SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This study is an attempt to identify the principles governing sequence in Turkish by examining its syntactic structures. Turkish syntax is here treated taxonomically and is seen as consisting of several levels which form a pyramid. At the base of this is Word-group level; above that, in order, are Clause, Sentence and Sentence-complex levels. Paragraph level being at the apex. Except for the topmost one, the Paragraph (which is only touched upon), in Chapters 1 to 4 the principal syntactic structures occurring at each of these levels are identified and examined in detail, the principles governing the sequence of their constituent parts being sought at the same time. The corpus used for this is, in the main, tape recordings of spontaneous speech; this type of material was preferred since it includes many markers of relationship - needed as criteria - not present in literary texts. It is found that grammatical factors determine sequence in some structures but in many more it is contextual ones which exercise control. Included among the latter are the "signals" which are an integral part of Discourse; these and their effect upon syntactic structure are examined in Chapter 5. The inclusion in the examination of the hitherto neglected higher levels reveals that the sequence traditionally held to be the basis of Turkish syntax, "qualifier precedes qualified", obtains only at the lowest, Word-group, level; at the highest ones (Sentence level and above), the reverse sequence occurs exclusively, while between, at Clause level, both are in operation, subject either to grammatical or contextual constraints or to both.