A syntactic analysis of Little Pro in Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) Language Dialect: A case study

پوختە

This article investigates the distribution and licensing of the empty category known as little pro within the framework of Generative Grammar, focusing on Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji). While pro-drop languages such as Italian, Spanish, Persian, and Central Kurdish allow subject omission in finite simple clauses due to rich subject–verb agreement, Kurmanji exhibits a more restricted pattern. The main aim of this study is to determine whether little pro can be licensed in various types of simple clauses in Kurmanji, thereby positioning it within broader cross-linguistic theories of subject omission. The study adopts a qualitative approach based on a textual analysis of selected clause structures. It is conducted within the framework of Government and Binding (GB) theory, particularly addressing the relationship between verb agreement, clause type, and the licensing of null subjects. The findings reveal that although Kurmanji permits pro-drop in many cases, specially in intransitive and non-past transitive constructions, it does not license little pro in all simple clauses. In past transitive constructions, where the subject is marked with oblique case and agreement holds between the verb and the object, the subject cannot be omitted. In such cases, an overt subject is required to maintain grammaticality. Overall, the data suggest that Kurmanji is a partial pro-drop language: it allows subject omission in some clause types but not in others due to limitations in its verbal agreement system. This investigation contributes to our understanding of empty categories and syntactic variation within Kurdish dialects and pro-drop typology more broadly.