Aspects ofbale(‘yes’) in Persian Discourse: Its Functions, Positions, and Evolution*

Abstract

AbstractThis paper examines the different functions ofbale(‘yes’) in Persian by identifying its positions in the syntagmatic chain. As such, it reveals a significant correlation exists between the function types, various positions, and the frequency ofbale, which appears on the left periphery (LP), on the right periphery (RP), and in the medial, detached or free‐standing mode at a rate of 20.5%, 9.5, 2.1%, and 67.9%, respectively. On LP, it can function for all the three types (e.g. propositional, textual, and interpersonal) involved in it. Besides, on LP it is generally associated with textual and subjective usages, but its position on RP can be explained in terms of intersubjectivity. The function ofbaleas a detached thetical is argued to be predominant in an intersubjective phenomenon motivated by paying attention to/from the addressee. Furthermore, a diachronic survey of thebaledevelopment suggests that it has started as a connective, a confirmative, or an emphatic response markers on LP; then, it has moved to RP to fulfill more intersubjective usages.