Verbal Suffixes of Turkmen language

Arsalan Golfam (Ph.D.), Ebrahim Atasadi

Linguistics Department, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran
Corresponding author Email: eatasadi@yahoo.com
Tel: +989113725069
August 2004

Abstract:
In this research the verbal suffixes of Turkmen language are studied. These
suffixes are divided into two classes: "nominal and verbal verb-making suffixes"
and "tenses and suffixes". We can convert nouns and adjectives into verbs using
suffixes such as –a/-e, -al/-el/-l, -la/-le, etc. These suffixes are called nominal verb-
making suffixes which are derivational. There are another group of suffixes which
are called non-finite verbal verb-making suffixes, these suffixes include transitive,
reflexive, reciprocal, causative, passive and infinitive suffixes all of which are
inflectional. The order of these suffixes after the verbal root is shown in the
following rule:
verbal root + reflexive/ transitive/ reciprocal + causative + passive + infinitive
suffix
A group of suffixes are called finite verbal verb-making which include tense,
aspect and mood suffixes. These suffixes are inflectional and are located farther
from root than non-finite suffixes. There are three tenses in Turkmen, present
tense is unmarked member, -dy/-di is used for past tense and –jak/-jek is used for
future tense. Three aspects can be distinguished in Turkmen; simple aspect is
unmarked member, -yp/-ip indicates perfect aspect and -ýar/-ýär indicates
continuous aspect. In Turkmen language there are mood suffixes which express
subjunctive, conditional, and other meanings.
The order of suffixes after the verbal stem is very regular and interesting. The
order of suffixes in different tenses without taking the mood suffix into account is
shown in the following rule:
verbal root + neg. suf –ma/-me + aspect suf + tense suf+ person + question suf –
my/-mi
Non-finite verbal verb-making suffixes precede negative, aspect, mood, tense
and question suffixes.
Key words: verb-making suffixes, nominal, verbal, non-finite, aspect, mood

Introduction:
Turkmen language is a subbranch of eastern Turkic languages and has about two
million speakers in Northeast of Iran, in Golestan province and Northern
Khorasan.
Typologically Turkmen language is an agglutinative language like other Turkic
languages, and morphologically, suffixes are added after the root, a group of
suffixes which are added to the end of the root and make an independent and
separate meaning are called derivational suffixes, and the other group are added
to the end of the roots (words) and show the inflection and case of the words to
which they are added.
In Turkmen language like other Turkic languages (Turkish of Azeri and Turkey),
suffixes which have internal function and change the meaning of the word are
placed nearer to the root and the suffixes which have external function and are
used to create coherency among the different parts of the sentence are placed
farther from the root.
Verbs accord with subjects in number. In this language, there are suffixes for
tense, mood and aspect. In this language, negation, question, etc in finite verbs
are shown using suffixes, and making verbs from nouns and vice versa and other
derivational processes occurs easily and frequently which in turn adds to the
richness of this language.
Verbal Suffixes of Turkmen Language
In this study, we deal with derivational and inflectional suffixes used in verb
structure and present a list of each of these suffixes. Meanwhile vowel harmony
between these suffixes and roots is considered.

Verb-making suffixes in Turkmen

Verb-making suffixes are presented in two sections: “Nominal and Verbal verb-
making suffixes” and “Suffixes and Tenses”. In section Nominal verb-making
suffixes, suffixes which are added to nouns and adjectives and change them into
verbs are exemplified.
In section Verbal verb-making suffixes, nonfinite verb-making suffixes (transitive,
passive, etc) and finite verbal verb-making suffixes are considered according to
their sequence. In section “Suffixes and tenses” all (verbal) suffixes and (person)
suffixes besides the sequence of suffixes of question, negation, etc are
considered.

A- Nominal and Verbal verb-making suffixes:

1- Nominal verb-making suffixes
That group of suffixes which are added to the end of the nominal roots (adjective
or noun) and change them into verbs are called Nominal verb-making suffixes. A
number of these suffixes is given in the following table:

Table1: Nominal verb-making suffixes

Number affix Phonetic input example pronunciation meaning
variants
1 -V –a / –e noun oýn-a-mak [ojnɑmɑq] play
2 -Vl –al / -el / adjective az-al-mak [ɑ:ðɑlmɑq] decrease
–l
3 -lV -la / -le adjective, hak-la-mak [hɑqlɑmɑq] justify
…
4 -lVş -laş / -leş adjective, ganymat- [Gɑnɯ:mɑtl improve
… laş-mak ɑʃmɑq]
5 - -syra / - adjective belet-sire- [beletθiremek] pretend to
sVrV sire mek know sth
6 -Vk –yk / –ik adjective aj-yk-mak [ɑ:ʤɯqmɑq] hunger
7 -n -n adjective ýalta-n- [jɑltɑnmɑq] laze
mak
8 -t -t adjective oýa-t-mak [ojɑtmɑq] awake

2- Verbal verb-making suffixes (finite and non-finite)

2-1- Nonfinite verbal verb-making suffixes
This group includes transitive, reflexive, reciprocal, causative, passive and
infinitive suffixes:
2-1-1-Transitive Suffix –Vr, -t and –Vr:
The suffix –t comes with verbs which end in vowel, suffix –Vr which has two
phonetic variants –ar and –er and suffix -Vr which has two phonetic variants –yr
and –ir come with verbs which end in a consonant:
çyk-ar-mak /ʧɯqɑrmɑq/ to bring out
eri-t-mek /eritmek/ to melt
gaç-yr-mak /Gɑʧɯrmɑq/ to scare, to let sb/sth escape

2-1-2- reflexive suffix

Reflexive suffix in Turkmen language is –Vn, phonetic variants of this suffix
after a verb root which ends in consonant are –yn/-in and –un/-ün, another
phonetic variant of this suffix after the verb root which ends in vowel is –n:
gör-mek /gørmek/ to see gör-ün-mek /gørynmek/ to become
seen, to appear
belle-mek /bellemek/ to determine, to specify belle-n-mek /bellenmek/ to
become specified
2-1-3- Reciprocal suffix –Vş: -Vş is reciprocal suffix in Turkmen language,
phonetic variants of this suffix after a root ended in consonant are –yş/-iş and
–uş/-üş, phonetic variant of this suffix after a verb root ended in vowel is –ş:
gör-mek /gørmek/ to see gör-üş-mek /gøryʃmek/ to meet
2-1-4- Causative suffix –dVr and –t: Causative suffix –dVr whose phonetic
variants are –dyr/-dir and –dur/-dür is used after verb roots which end in
consonants except /l/ and /r/. And causative suffix –t is used after verb roots
which end in consonants /l/ or /r/ or vowels:
geý-mek /gejmek/ to wear geý-dir-mek /gejdirmek/ to dress
2-1-5- Passive suffix –Vl, -Vn, -l and –n: the usage of passive suffix regarding
the last syllable of the verb root is as it is shown in the following table:

Table 2: Passive suffix

Verb root + -Vl ; when the ending of the last syllable of the verb is not consonant /l/
Verb root + -Vn ; when the ending of the last syllable of the verb is consonant /l/
Verb root + -l ; when the verb ends in vowel and the beginning of the last syllable is not /l/
Verb root + -n ; when the verb ends in vowel and the beginning of the last syllable is /l/
2-1-6- Infinitive suffix: In this language like other Turkic languages, infinitive
suffix is –mak or –mek which comes after the verb root:
wur-mak /wurmɑq/ to beat, to hit wur-un-mak
/wurunmɑq/ to thrash, to agonize
wur-yl-mak /wurɯlmɑq/ to be beaten wur-uş-mak /wuruʃmɑq/ to
fight, to struggle
wur-uş-dyr-mak /wuruʃdɯrmɑq/ to make two people or groups or more
fight with each other
gül-mek /gylmek/ to laugh gül-üş-mak /gylyʃmek/ to laugh
with each other
gül-üş-dir-mek /gylyʃdirmek/ to make other people laugh, to amuse

In the above words, it is shown that suffixes follow vowel harmony concerning
their being back or front.
2-2- Finite verbal verb-making suffixes
In this part tense, aspect and mood suffixes are studied and their types and
sequence are considered as well:
2-2-1- Tense: There are three tenses in Turkmen language: present, past and
future.
Present tense: Present tense is the unmarked member.

Past tense: Past tense is the marked member, suffix –dy/-di is used to indicate
past tense ( in simple past tense, continuous past tense, etc. ).
Future tense: Future tense suffix is –jak/-jek which is used in definite future
tense, subjunctive future tense and simple future in past tense.
2-2-2- Aspect: There are three aspects in Turkmen language.
Simple aspect: Simple aspect is the unmarked member.
Continuous aspect: Suffix -ýar/-ýär shows continuous aspect and is used in
present continuous and past continuous tenses.
Perfect aspect: Suffix –yp/-ip shows perfect aspect and is used in present
perfect and past perfect tenses.
2-2-3- Mood: Declarative (indicative), imperative, subjunctive, narrative,
probability moods are distinguished in Turkmen language.
Declarative mood: Declarative mood is the unmarked member.
Imperative mood: Declarative mood is formed by adding the following suffixes to
the verb root:

Table 3: Declarative suffixes

singular Plural
first person -eýin/-aýyn -aly/-eli
second person ø -yñ / -iñ
third person -syn/-sin -synlar/ -sinler

Conditional mood: Conditional suffix is –sV in Turkmen language which has two
phonetic variants –sa and –se.

a) Present and future tense:

Gid-se-ñ, gör-ör-siñ. /gidθeŋ ≠ gørørθiŋ/ If you go, you will see.
b) past tense:
Gid-se-di-ñ, gör-ör-di-ñ. /gidθediŋ ≠ gørørdiŋ/ If you went, you would see.
Subjunctive mood: Suffix –ar/-er is used for subjunctive mood in Turkmen
language.

Narrative mood: Suffix -myş/-miş is used for narrative mood. This suffix is used
after participles, adjectives, nouns, etc. In other words, it can be used after the
predicate in a sentence.
Probability mood: Suffix –dyr/-dir conveys the meaning of probability.
Al-yp-dyr. [ɑlɯpdɯr] He/She has taken.
B- Suffixes and Tenses
Present continuous, present subjunctive, definite past tenses and other main
tenses of Turkmen language concerning suffixes used in these tenses, their
sequences, and ( their observance of ) vowel harmony are studied in this section.

1. Present continuous: This tense is formed by adding continuous suffix -ýar/-ýär

after the verb base and then using the endings of present tense:
al-ýar-yn /ɑljɑ:rɯn/ I am taking gel-ýär-in /gelja:rin/ I am coming
al-ma-ýar-yn /ɑlmɑjɑ:rɯn/ I am not taking al-ýar-yn-my? /ɑljɑ:rɯnmɯ/ Am I
taking?
Endings of present tense are given in the following table:

Table 4: Present Tense Endings

endings
singular Plural
first person -yn/-in -ys/-is
second person -(s)yñ/-(s)iñ -syñyz/-siñiz
third person -Ø -lar/ler

2- Reduced present continuous: Reduced form of present continuous is formed by

using the following suffixes after the verb root:
Table 5: Reduced present continuous suffixes
singular Plural
first person -ýa-n/-ýä-n -ýa-s/-ýä-s
second person -ýa-ñ/-ýä-ñ -ýa-ñyz/-ýä-ñiz
third person -ýa/-ýä -ýa-lar/-ýä-ler
al-ýa-n /ɑljɑ:n/ I am taking gel-ýä-n /gelja:n/ I am coming

3- Subjunctive present: This tense is formed by using subjunctive suffix –ar/-er

and endings of present tense after the verb root.
al-ar-yn /ɑlɑrɯn/ I will take gel-er-in /gelerin/ I will come
4- Definite past: This tense is formed by using suffix –dV which conveys the
meaning of past and the endings of past tense. Past tense suffix –dV has two
main phonetic variants –dy and –di and also two minor phonetic variants –du and
–dü.
al-dy-m /ɑldɯm/ I took gel-di-m /geldim/ I came
Endings of past tense are given in the following table:
Table 6: Past Tense Endings
endings of past tense
singular plural
first person -m -k
 second person -ñ -ñyz/ñiz
third person Ø -lar/ler

5- Subjunctive past: In order to form this tense, subjunctive suffix –ar/-er, past
tense suffix –dV and endings of past tense are used.
al-ar-dy-m /ɑlɑrdɯm/ I would take gel-er-di-m /gelerdim/ I would come

6- Past continuous: This tense is formed by adding continuous suffix -ýar/-ýär,

past tense suffix –dV and endings of past tense after the verb root.
al-ýar-dy-m /ɑljɑ:rdɯm/ I was taking gel-ýär-di-m /gelja:rdim/ I was
coming
gel-me-ýär-di-m /gelmeja:rdim/ I was not coming gel-ýär-di-m-mi?
/gelja:rdimmi/ Was I coming?

7- Simple future: To form this tense, future tense suffix –jak/-jek comes after the
base of the verb. Form of the verb in simple future tense is the same for all
persons.
men al-jak /men≠ ɑlʤɑq/ I will take
men gel-jek /men ≠ gelʤek/ I will come

8- Simple future in the past: To form this after, future tense suffix –jak/-jek, past
tense suffix and endings of past tense are used after the verb root.
al-jak-dy-m /ɑlʤɑqdɯm/ I wanted to take gel-jek-di-m /gelʤekdim/ I wanted
to come

9- Non-definite past: To form this tense, past participle suffix –an/-en, probability
suffix or narrative mood suffix -myş/-miş and endings are used. In non-definite
past, endings of present tense are used with –dyr/-dir and endings of past tense
are used with -myş/-miş.
al-an-dyr /ɑlɑndɯr/ He has taken gel-en-dir /gelendir/ He has come

10- Present perfect: In this tense, suffix of perfect aspect -yp/-ip, probability suffix
-dyr/-dir and endings of present tense are used after the verb root.
al-yp-dyr-lar /ɑlɯpdɯrlɑr/ They have taken gel-ip-dir-ler /gelipdirler/ They have
come

11- Past perfect: In this tense, suffix of perfect aspect -yp/-ip, past tense suffix –
dy/-di and endings of past tense are used after the verb root.
al-yp-dy-m /ɑlɯpdɯm/ I had taken al-ma-p-dy-m /ɑlmɑ:pdɯm/ I had not taken
al-yp-dy-m-my? /ɑlɯpdɯmmɯ/ Had I taken? gel-ip-di-m /gelipdim/ I had
come
gel-mä-p-di-m /gelma:pdim/ I had not come gel-mä-p-di-m-mi? /gelma:pdimmi/
Had I not come?
In the above sentences, it is shown that suffixes of tense, aspect, negative and
question follow the vowel harmony rule.

Conclusion:

Verbs are derived from nouns and adjectives using suffixes –a/-e, -al/-el/-l, -la/-le,
etc., theses suffixes are called nominal verb-making suffixes, these suffixes are
derivational suffixes.
Another type of suffixes are discussed under the title of verbal verb-making
suffixes which are divided into two groups: finite and nonfinite. Inflectional
suffixes such as transitive suffix –Vr, -t, and –Vr, reflexive suffix –Vn, reciprocal
suffix –Vş, causative suffix –dVr and –t, passive suffix –Vl, -Vn, -l and –n and
infinitive suffix –mak/-mek are placed under the title of nonfinite verbal verb-
making suffixes and (concerning examples mentioned in 2-1-6 ,etc.) are ordered
according to the following rule:
verb base + reciprocal suffix/transitive/reflexive + causative suffix + passive suffix
+ infinitive suffix
Tense, mood and aspect suffixes are discussed under the title of finite verbal
verb-making suffixes, these suffixes are inflectional and in comparison to
nonfinite suffixes are placed farther from the verb root.
From among three main tenses of Turkmen present tense is the unmarked
member, past tense is shown with suffix –dy/-di and future tense is shown with
suffix –jak/-jek. Among aspects, simple aspect is the unmarked member,
continuous suffix with suffix -ýar/-ýär and perfect aspect with suffix –yp/-ip are
shown.
There are suffixes for subjunctive, conditional, probability, etc. in Turkmen
language. All finite and nonfinite verbal verb-making suffixes follow the vowel
harmony rule. In section “suffixes and tenses”, major tenses of this language like
continuous present, subjunctive present, definite past, continuous past etc. are
studied, sequence of suffixes in theses tenses is very systematic and deserves
much consideration. For example in continuous past tense, sequence of suffixes is
as follows: verb root+ continuous suffix + past tense suffix + endings of past tense.
And in subjunctive present tense, subjunctive suffix and endings of present tense
follow the verb root.
According to the examples mentioned in 6- Continuous past, 11- Past perfect,
etc., sequence of suffixes used in different tenses without mentioning mood suffix
can be summarized as in the following rule:
verb root + negative suffix –ma/-me + aspect suffix + tense suffix + endings +
question suffix –my/-mi
In finite verbs, nonfinite verbal verb-making suffixes (except infinite suffix)
precede negative, aspect, mood, tense and question suffixes. Question suffix is
the last suffix that is added after the endings in finite verbs.

References:

1. Aygen (Tosun), G lsat. Vowel harmony in Turkish and Turkmen, M.A., Harvard
University, 1999.
2. Campbell, George L. Concise Compendium of the World’s Languages, London,
Routledge, Pub. 1995
3. Maleki Moghaddam, Ardeshir. A Description of Verb Phrase Structure in
Turkmen Language, M.A., Linguistics, Tarbiat Modares University, 1992.
4. http// www.chaihana.com/diction.pdf
5. http//www.lmp.ucla.edu/profiles/proft05.htm