ

" (guitar) - The guitar that

was taught.

Goal (Goal Role): "

ںوچب

" (bachon) - The recipients of

the teaching (children).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

ںیم

" (Main) - Assigns the agent role.

10.

"

اجیھب ماغیپ وک مت ےن مگیب

"

/ be

ɡə

m ne

ː

t

ʊ

m ko

ː

ˈ

pa

ɪɣ

a

ː

m bhe

ː

d

͡ʒ

a/

Wife sent you a message.

Thematic Roles:

Agent (Agentive Role): "

مگیب

" (Wife) - The doer of the

action (sending).

Theme (Patient Role): "

مت

" (tum) - You (the recipient

of the message).

Marker: "

ےن

" (ne) - Marks the agent and the past

tense.

Assigner: "

مگیب

" (Wife) - Assigns the agent role.

These sentences showcase the use of "

وک

"

(ko) as a marker to indicate the direct object or goal

of an action in various contexts, along with their

thematic roles, markers, and assigners.

Table 2: Different roles assigned by

ko

in Urdu

Role

Clitic

Recipient

ko

Experiencer ko

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Patient

ko

Theme

ko

Goal

ko

Benefactive Ko

Theta Roles Assigned by

se

An object that acts as the starting point for an

event or activity is referred to as the source. It stands

for the thing that is moved or comes from as a result

of the action indicated by the predicate. The source

role can be applied in a variety of circumstances, and

this can occasionally lead to confusion between the

recipient and goal roles (Haegeman, 1994).

The role of an instrument describes the thing or

tool used to carry out or facilitate an action. It reflects

the equipment or method used to carry out a specific

task or action.

1.

"

اگوہ ںیہن ماک ہی ےس ھجم

"

/m

ʊ

d

͡ʒ

h se

ː

j

ɛ

ka

ː

m n

ə

hi

ː

ŋ

ho

ːɡ

a

ː

/

I won't do it

We can identify the theta marker, assigner, and roles

as follows:

Theta Marker (

ےس

- se):

In this sentence, "

ےس

" (se)

serves as the theta marker. It indicates the

relationship or source of the action.

Theta Assigner:

The theta assigner is "

ھجم

" (mujh),

which means "me" or "from me" in English. It assigns

the role of the agent or doer of the action.

Theta Roles:

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"

ھجم

" (mujh) is the agent, indicating that the action is

being done by "me."

"

ماک ہی

" (yeh kaam) is the theme or topic, representing

the action or task.

"

اگوہ ںیہن

" (nahin hoga) means "will not happen" and

indicates the negative aspect of the action,

suggesting that the task will not be accomplished.

So, in this sentence, "

ےس

" (se) marks the source

or origin of the action, "

ھجم

" (mujh) assigns the role of

the agent, and "

ماک ہی

" (yeh kaam) represents the

action or task that is negated.

2.

"

اتہاچ انرک تاب ےس یلع ںیم

ںوہ

"

/me

ɪ

n

ɑ

li se

ɪ

ba

ː

t k

ə

rn

ə

t

͡ʃɑː

h

ə

t

ɑ

h

ʊ

n/

(I want to talk to Ali):

Theta roles:

"

ںیم

" (I) is the agent, indicating the doer of the action.

"

یلع

" (Ali) is the recipient or goal, indicating the entity

with whom the action is directed.

Theta markers and assigners: In this case, there

are no explicit theta markers or assigners. The

assignment of theta roles is implicit in the verb "

انرک

"

(to do) and its syntactic structure.

3.

"

ےہ کت دابا ملاسا ےس روہلا ےورٹوم وٹ میا

"

/e

ɪ

m t

ə

u mo

ː

t

̪

uro

ʊ

la

ː

ho

ː

r se

ɪ

ɪ

sl

ɑː

m

ɑː

ba

ː

d t

ə

k

ɦɛː

/

(M-2 Motorway connects Lahore to Islamabad):

Theta roles:

"

ےورٹوم وٹ میا

" (M-2 Motorway) is the theme or topic,

indicating the subject of discussion.

"

روہلا

" (Lahore) is the source or starting point,

indicating where the action begins.

"

دابا ملاسا

" (Islamabad) is the goal or destination,

indicating where the action ends.

Theta markers and assigners: Similar to the previous

sentence, these assignments are implicit in the verb

"

ےہ

" (is) and its syntactic structure.

4.

"

طخ ہی ےس ےناخ کاڈ

اگوہ ٹسوپ

"

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Servi

/

ɖ

a

ː

k xa

ː

ne se

ɪ

j

ɛ

kh

ə

t

̪

po

ʊ

st ho

ːɡ

a

ː

/

This letter will be posted from the post office

Theta roles:

"

ےناخ کاڈ

" (the post office) is the source or starting

point, indicating where the action of posting begins.

"

طخ ہی

" (this letter) is the theme or topic, indicating

the object being posted.

Theta markers and assigners: Similar to the

previous sentences, these assignments are implicit in

the verb "

اگوہ

" (will be) and its syntactic structure.

5.

"

ےہ اہر وہ زاغا ےس ہرابود اک ےلسلس نوس نوم

"

/mu

ː

n su

ː

n salsale ka

ː

doba

ː

ra

ː

se a

ɡʱ

a

ː

z ho

ː

r

ə

ha

ː

he

ː

/

The Monsoon season has started again

Theta roles

"

ےلسلس نوس نوم

" (the Monsoon season) is the

theme or topic, indicating the subject of discussion.

Theta markers and assigners: The assignment

of the theta role for the subject (the Monsoon

season) is implicit in the verb "

ےہ اہر وہ

" (has started)

and its syntactic structure.

In these sentences, the assignment of theta roles is

typically implicit, and there are no explicit theta

markers or assigners used. Theta roles are determined

by the verbs and their associated arguments in the

sentence structure.

6.

Here are some more examples of sentences

using the word "

ےس

" (se) in Urdu, which is

often used to indicate various relationships,

such as "from," "to," "with," "by," and more:

a)

"

ایآ ےس ےناخباتک ںیم

" (Main kutabkhane se aaya)

- I came from the library.

b)

"

ےہ ےس تسود ےریم باتک ہو

" (Woh kitaab mere

dost se hai) - That book belongs to my friend.

c)

"

ولیھک ھتاس ےک ںوتسود ےنپا مت

" (Tum apne doston

ke saath khelo) - Play with your friends.

d)

"

ورک ھتاس ےریم وک رفس سا

" (Is safar ko mere

saath karo) - Do this journey with me.

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ISSUE

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OCLC

–

1121105677

Publisher:

Oscar Publishing Services

Servi

e)

"

ںوہ اتاج رپ ماک ےس یڑاگ ںیم

" (Main gaadi se kaam

par jaata hoon) - I go to work by car.

f)

"

ںیہ ےہر لیھک ھتاس ےک ںوچب ےچب ہو

" (Woh bachay

bachon ke saath khel rahe hain) - They are

playing with the children.

In these sentences, "

ےس

" (se) is used to indicate

different relationships, such as origin, ownership,

companionship, means of transportation, and

participation.

7.

"

ایآ ےل باتک ےس ےناخ باتک ہو

"

/wo

ː

k

ʊ

t

̪

a

ː

b xa

ː

ne se k

ɪ

t

̪

a

ː

b le

ː

a

ː

ja/

He brought the book from the library.

In this sentence, "

ےس

" (se) indicates that the

action of bringing the book is assigned to the library

as its source. The library is the assigner of the action.

8.

"

ھک ھتاس ےک تسود ےنپا ےن ںیم

لای

"

/me

ɪ

n ne

ɪ

əˈ

pe

ɪ

ne

ɪ

ˈ

d

̪

o

ː

st ke

ɪ

ˈ

sa

ː

t

ʰ

ˈ

k

ʰ

e

ɪ

l

ə

/

I played with my friend.

Here, "

ےس

" (se) is used to mark the relationship

between the action of playing and the friend. It

assigns the role of the friend as a participant in the

action.

9.

"

یآ رہش ےس یڑاگ ہو

ا

"

/wo

ː

ˈɡ

a

ːɖ

i se

ː

ˈʃɛɦə

r

ˈ

a

ː

ja/

He came to the city by car.

In this sentence, "

ےس

" (se) assigns the means

of transportation (car) to the action of coming to the

city and also marks the car as the means by which the

action is accomplished.

These examples (7-9), illustrate how "

ےس

" (se) can

serve as both an assigner and a marker, indicating the

relationship between the action and the entities

involved.

10.

There are more examples demonstrate how

"

ےس

" (se) can be used to assign and mark

various theta roles, indicating the

relationships between actions and the

Volume 04 Issue 07-2024

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ISSUE

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OCLC

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1121105677

Publisher:

Oscar Publishing Services

Servi

entities, means, sources, or manners

associated with those actions.

a)

"

ےہ اترک ادا وک رادرک ےنپا ےس زادنا یملف ہو

"

/wo

ː

ˈ

f

ɪ

lmi

ə

n

ˈ

da

ː

z se

əˈ

pe

ɪ

ne k

ɪ

r

ˈ

da

ː

r ko

əˈ

da k

ə

rta

ː

he

ː

/

He portrays his character with a cinematic style.

In this sentence, "

ےس

" (se) assigns the style or

manner of portraying (cinematic style) and marks it as

the way in which the action of portraying is

performed.

b)

"

ایگ ںؤاگ ےس نؤاگ ہو

"

/wo

ː

ɡ

a

ːʊ

n se

ː

ɡ

a

ːʊ

n

ɡ

a

ː

ja/

He went from one village to another.

Here, "

ےس

" (se) assigns the starting point of the

journey (one village) and marks it as the point from

which the action of going begins.

c)

"

اھجمس رک ھکید ےس باتک سا ےن ںیم

"

/me

ɪ

n ne

ɪ

ɪ

s k

ɪˈ

t

̪

a

ː

b se

ː

de

ː

k

ʰ

kar

ˈ

s

ə

m

ʤʱ

a

ː

/

I understood this book by looking at it.

In this sentence, "

ےس

" (se) assigns the action

of looking (dekh kar) and marks it as the means or

method by which understanding is achieved. In

conclusion, "se" is able to designate the roles of

source and instrument, where source designates the

starting point of an event and instrument designates

the tool or method employed in an activity.

Theta Roles Assigned by

ke

1.

"

ےہ ےئل ےک نا باتک ہی

"

/je

ː

kita

ː

b

ʊ

n ke

ː

li

ː

.e he

ː

/

"This book is for them."

Thematic Roles:

Possessor Role: "

نا

" (un) - They, the intended

recipients.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

باتک

" (kitaab) - The book

being possessed.

Volume 04 Issue 07-2024

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International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN

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2771-2834)

VOLUME

04

ISSUE

08

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:

20-65

OCLC

–

1121105677

Publisher:

Oscar Publishing Services

Servi

Marker: "

ےک

" (ke) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

نا

" (un) - Assigns the possessor role.

2.

"

ےن رئیم ےک رہش سا

ایک حاتتفا اک کراپ ےئن

"

/

ɪ

s

ʃ

e

ː

hr ke

ː

ˈ

ma

ɪ

.

ə

r ne

ː

ˈ

n

ə

.je

ː

pa

ː

rk ka

ː

ɪ

f

ˈ

t

ɪ

.ta

ː

h ki

ː

j

ə

/

"The mayor of this city inaugurated the new park."

Thematic Roles:

Possessor Role: "

رہش سا

" (Is shehr) - The city that the

mayor is associated with.

Agent (Agentive Role): "

رئیم

" (mayor) - The doer of

the action (inaugurating).

Theme (Possession) Role: "

کراپ ےئن

" (naye park) - The

new park being possessed.

Marker: "

ےک

" (ke) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

رہش سا

" (Is shehr) - Assigns the possessor

role.

3.

"

ںیہ ےھچا تہب تسود ےک دہاز

"

/ z

ɑː

hid ke

ː

d

̪

o

ː

st bo

ː

hat

əˈʧʰ

e

ː

he

ː

n/

"Zahid’s friends are very good."

Thematic Roles:

Possessor Role:

“

دہاز

" /z

ɑː

hid/- You, the possessor of

the friends.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

تسود

" (dost) - The friends

being possessed.

Marker: "

ےک

" (ke) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner:

“

دہاز

" /z

ɑː

hid/-Assigns the possessor role.

4.

"

ےہ یڑاگ کیا ساپ ےک سا

"

/

ɪ

s ke

ː

pa

ː

s e

ː

k

ɡ

a

ː

ri

ː

he

ː

/

English: "He has a car."

Thematic Roles:

Possessor Role: "

سا

" (Is) - The owner of the car.

Volume 04 Issue 07-2024

45

International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN

–

2771-2834)

VOLUME

04

ISSUE

08

P

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:

20-65

OCLC

–

1121105677

Publisher:

Oscar Publishing Services

Servi

Theme (Possession) Role: "

یڑاگ

" (gaari) - The car

being possessed.

Marker: "

ےک

" (ke) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

سا

" (Is) - Assigns the possessor role.

5.

"

ںیہ زیت تناد ےک ریش سا

"

/

ɪ

s

ʃ

e

ː

r ke

ː

ˈ

d

̪ɑː

nt tez h

ɛ

n/

"The teeth of this lion are sharp."

Thematic Roles:

Possessor Role: "

ریش سا

" (Is sher) - This lion, the

possessor of the teeth.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

تناد

" (daant) - The teeth

being possessed.

Marker: "

ےک

" (ke) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

ریش سا

" (Is sher) - Assigns the possessor

role.

The word "" (ke) is employed in these phrases

as a marker to denote possession or association. It

interacts with thematic roles, markers, and assigners

to express the meaning of possession or association

in each sentence's context.

Different

θ

-

Roles Assigned by ki

1.

"

ےہ یک رماع باتک ہی

"

/je

ː

kita

ː

b

ˈɑː

mi

ː

r ki

ː

he

ː

/

"This book belongs to Aamir."

Thematic Roles:

Possessor Role: "

رماع

" (Aamir) - The owner of the

book.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

باتک

" (kitaab) - The book

being possessed.

Marker: "

یک

" (ki) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

رماع

" (Aamir) - Assigns the possessor role.

2.

"

ےہ اہر ھکید ںیریوصت یک چیم ہو

"

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Publisher:

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Servi

/wo

ː

m

ɛːʧ

ki

ː

t

ə

s

ˈ

vi

ː

re

ː

n de

ː

x

ˈ

ra

ː

ha

ː

he

ː

"He is looking at pictures of the match."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Possession) Role: "

چیم

" (match) - The match.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

ںیریوصت

" (tasveerein) - The

pictures being possessed.

Marker: "

یک

" (ki) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

چیم

" (match) - Assigns the possessor role.

3.

"

ےہ دنسپ تہب کڈنھٹ یک مسوم سا

"

/

ɪ

s ma

ʊ

s

ə

m ki

ː

t

ʰə

n

ˈ

d

̪ə

k bo

ːˈɦə

t p

əˈ

s

ə

nd he

ː

/

"I really like the coolness of this weather."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Possession) Role: "

مسوم

" (mausam) - The

weather.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

کڈنھٹ

" (thandak) - The

coolness being possessed.

Marker: "

یک

" (ki) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

مسوم سا

" (Is mausam) - Assigns the

possessor role.

4.

"

ےہ یتید یشوخ وک لد یزبسرس یک ںؤاگ سا

"

/

ɪ

s

ɡ

a

ːʊ

ŋ

ki

ː

s

ə

r

ˈ

s

ə

bzi d

ɪ

l ko

ː

x

ʊˈʃ

i

ː

de

ː

ti

ː

he

ː

/

"The greenery of this village brings joy to the heart."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Possession) Role: "

ںؤاگ

" (gaon) - The village.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

یزبسرس

" (sarsabzi) - The

greenery being possessed.

Marker: "

یک

" (ki) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

ںؤاگ سا

" (Is gaon) - Assigns the possessor

role.

5.

"

ےہ ینس ربخ یک ماجنا ےراہمت

"

/t

ʊ

m

ˈ

h

ɑː

re

ː

ə

n

ˈ

d

͡ʒɑː

m ki

ː

x

əˈ

b

ə

r

ˈ

su

ː

ni

ː

he

ː

/

Volume 04 Issue 07-2024

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International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN

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2771-2834)

VOLUME

04

ISSUE

08

P

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:

20-65

OCLC

–

1121105677

Publisher:

Oscar Publishing Services

Servi

"I heard news about your result."

Thematic Roles:

Possessor Role: "

ےراہمت

" (Tumhare) - Your, the owner

of the result.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

ماجنا

" (anjaam) - The result

being possessed.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

ربخ

" (khabar) - The news

being associated with the result.

Markers: "

یک

" (ki) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

ےراہمت

" (Tumhare) - Assigns the possessor

role.

6.

"

ںیہ یھڑپ ںیفیرعت یک ںوباتک نا

"

/

ɪ

n k

ɪˈ

t

̪

a

ː

bo

ː

ŋ

ki

ː

t

əˈ

ri

ː

fi

ː

n

ˈ

p

ə

rhi

ː

he

ː

/

"I have read praises of these books."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Possession) Role: "

ںوباتک

" (kitaabon) - The

books.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

ںیفیرعت

" (tareefein) - The

praises being possessed.

Marker: "

یک

" (ki) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

ںوباتک نا

" (In kitaabon) - Assigns the

possessor role.

7.

"

ےہ تروصبوخ ہگج یک کراپ سا

"

/

ɪ

s pa

ː

rk ki

ː

ˈ

d

͡ʒɡə

x

ʊ

b.su

ː

r

ə

t he

ː

/

"The place of this park is beautiful."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Possession) Role: "

کراپ سا

" (Is park) - This

park.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

ہگج

" (jagah) - The place

being possessed.

Marker: "

یک

" (ki) - Marks the association or

possession.

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International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN

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2771-2834)

VOLUME

04

ISSUE

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OCLC

–

1121105677

Publisher:

Oscar Publishing Services

Servi

Assigner: "

کراپ سا

" (Is park) - Assigns the possessor

role.

8.

"

ےہ یئآ ربخ یک توم یک پآ

"

/a

ː

p ki

ː

mo

ː

t ki

ː

ˈ

xab

ə

r

ˈ

a

ː

ji

ː

he

ː

/

"The news of your death has come."

Thematic Roles:

Possessor Role: "

یک پآ

" (Aap ki) - Your, the owner of

the death (referring to the news of death).

Theme (Possession) Role: "

م

تو

" (maut) - Death being

possessed.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

ربخ

" (khabar) - The news

being associated with death.

Markers: "

یک

" (ki) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

یک پآ

" (Aap ki) - Assigns the possessor role.

9.

"

ےہ ترہش یک یھکم سا

"

/

ɪ

s

ˈ

m

ə

k

ʰ

i

ː

ki

ː

ʃ

o

ːɦ

r

ə

t he

ː

/

"This fly is famous."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Possession) Role: "

یھکم

" (makhi) - The fly.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

ترہش

" (shohrat) - Fame

being possessed.

Marker: "

یک

" (ki) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

یھکم سا

" (Is makhi) - Assigns the possessor

role.

10.

"

ےہ تروصبوخ ہگج یک کراپ سا

"

/

ɪ

s pa

ː

rk ki

ː

ˈ

d

͡ʒɡə

x

ʊ

b.su

ː

r

ə

t he

ː

/

"The place of this park is beautiful."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Possession) Role: "

کراپ سا

" (Is park) - This

park.

Theme (Possession) Role: "

ہگج

" (jagah) - The place

being possessed.

Volume 04 Issue 07-2024

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International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN

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2771-2834)

VOLUME

04

ISSUE

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:

20-65

OCLC

–

1121105677

Publisher:

Oscar Publishing Services

Servi

Marker: "

یک

" (ki) - Marks the association or

possession.

Assigner: "

کراپ سا

" (Is park) - Assigns the possessor

role.

Different

θ

-

Roles Assigned by par

1.

"

؟ےہ نوک رپ رھگ ےک سا

"

/

ʊ

s ke

ː

ɡɦ

ar par ko

ː

n he

ː

/

Who is at his house?

Thematic Roles:

Theme Role: "

نوک

" (kon) - Who.

Location Role: "

رھگ

" (ghar) - The house.

Marker: "

رپ

" (par) - Indicates the location "at" or "on."

Assigner: "

ےک

" (ke) - Indicates possession or

association. It links the possessive pronoun "

سا

" (uss)

with the noun "

رھگ

" (ghar).

In this sentence, "kon" (who) is the theme, "ghar"

(house) is the location, "par" (at/on) is the marker

indicating the location, and "ke" (possessive marker)

links "uss" (his/her) with "ghar" (house).

2.

"

رپ زیم

ےہ ذغاک

"

/me

ɪ

z p

ə

r k

ɑːɡɪ

z he

ː

/

"There is paper on the table."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Location) Role: "

ذغاک

" (kaaghaz) - The paper.

Location Role: "

زیم

" (mez) - The table.

Marker: "

رپ

" (par) - Indicates the location "on."

Assigner: None, as "

رپ

" (par) directly associates the

paper with the table.

3.

"

ںیہ ںیباتک رپ یسرک

"

/k

ə

r

ˈ

si

ː

p

ə

r k

ɪˈ

t

̪

a

ː

be

ː

n he

ː

̃

/

"There are books on the chair."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Location) Role: "

ںیباتک

" (kitaaben) - The books.

Volume 04 Issue 07-2024

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VOLUME

04

ISSUE

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:

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OCLC

–

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Publisher:

Oscar Publishing Services

Servi

Location Role: "

یسرک

" (kursi) - The chair.

Marker: "

رپ

" (par) - Indicates the location "on."

Assigner: None, as "

رپ

" (par) directly associates the

books with the chair.

4.

"

ےہ رپ زیم باتک

"

/k

ɪˈ

t

̪

a

ː

b mez par he

ː

/

"The book is on the table."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Location) Role: "

باتک

" (kitaab) - The book.

Location Role: "

زیم

" (mez) - The table.

Marker: "

رپ

" (par) - Indicates the location "on."

Assigner: None, as "

رپ

" (par) directly associates the

book with the table.

5.

"

ںیہ ےھٹیب ےدنرپ رپ تھچ

"

/

ʧʰə

t p

ə

r p

ə

r

ɪ

n

̪

de

ː

b

ɛː

t

̪ʰ

e

ː

h

ɛ

̃

/

"Birds are sitting on the roof."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Location) Role: "

ےدنرپ

" (parinde) - The birds.

Location Role: "

تھچ

" (chhat) - The roof.

Marker: "

رپ

" (par) - Indicates the location "on."

Assigner: None, as "

رپ

" (par) directly associates the

birds with the roof.

6.

"

رپ رس ےک سا

۔ںیہ لاب

"

/

ʊ

s ke

ː

s

ɪ

r par ba

ː

l he

ː

̃

/

He has hair on his head

Thematic Roles:

Theme Role: "

لاب

" (baal) - Hair.

Location Role: "

رس

" (sir) - The head.

Marker: "

رپ

" (par) - Indicates the location "on" or "at."

Assigner: "

ےک

" (ke) - Indicates possession or

association. It links the possessive pronoun "

سا

" (uss)

with the noun "

رس

" (sir).

Volume 04 Issue 07-2024

51

International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN

–

2771-2834)

VOLUME

04

ISSUE

08

P

AGES

:

20-65

OCLC

–

1121105677

Publisher:

Oscar Publishing Services

Servi

In this sentence, "baal" (hair) is the theme,

"sir" (head) is the location, "par" (on/at) is the marker

indicating the location, and "ke" (possessive marker)

links "uss" (his/her) with "sir" (head).

Theta Roles Assigned by mein

1.

"

ںوہ اہر ھڑپ یناہک ںیم باتک سا ںیم

"

/me

ɪ

n

ɪ

s k

ɪˈ

ta

ː

b me

ɪ

n ka

ːˈɦ

a

ː

ni

ː

p

ə

r

ʰ

r

əˈɦ

a

ː

ɦʊ

̃

/

"I am reading a story in this book."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Location) Role: "

یناہک

" (kahani) - Story.

Location Role: "

باتک

" (kitaab) - Book.

Marker: "

ںیم

" (mein) - Indicates the location "in."

Assigner: "

سا

" (iss) - Demonstrative pronoun

indicating "this."

2.

"

وہ ےترک یڈوٹسا ںیم ےرمک سا مت

"

/t

ʊ

m

ɪ

s

ˈ

k

ə

mre

ː

me

ɪ

n

ˈ

st

ʌ

di

ˈ

k

ə

rte

ː

ɦ

o/

"You study in this room."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Location) Role: "

یڈوٹسا

" (study) - Study.

Location Role: "

ےرمک

" (kamray) - Room.

Marker: "

ںیم

" (mein) - Indicates the location "in."

Assigner: "

سا

" (iss) - Demonstrative pronoun

indicating "this."

3.

"

اگ سا ہو

ےہ اتہر ںیم ںؤ

"

/vo

ː

ɪ

s

ˈɡ

a

ːʊ

̃

me

ɪ

n

ˈ

re

ɦ

ta

ː

ɦ

e

ː

/

"He lives in this village."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Location) Role: "

ںؤاگ

" (gaon) - Village.

Location Role: None (In this case, "mein" already

indicates location).

Marker: "

ںیم

" (mein) - Indicates the location "in."

Assigner: "

سا

" (iss) - Demonstrative pronoun

indicating "this."

4.

"

ےہ اٹیڈ ںیم رٹویپمک سا

"

Volume 04 Issue 07-2024

52

International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN

–

2771-2834)

VOLUME

04

ISSUE

08

P

AGES

:

20-65

OCLC

–

1121105677

Publisher:

Oscar Publishing Services

Servi

/

ɪ

s k

ə

m

ˈ

pju

ː

t

ə

r me

ɪ

n

ˈ

de

ɪ

t

̪

a

ː

ɦ

e

ː

/

"There is data in this computer."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Location) Role: "

اٹیڈ

" (data) - Data.

Location Role: "

رٹویپمک

" (computer) - Computer.

Marker: "

ںیم

" (mein) - Indicates the location "in."

Assigner: "

سا

" (iss) - Demonstrative pronoun

indicating "this."

5.

"

ےہ ردنمس ںیم باوخ ےریم

"

/me

ː

re x

əˈ

wa

ː

b me

ɪ

n s

əˈ

m

ʊ

n

ˌ

d

̪ə

r he

ː

/

"There is an ocean in my dream."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Location) Role: "

ردنمس

" (samundar) - Ocean.

Location Role: "

باوخ

" (khawab) - Dream.

Marker: "

ںیم

" (mein) - Indicates the location "in."

Assigner: "

ےریم

" (mere) - Possessive pronoun

indicating "my."

6.

"

ےہ اوہ اھکل نومضم ںیم باتک سا

"

/

ɪ

s k

ɪˈ

ta

ː

b me

ɪ

n m

ə

z

ˈ

mu

ː

n

ˈ

l

ɪ

k

ʰ

a

ː

ˈ

hu

ːə

he

ː

/

English: "There is an essay written in this book."

Thematic Roles:

Theme (Location) Role: "

نومضم

" (mazmoon) - Essay.

Location Role:

“

"باتک

(k

ɪˈ

ta

ː

b) - book

Marker: "

ںیم

" (mein) - Indicates the location "in."

Assigner: "

سا

" (iss) - Demonstrative pronoun

indicating "this."

7.

"

ےہ یتوہ تبحم ںیم لد ےراہمت

"

/t

ʊ

m

ˈ

ha

ː

re d

ɪ

l me

ɪ

n mo

ˈɦə

b

ːə

t

ˈ