The Complement Verb of Modal Verbs in Sogdian

The study of the syntax of the Iranian languages has gained few attentions and Sogdian in this case is not an exception. Due to the fact that the Sogdian texts are recognized as translations of other languages, the scholars have a disinclination to pay attention to the syntax of these texts. Determining the scale of the influence of the syntax of the source languages from one hand and the distinction between the various types of this language on the other hand needs to be proved by studying and comparing the similar constructions in different type of this language variations. This essay studies and classifies the complement verbs of two major Sogdian modal verbs: s’c- and k’m-. In the previous studies on their syntax, the use of complement has been generally considered just by infinitive. This study shows that the complement of these verbs is more diverse than what was previously thought. The use of various types of infinitive and also different moods of verbs in the subordinate sentences are the other types of their complements. The verb sʼc- has less frequency in the texts other than Buddhist ones, and the variety of its complements is less than kʼm-, but the frequency of kʼm- in Christian and Buddhist texts is relatively equal and provides the ability to compare and analyze the difference of these two language types.