Ottoman-Persian Ezafe ("-i" suffix) adopted across Mediterranean

[Deleted member 114175]

In many Iranian languages, the suffix -i or -e is used, roughly equivalent to the English word "of". This is called ezafe.

Ezafe was intentionally adopted into Ottoman Turkish and Urdu as the Turco-Persian tradition spread. It convergently resembles the Arabic genitive. By coincidence, ezafe also resembles the genitive form in Latin and some plural forms in Italian.

Could this linguistic construction have seen more widespread adoption outside of the Middle East? Maybe the Mediterranean Lingua Franca or Sabir could have spread the usage of ezafe into Romance languages?

 

[LostInNewDelhi]

Albanian seems to use something similar for the genitive. That might just be convergent evolution, though, as opposed to Albanian actually adopting the ezafe construction from, say, Turkish.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himni_i_Flamurit

 

[Intransigent Southerner]

Albanian seems to use something similar for the genitive. That might just be convergent evolution, though, as opposed to Albanian actually adopting the ezafe construction from, say, Turkish.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himni_i_Flamurit

Albanian i is an adjectival connective article and does not come from Ottoman Turkish.

 

[Deleted member 114175]

The Balkan sprachbund, which saw the development of similar grammatical features between the South Slavic languages, Eastern Romance languages, Greek, Albanian, and (Balkan dialects of) Turkish, could help out in spreading ezafe.

 

[Byzantion]

In many Iranian languages, the suffix -i or -e is used, roughly equivalent to the English word "of". This is called ezafe.

Ezafe was intentionally adopted into Ottoman Turkish and Urdu as the Turco-Persian tradition spread. It convergently resembles the Arabic genitive. By coincidence, ezafe also resembles the genitive form in Latin and some plural forms in Italian.

Could this linguistic construction have seen more widespread adoption outside of the Middle East? Maybe the Mediterranean Lingua Franca or Sabir could have spread the usage of ezafe into Romance languages?

Also the Iranian/Ottoman suffix -estan could be interesting in Europe.

 

[Falecius]

Also the Iranian/Ottoman suffix -estan could be interesting in Europe.

Well, it became somewhat entrenched in English and other European languages whereby neologisms such as "Londonistan" are formed. But, yes, it is fairly limited.

 

[Byzantion]

Well, it became somewhat entrenched in English and other European languages whereby neologisms such as "Londonistan" are formed. But, yes, it is fairly limited.

I could Imagine, that -estan could be used in Eastern Europe in case of Turkic/ Tartar Islam ist implemented further.

 

[Vuu]

wouldn't work in slavic, -i is the suffix used for multiple, the equivalent of english -s

 

[Angel Blaise]

wouldn't work in slavic, -i is the suffix used for multiple, the equivalent of english -s

English has -s and -'s, which are pronounced the same. E.g. cats vs cat's

 

[Vuu]

We would rather commit mass suicide then accept foreign grammatical constructions

 

[Jurgen Wullenwever]

We would rather commit mass suicide then accept foreign grammatical constructions

Who are "we" in this case?

There is the current English usage of "Israeli" and "Iraqi" and "Saudi" that seems to fill the same function as -y, -ish, -ic, -ian, -ite ...

 

[Falecius]

Who are "we" in this case?

There is the current English usage of "Israeli" and "Iraqi" and "Saudi" that seems to fill the same function as -y, -ish, -ic, -ian, -ite ...

But it is not the Perso-Turkic ezafe, here, it is the Arabic nisba adjective suffix, and/or the Persian and Indic phonetically similar (but etimologically different) adjectival ending (both these adjectival endings have a long -i, while the ezafe suffix is short; also, it is usually actually an -e, not an -i, in Standard Persian phonetic realization and most common Persian trasliterations reflect that, unless they are Arabic-based).