Nominal linkers in Gilaki

Abstract

This paper provides a description of noun phrases in the Eshkevarat variety of Gilaki (Northwestern Iranian). In Eshkevarat Gilaki, noun phrases and the majority of adpositional phrases are head final. Some nominal modifiers as well as the complement of postpositions are linked to the head of the phrase by a linking element––known as Reverse Ezafe (Stilo 2004). We show that the Reverse Ezafe appearing in possessive and adpositional contexts has different properties compared to the one appearing on attributive adjectives.