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ResearchBib IF - 11.01, ISSN: 3030-3753, Volume 2 Issue 6
FUNCTIONS OF ENCLITIC PRONOUNS IN SA'DI'S GULISTAN
Amonov Mukhtar Umarovich
PhD in Philological Sciences
Associate Professor, Fergana State University.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15693738
Abstract.
In Gulistan, Sa'di employs enclitic pronouns
(
هلصتم ریامض
)
with notable
grammatical and stylistic flexibility. These pronouns not only indicate possession or relational
belonging but also serve syntactic and pragmatic functions that contribute to the text's poetic
and rhetorical style.
Key words
: Enclitic Pronouns, possessive suffixes, compound verbs.
In Persian grammar, there are pronouns that are attached to the base of a word and are
referred to as enclitic pronouns. Functionally and grammatically, they somewhat correspond to
possessive suffixes in the Uzbek language. However, the functions of enclitic pronouns in
Persian are broader than those of possessive suffixes in Uzbek. While possessive suffixes in
Uzbek are added only to nominal elements, Persian enclitic pronouns can attach not only to
nouns but also to verbal predicates, prefixes, conjunctions, adverbs, and even words that indicate
negation.
Moreover, in addition to expressing possession or belonging from a morphological and
grammatical perspective, enclitic pronouns serve several other functions, which we will
elaborate on below. It is worth noting that this section focuses specifically on how enclitic
pronouns function when attached to compound verbs.
Enclitic pronouns often attach to either the noun part or the verb part of compound verbs
formed by a noun + verb model. Accordingly, they can be classified into two groups:
a) Enclitic pronouns attached to the noun part.
b) Enclitic pronouns attached to the verb part.
All three person forms of both singular and plural enclitic pronouns can attach to the
noun part of compound verbs. In the following verse, the enclitic pronoun -at (تا) is observed
once attached to the noun part of a compound verb and once to the word hič (none):
منکن تشمارف زگره هک یا
؟دیآ یم دای هدنب زا تچیه
Ey ke hargez farāmešat nakonam
Hičat az bande yād miāyad?
(G. p. 146).
Meaning
:
O you whom I never forget, do you ever remember me?
The use of enclitic pronouns with other types of pronouns and certain conjunctions is a
distinct feature specific to classical texts.
In the following sentence, the third-person singular enclitic pronoun -aš (شا) is attached
to the noun part of a compound verb:
دنا هتفگ نافیطل هک متشاد شروذعم و درک افج و درکن اهر نابرد مدرک شتمدخ گنهآ
.
Āhang-e xedmataš kardam darbān rahā nakard wa jafā kard wa ma’zuraš dāštam ke
latifān gofteand.
(G. p. 100)
Translation
:
I desired to serve him, but the doorkeeper did not allow me in and was
harsh. I forgave him, for the wise have said so.
In the next sentence, the first-person singular pronoun -am (ما) is attached to the noun part
of a compound verb:
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ResearchBib IF - 11.01, ISSN: 3030-3753, Volume 2 Issue 6
بجوتسم ینک مراتفرگ رگ
و
ماقتناک رتهب وفع یشخبب ر
.
Gar gereftāram koni mastawjibam
War bebaxši afw behtar k-enteqām.
(G. p. 401)
Meaning
:
If you find me guilty, I deserve it; but if you forgive, forgiveness is better than
revenge.
It is well known that language strives for brevity and efficiency. Enclitic pronouns appear
in context as shortened forms of personal pronouns. As seen in the examples, when enclitic
pronouns are added to the noun part of a compound verb, they act as shortened versions of
personal pronouns in the accusative or dative case, clarifying their meaning within the sentence.
Although our primary focus is on enclitic pronouns attached to the noun part of
compound verbs, we also consider those attached to the verb part.
In modern spoken Persian, it is quite common for enclitic pronouns to attach to verbal
predicates. For example:
نوتمدید
(
didametun
) – "
I saw you
(plural/formal)." This pattern emerges
from the constant tendency in speech for brevity and conciseness.
In Sa'di's Gulistan, some instances occur where the verb part of a compound verb carries
an enclitic pronoun:
دمآ رب باتفآ زیخ هک شدرک رادیب کدنا کدنا فطلب
.
Belotf andak andak biydār kardaš ke xiz āftāb bar āmad.
(G. p. 401)
Translation
:
He gently woke him up, saying, “Rise, the sun has come up.”
In some cases, infinitive forms of compound verbs also contain enclitic pronouns:
؟دوسچ تسود یورب نداد هسوب
دوردب شندرک هظحل نیرد مه
Buse dādan beruy-e dust če sud?
Ham dar in lahze kardanaš bedurud.
(G. p. 379)
Meaning
:
What good is kissing the face of a friend, if at that very moment you bid
farewell?
In the above sentence, the compound verb bedurud kardan (to bid farewell) takes the
enclitic pronoun -aš (شا). In Persian, regardless of the structural form of the verb, when it
appears in its infinitive form, it behaves like a noun – just like in Uzbek – and can take on noun-
specific morphological markers.
The attachment of enclitic pronouns to the verb part of a sentence often results from
metrical demands in poetic texts.
Apart from the aforementioned examples, Gulistan contains compound verbs with unique
conjugation patterns. Some Iranian linguists refer to these as impersonal intransitive verbs,
treating them as a distinct group based on their structure. However, these are essentially
compound verbs that differ morphologically from others.
This distinction is reflected in their conjugation: in impersonal intransitive verbs, the verb
part is always in the third-person singular, while the subject is indicated by the enclitic pronoun
attached to the noun part.
Such examples are also found in Gulistan, where verbs like āmadan (to come), gereftan
(to take), and bordan (to carry) are used to form intransitive compound verbs:
رب یمن شباوخ هناخ رد نایرول شیوشت زا بشب و دوب هدمآ درگ دنچ یمرد ار یبرع هک دننک تیاکح هکنانچ
د
.
Čonānke hekāyat konand ke arabirā derami čand gerd āmade bud wa bešab az tašwiš-e
luriyān dar xāne tanhā xābaš namibord.
(G. p. 302)
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ResearchBib IF - 11.01, ISSN: 3030-3753, Volume 2 Issue 6
Translation
:
It is told that an Arab had collected some dirhams, but due to the worry of
thieves, he could not sleep alone at night in his house.
In the following examples, a compound verb formed with āmadan includes the pronouns
-aš (شا) in one case and -at (تا) in another:
دماین شلوبق دومرف لمع و درک شوخ لد و رب رگید راب کلم
.
Malek bār-e digar bar u delxuš kard wa amal farmud qabulaš nayāmad.
(G. p. 87)
Translation
:
The king once again showed kindness and appointed him to a post, but he
did not accept it.
رب چنگ ای دنمدوس و کان رطخ تسایرد رفس نوچ ناهاشداپ لمع :متفگ هک دماین تلوبق نم تراشا تبون نآ:متفگ
یریمب مسلط رد ای یریگ
.
.
Goftam: Ān noubat ešārat-e man qabūlat nayāmad ke goftam: Amal-e pādšāhān čun
daryāst xatarnāk wa sudmand yā ganč bar giri yā dar talassom bemiri.
(G. p. 99)
Translation
: I said, “That time you did not accept my advice when I said: The actions of
kings are like the sea—dangerous yet profitable: you may either seize a treasure or perish in the
whirlpool.”
CONCLUSION
This study highlights the multifunctional role of enclitic pronouns in Persian, particularly
within compound verb constructions. Unlike Uzbek possessive suffixes, which are restricted to
nominal attachment and express only possession, Persian enclitic pronouns are syntactically
versatile. They can attach to nouns, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, and even negative particles,
reflecting Persian’s capacity for morphological economy. In compound verbs, enclitic pronouns
may be affixed to either the noun or verb component, depending on grammatical or stylistic
factors.
This is especially evident in classical Persian texts such as Sa'di’s Gulistan, where poetic
meter often influences pronoun placement. Overall, enclitic pronouns serve as concise markers
of person, possession, and syntactic function, offering a unique insight into Persian's structural
efficiency and expressive capacity.
REFERENCES
1.
Sa’di Shirazi.
Gulistan
. – Tehran: Mirath-e Maktub, 2004.
2.
Windfuhr G. The Iranian Languages
.
– Routledge, 2009.
3.
Perry J. R. Form and Meaning in Persian Vocabulary: The Arabic Feminine Ending
.
Journal of the American Oriental Society
,
121(1), 1–16. (2001).
4.
Bozorov M. Fors tilining nazariy grammatikasi
.
– Toshkent: O‘zbekiston Milliy
Ensiklopediyasi, 2020.
5.
Sirojiddinov S. Sharq filologiyasi asoslari
.
– Toshkent: Fan, 2016.
6.
Xudoyberganov, I. (1997).
O‘zbek tilining grammatikasi. Morfologiya
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