Proto-Turkic/Converbs and sentence formation
Welcome to the twelve lesson of the Proto-Turkic!
Sentence formation
[edit | edit source]Unlike English which has subject–verb–object (SVO), the basic Proto-Turkic word order is SOV, that it is subject–object–verb. The precise order look like this:
| Parts of speech by order | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjective (attributive) | Subject | Adjective (predicative) | Postposition | Object (anything) | Adverb | Verb | Pronoun (certain tenses, see more) |
There is no prepositions in Proto-Turkic, postpositions, of which succeeds its objects, serve that role instead. This is a list of some postpositions found in Proto-Turkic:
- *üčün "for, because of"
- *togru "toward"
Examples
[edit | edit source]| Sentence | *Bẹ ebke tǖn kẹltim. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gloss | "I house-dat night come-past-1sg" | ||||
| Part of speech | Pronoun (subj.) | Object | Adverb | Verb | |
| Meaning | "I came to the house night." | ||||
| Sentence | *Anam doŋuŕ eti yēdi. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gloss | "Mother-1sg.poss pig meal-3sg.poss eat-past.3sg." | |||
| Part of speech | Subject | Object (compound) | Verb | |
| Meaning | "My mother ate pork (← pig meal)." | |||
Converbs
[edit | edit source]Converbs are conjunctions that connect verbs to sentences. In Turkic languages, verbs can be connected to sentences when they turn into verbal.
In English this is mostly done by conjunctions and prepositions. This is how we translate it. But have you noticed that verbs are not connected the way we translate them into sentences. For example, when we say while going, we are actually saying goingly (just like rallingly). The linking of verbs is through being either nouns, adjectives or adverbs. These are connected to a sentence on their own without the need for a conjunction like while, and they even have a meaning on their own. Considering that we count words such as winningly, seethingly, meaningly as words alone, there are verb-based endless adverbs in a Turkic language.
All right, so why is there such a title?
*verb-verbal adjective (as a noun)-possessive-ablative
[edit | edit source]"Since I came late yesterday, everyone was already asleep." Note that there is no because in Proto-Turkic. So how do we connect this sentence and translate it into Proto-Turkic?
We use adjective verbs and possessives.
"Tǖn kēč kẹldükümten, bārča kiĺi ūdïma(k)da erti."
Let's examine the first part of the sentence.
From my coming late yesterday - Tǖn kēč kẹldükümten
Next up is the second part you know.
Everybody was asleep - bārča kiĺi ūdïma(k)da erti
| verb | verbal adjective
(as verbal noun) |
possesive | ablative |
|---|---|---|---|
| kẹl | dük | üm | ten |
"Since (from) I (my) came (coming) late yesterday, everyone was (already) asleep (sleeping)."
"Tǖn kēč kẹl dükümten, bārča kiĺi ūdïma(k)da erti."
*verb-verbal adjective (as a noun)-possessive-locative
[edit | edit source]When I came late yesterday, everyone was already asleep. - "Tǖn kēč kẹldükümte, bārča kiĺi ūdïma(k)da erti."
Let's examine the first part of the sentence.
At my coming late yesterday - Tǖn kēč kẹldükümte
Next up is the second part you know.
Everybody was asleep - bārča kiĺi ūdïma(k)da erti
| verb | verbal adjective
(as verbal noun) |
possesive | locative |
|---|---|---|---|
| kẹl | dük | üm | te |
"When (at) I (my) came (coming) late yesterday, everyone was (already) asleep (sleeping)."
"Tǖn kēč kẹldükümte, bārča kiĺi ūdïma(k)da erti."
*verb-verbal adjective (as a noun)-possessive for
[edit | edit source]Since I came late yesterday, everyone was already asleep. - "Tǖn kēč kẹldüküm üčün, bārča kiĺi ūdïma(k)da erti."
Let's examine the first part of the sentence.
For my coming late yesterday - Tǖn kēč kẹldüküm üčün
Next up is the second part you know.
Everybody was asleep - bārča kiĺi ūdïma(k)da erti
| verb | verbal adjective
(as verbal noun) |
possesive | for |
|---|---|---|---|
| kẹl | dük | üm | üčün |
"Since (for) I (my) came (coming) late yesterday, everyone was (already) asleep (sleeping)."
"Tǖn kēč kẹldüküm üčün, bārča kiĺi ūdïma(k)da erti."
*verb-verbal adjective (as a noun)-possessive-equative
[edit | edit source]I saw as I came. - "Kẹldükümče, körtüm."
Let's examine the first part of the sentence.
As I came (this much) - Kẹldükümče
Next up is the second part you know.
I saw - körtüm
| verb | verbal adjective
(as verbal noun) |
possesive | equative |
|---|---|---|---|
| kẹl | dük | üm | če |
Notes:
[edit | edit source]- In many modern Turkic languages there is *-gAn instead of *-dUk. But *-dUk used in Yenisei inscriptions, Köktürk inscriptions and both Volga and Danube Bulgarian inscriptions[1]. So using *-dUk is more realistic to Proto-Turkic language.
- Today, some Turkic languages use as follows: pronoun verb-verbal adjective-ablative/locative/ for/equative
Next lesson: Abilities, future tense and present continuous