← Back

Cases: The Six-Case System

Nominative, accusative, dative, locative, ablative, genitive cases and their uses
Suffix ordering: Mirror Principle
suffix order reflects syntactic hierarchy
varies
Turkish suffix order: stem + voice + negation + tense + agreement; mirrors syntax
Morphological paradigm gaps
where expected forms do not exist
varies
Some causative + passive combinations are ill-formed; gaps in verb paradigm
Overabundance: multiple forms for same cell
competing forms in paradigm
varies
Gidiyorum/gidiyom (colloquial reduction); both fill same paradigm cell
Deponent verbs in Turkish
verbs with unexpected reflexive/passive morphology
varies
Çalış (to work) looks like reflexive of çal (to play/steal) but is not
Causative chains
double and triple causatives
varies
Yaptırmak (to have done); yaptırttırmak (to have someone cause someone to do)
Morphological vs. syntactic causation
direct vs. indirect causation distinction
varies
Morphological causative (more direct); periphrastic (ettirmek, more indirect)
Tense, aspect, modality as heads
generative morphosyntax of Turkish TAM
varies
Each TAM suffix is a functional head in the clause structure; systematic hierarchy
Non-finite clause types: full taxonomy
all Turkish non-finite clause strategies
varies
-Mek infinitive; -me gerund; -iş manner noun; -diği participial; converbs
Productivity in Turkish morphology
measuring morphological productivity
varies
Turkish morphology is highly productive; new words formed freely with existing rules
Paradigm leveling and analogy
how irregular forms are regularized over time
varies
Some Ottoman irregular forms are regularized in modern Turkish; language change