Prenominal relative clauses in Northern Tajik Persian: Analytic to synthetic morphology and a new contact perspective

Abstract

We examine the evolution of synthetic relative clauses (RCs) in Northern Tajik Persian, driven by prolonged contact with Uzbek. While Standard Tajik Persian uses analytic post-nominal RCs with the complementizer ki, Northern Tajik has synthetic pre-nominal RCs with non-finite verbs,with a high degree of structural and grammatical parallelism with Uzbek RCs, suggesting they were acquired through contact. We explore the dynamics of language change and reevaluate the sociolinguistic factors contributing to the grammatical ‘Turkification’ of Northern Tajik. Initially, stable bilingualism in the vast rural contact zone favored the adoption of isomorphic structures for code-switching. Later, these varieties permeated some Tajik-speaking cities like Samarkand and Bukhara, analogous to rural-to-urban shifts which diachronically brought Bedouin-type dialects into Baghdad. In modern times, these urban centers have become significant contact zones, further transforming the language through Uzbek-medium education and media exposure.