Appendix:Persian ezâfe

Persian

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (Y, ZY- /⁠ī⁠/), 𐫙𐫏 (ʿy /⁠ī⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏃𐎹 (h-y /⁠hya⁠/).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [‿(j)i], [‿(j)iː]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [‿(j)ɪ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [‿(j)ɪ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [‿(j)ɪ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [‿(j)i]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [‿(j)e]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [‿(j)i]

Readings
Classical reading?	‿(y)i, ‿(y)ī
Dari reading?	‿(y)i
Iranian reading?	‿(y)e
Tajik reading?	‿(y)i

Particle

ـِ • (-e)

1. of; connects two nominals:
   1. Expresses possession or origin.

      برادرِ من ― barâdar-e man ― my brother

      خانهٔ همسایگانِ ما ― xâne-ye hamsâyegân-e mâ ― our neighbors' house

      پادشاهِ ایران ― pâdešâh-e irân ― king of Iran

      جسدِ مردِ کشته شده ― jasad-e mard-e košte šode ― the body of the murdered man

      برگ‌های درخت ― barg-hâ-ye deraxt ― the tree's leaves

   2. Expresses apposition.

      شهرِ تهران ― šahr-e tehrân ― the city of Tehran

      روزِ شنبه ― ruz-e šambe ― Saturday (literally, “the day of Saturday”)

      رودِ نیل ― rud-e nil ― Nile River

   3. Used to form proper nouns.

      دریای ژاپن ― daryâ-ye žâpon ― Sea of Japan

      خلیجِ فارس ― xalij-e fârs ― Persian Gulf (literally, “Gulf of Persia”)

   4. Used for the material of an object; also figuratively.

      حلقهٔ طلا ― halqe-ye talâ ― gold ring

      لبِ لعل ― lab-e la'l ― ruby lips [i.e. seductive, beautiful lips]

   5. Expresses qualities or characteristics, sometimes with figurative senses.

      آبِ زندگی ― âb-e zendegi ― the Water of Life

      سرِ اطاعت فرود آورد.

      sar-e etâ'at forud âvard.

      He bowed his head in obedience.

      (literally, “He bowed the head of obedience.”)

      • c. 1380, Jahān Malik Khātūn, “Introduction”, in دیوان جهان [Divān-i Jahān]‎^[1]:

        مصوری که صورِ ابکارِ افکار بر صفحاتِ ضمیرِ اولی‌الالباب کشید […]

        musawwirē ki suwar-i abkār-i afkār bar safāhat-i zamīr-i ūlū-l-albāb kašīd […]

        the painter [i.e. God] who draws images of unsullied thoughts [lit. the virgins of thoughts] on the pages of the intellects of the prudent […]

        (Classical Persian romanization)

2. Used for adjectives, verbal participles, and adverbial phrases modifying nominals.

   اسبِ سفید ― asb-e sefid ― white horse

   اسب‌های سیاه ― asb-hâ-ye siyâh ― black horses

   منِ بیچاره ― man-e bičâre ― poor me

   شکلاتِ خوشمزه ― šokolât-e xošmaze ― delicious chocolate

   جسدِ مردِ کشته شده ― jasad-e mard-e košte šode ― the body of the murdered man

   سالِ بعد از جنگ ― sâl-e ba'd az jang ― the year after the war

3. Used for the subject of a verbal infinitive.

   از سیگار کشیدنِ نوجوانم ناراحتم.

   az sigâr kešidan-e nowjavân-am nârâhat-am.

   I am upset that my teen is smoking.

   اولین کاری که بعد از رفتنِ دختر کردم

   avvalin kâri ke ba'd az raftan-e doxtar kardam

   the first thing I did after the girl left

4. Used in names:
   1. (Iran) Used between the given name and the surname (and other constituents) in an Iranian Muslim name. Rarely used for non-Iranian names, even if Muslim or Persian.

      محمد تقیِ بهار ― mohammad taqi-ye bahâr ― Mohammad-Taqi Bahar

      سید حسنِ مدرسیِ طباطبايى

      sayyed hasan-e modarresi-ye tabâtabâyi

      Sayyid Hassan Modarresi Tabatabaei

   2. (historical) Used after ابن (ebn) or بن (ben, “son of”) in historical Muslim names.

      محمد بنِ زکریای رازی (mohammad ben-e zakariyâ-ye râzi)

      ابنِ سینا (ebn-e sinâ, “Avicenna”)

   3. (historical) son of

      ناصرِ خسرو ― nâser-e xosrow ― Nasir son of Khusraw

      رستمِ دستان ― rostam-e dastân ― Rustam son of Dastan

Usage notes

(name)

• The particle is called the اضافه (ezâfe, literally “addition”), or sometimes the کسره (kasre, “vowel diacritic for /i~e/”).
• Native Persian grammars, based on Arabic models, sometimes restrict the term اضافه (ezâfe) to only when it is used between nouns.

(pronunciation)

• After a vowel, it is pronounced with a glide [-j-].
• In classical poetry, it is sometimes pronounced as a long vowel depending on the required poetic meter, but in Iran this involves lengthening the vowel /e/ to [eː] rather than pronouncing it as /iː/

(orthography)

• After a consonant and the long vowel ـی (-i), the particle is normally unwritten. It is written with the diacritic ـِ when needed to reduce ambiguity.
• After the short vowel ـه (-e), there are three options, all of which are common today:
  • Unwritten:

    گربه من ― gorbe-ye man ― my cat

  • Written in the form ـهٔ (-e-ye), which is originally a small letter ی above the letter, even though it is commonly mistakenly encoded with the Arabic hamza (ۀ).

    گربهٔ من ― gorbe-ye man ― my cat

  • Written in full as ـه‌ی (-e-ye):

    گربه‌ی من ― gorbe-ye man ― my cat

  • Do not confuse these forms with the suffix ـه‌ای (-e'i) which forms adjectives from nouns.
• After the long vowels ـو (-u) and ـا (-â), the particle is written out explicitly as ی.

(use for adjectives)

• If the nominal is directly followed by the indefinite enclitic ـی (-ē/-i, “a”), which is a literary construction, the ezâfe must not be used. If it is used after the entire noun phrase, as is the case in less literary language, the ezâfe must be used.

  مردی خوب (literary) ― mardi xub ― a good man

  مردِ خوبی (less literary) ― mard-e xubi ― a good man

(loss in compounds)

• There is a strong tendency for the particle to be dropped as part of lexicalization in compound words.

  پدربزرگ ― pedarbozorg ― grandfather

  پدرِ بزرگ ― pedar-e bozorg ― great father

  صاحبخانه ― sâhebxâne ― landlord

  صاحبِ خانه ― sâheb-e xâne ― owner of the house