The Grammatical Function of Zero and Covert Morphs in Central and Northern Kurdish Dialects

Abstract

This study, entitled "The Grammatical Function of Zero and Covert Morphs in Central and Northern Kurdish Dialects," addresses the frequent confusion between zero and covert morphs. Covert morphs are often mistakenly classified as zero morphs. This study aims to clarify this distinction.
Zero and covert morphs are fundamentally different; covert morphs have an underlying form that is not realized due to the phonological and grammatical properties of the Kurdish language. Since Kurdish is an agglutinative language, sounds influence each other. In contrast, zero morphs inherently lack any form, with no morpheme representing the morph in question, hence their designation as "zero." This research demonstrates these distinctions between zero and covert morphs in Central and Northern Kurdish dialects.
The study employs a descriptive-analytical methodology, examining the differences between zero and covert morphs using data from both dialects (Central and Northern Kurdish) and describing the morphs while analyzing them within the syntactic framework of these dialects.
The significance of this study lies in its clarification and resolution of the distinctions between these types of morphs.
The key findings of this study include: covert morphs possess an underlying form while zero morphs are formless; based on this distinction, it becomes apparent that not all morphs previously classified as zero morphs are actually zero morphs - some are covert morphs that have been misidentified as zero morphs. Another finding demonstrates that while overt morphs can be intentionally rendered covert, this transformation is not possible with zero morphs.