Comparative Analysis of Predicate Functions in English and Central Kurdish (Sorani)

Abstract

This study adopts a contrastive linguistic approach to examine the predicate functions in English and Central Kurdish (Sorani), focusing on their syntactic, morphological, and semantic characteristics. While both languages belong to the Indo-European family, they diverge significantly in structure: English follows a rigid Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order and employs auxiliary verbs and inflectional morphology to convey tense, aspect, and modality. In contrast, Central Kurdish exhibits more syntactic flexibility and uses a distinct system of verbal agreement and aspect marking. The research applies a descriptive-analytical model grounded in contrastive analysis theory, drawing data from authentic language use (literature, mass media, and spoken discourse) as well as scholarly sources. The central hypothesis is that despite surface-level grammatical differences, universal tendencies in predicate structure can be observed across both languages. The findings demonstrate that although predicate realization differs typologically, both languages exhibit consistent functional roles for predicates in conveying propositional meaning. This contrastive analysis not only highlights structural divergences but also supports the existence of cross-linguistic patterns, contributing to the broader discourse on universal grammar. Given the scope of the study, the focus is limited to general discourse contexts, with particular emphasis on mass media as a shared communicative domain.