Communicative Strategies in Kermanshahi Farsi: Literal Translation and Code-Switching in a Bilingual Context

This study investigates the divergences between Kermanshahin Farsi and Standard Persian, focusing on the communicative strategies employed by speakers in naturalistic interaction. Data were drawn from fifty spontaneous conversational segments collected through participant observation, researcher engagement, and field-based language competence. Treating Persian as a second language for Kurdish speakers, the analysis revealed that among eight identified communicative strategies, literal translation and code-switching were the most frequently employed, with literal translation occurring more prominently. Literal translation involves the direct transfer of lexical items and structures from the first language into Persian, whereas code-switching refers to the insertion of first-language elements into Persian discourse to compensate for lexical or structural gaps. These findings highlight the systematic role of bilingual communicative strategies in shaping regional Persian varieties and contribute to understanding cross-linguistic influence in contact linguistics.

Keywords:

Kermanshahi Farsi , Standard Persian , Communicative strategies , Literal translation , Code-switching