A Comparative Morphological and Computational Analysis of Saraiki and Urdu Verbs

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of verb morphology in Saraiki and Urdu, two prominent Indo-Aryan languages of Pakistan. The researchers combine two research methods in their study: a corpus-based study of Saraiki and a computational analysis of Urdu based on established linguistic rules. The Saraiki study results show that the grammatical system of Saraiki verbs uses inflectional forms to create approximately 81% of all verb forms. The research identifies 40 morphological patterns that exhibit a Zipfian distribution, with the five most common suffixes accounting for more than 53% of all verb tokens. The study demonstrates that the most common suffix -w-ṉ serves multiple functions, occupying a position between the grammatical categories of inflexion and derivation. The Urdu analysis demonstrates high generative power, producing 49,879 inflected forms from 975 base verbal roots. The two languages share an Indo-Aryan base structure, but their specific morphological features show different patterns of development. Urdu uses a complex system of honorifics with four levels of respect, while Saraiki uses a simpler system that serves its communication needs.