Proto-Turkic/Verbals

Welcome to eighth lesson of Proto-Turkic!

In the previous leasons, we learned about the verb tense suffixes like *-mIĺ, *-dI, or *-Ur, but in this lesson we will learn more verb suffixes.

*-mAk, *-mA
They exist so that we can use the verb in a noun clause.


 * I want to go - Bẹ barmaknï/barmanï kǖsedi.
 * Everbody wants to be loved - Bār kiĺi sebilmekni/sebilmeni kǖser.
 * Staying is harder than leaving - Kiālma(k), kē(y)tme(k)den kạtï.
 * Isn't it easy to get into a heart? - Köyŋilke kīrme(k) keŋes ermeŕ mi?

However, *-mA form is the same as *-mA- negation suffix, and since both are for verbs, sometimes the meaning distinction can only be made by reading the sentence or by hearing the accent (or tone). You can also use both at the same time. For example; sebmeme ("to not loving"), barmama ("to not going").

*-gAn
Indicates how through the verb.


 * dog who love me - bẹni sebgen it


 * falcon that snatches its hunt - ābïnï kapgan kïrguy
 * the fish that eaten by - yēngen bālïk

Usage notes
Sometimes verbal adjectives turn into an adjective pronoun and become stereotyped for one thing. For example; ‎*sïč- (“to shit”) + ‎-gan → ‎*sïčgan (“(someone) who shit”) became stereotyped for rat, mouse; ‎*tabïĺ- (“to run”) + ‎-gan → ‎*tabïĺgan (“(someone) who run”) became stereotyped for hare.

In some of modern Turkic languages, this suffix changed its meaning to past tenses (indefinite value, but also sometimes used as past participles).

*-dUk
Synonym of *-gAn.

See lesson: 12 to clear up confusion in usages.

*-sA

 * 1) This suffix gives the verb the meaning of "by ...ing, while ...ing".
 * 2) Gives the meaning of "if". (preposition)

In today's Turkic languages, the meaning of the verbal adverb has lost its existence by being overshadowed by the new suffixes. But the old Shaz Turkic inscriptions, Volga Bulgar inscriptions and Chuvash language prove that this meaning belongs to Proto-Turkic. Let's base it on a few examples of these uses. When the meaning of 'if' is meant, a Farsi word eger can be added to the beginning in modern languages.

*-mA-

 * 1) Negating the verb (as in "I don't come")

Like the section above, do not to be confused with *-mA in the sense of verbal nouns. Contrary to the rule that Proto-Turkic words were stressed in the last syllable, in many of Turkic languages, *-mA- are always unstressed while as the verbal noun are always stressed (i.e. sebme, "don't love (it)", sebme, "to love"). To make negation to other tenses, place this suffix between the verb's stem and the tense ending (sebmedi "(he) don't love (it)", sebmemiĺ "(he's) seems not love (it)").

However, when negating the present tense (-Ur), it becomes *-mAŕ, with irregular palatalization on final -r → -ŕ (it is already explained on the previous lesson 2: Basics). However, some languages featured alteration between Common Turkic -z (< -ŕ) : -r, as in Turkmen gelmerin "I don't come": gelmez "he doesn't come". This alteration is because the palatalization on final -r- affected by unstressed -ĭ, the third-person singular copula suffix for verbs (see section below), in early times: sebmér-ĭ → sebméŕĭ > sebméŕ.

Copula
Unlike the English verb be, Proto-Turkic has multiple copulas, but not conjugated as one suppletive verb. Bōlma(k) is the regular verb for "to be", while erme(k) is the auxiliary verb. However, the latter verb is defective, usually only exists in positive clear and unclear past tenses (erdi, ermiĺ), conditional (erse), negative present (ermeŕ) (this tense exists in languages such as Uzbek, Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Salar...) and the verbal adjective (ergen). However, the auxiliary one was likely fully conjugated in Old Turkic, as in the present form erür.

In addition to those verbs, we can use personal pronouns after the noun or adjective. Copulas can also left without overt marking (teŋiŕ kȫk "the sea is blue", note the absence of "is"), a rule of zero copula, which happens in many languages. Also in the third person singular, the verb form turur (< turma(k) "to stand") is also used for emphasis.


 * *it ben/bẹ
 * "I'm (a/the) dog"
 * *it sen/sẹ
 * "you're (sg.) (a/the) dog"
 * *it (ol), it turur
 * "he's (a/the) dog"
 * *it biŕ
 * "we're (a/the) dog"
 * *it siŕ
 * "you're (pl.) (a/the) dog"
 * *it olar (unclear)
 * "they're (a/the) dog"
 * }
 * "you're (pl.) (a/the) dog"
 * *it olar (unclear)
 * "they're (a/the) dog"
 * }
 * }

To negate nouns or adjectives, add ermeŕ into front of them, except as we said before this form only exists in some languages.


 * *it ermeŕ
 * "he's not (a/the) dog"
 * }

The another choice is using degül plus forms of erme(k) or bōlmak (for forms unfilled by former except present tense, negative forms of both verbs were excluded, however as we said before in Old Turkic the former verb was fully conjugated). It is found in all branches except Lir. Therefore, we cannot include it in the Proto-Turkic language, but Proto-Shaz-Turkic.


 * *it degül
 * "he's not a dog"
 * *it degül erti
 * "he was not a dog"
 * *it degül bōlmalïg/ermeli (discussed in the next lesson)
 * "he should not a dog"
 * }
 * "he should not a dog"
 * }

Verbal "copula"
Verbal copulas are inflections for number and person. It only exists in the clear past and conditional tenses, but because we have explained it in previous lessons in the case of past tense, it will not explained in this section.

Most tenses, however, are not inflected for person and number, it is again done by adding personal pronouns after verb forms as in above (kẹlür ben "I come"), except turur is not allowed in the third person singular, unlike nouns or adjectives.

However, certain tenses, including the tenses past seen, negative present, conditional, are inflected for person and numbers. Unlike other tenses, these tenses do not require pronouns after the verbs. The set of endings were initially similar to that of possessive ones, except there is no -sI allophony in the third person (he/she/it/they). Because of this, instead of expected forms **kẹlti ben and kẹlse ben you will found kẹltim and kẹlsem instead (however, the analytic alternative forms for kẹlsem, kẹlse ben is found in Old Turkic).

! Subject pronoun (English) ! Suffix Historically, the third person form ends in **-I, but later unmarked (-∅ meant being unmarked). However, this ending preserved in -mAŕ (negative present, plus the unstressed **-I) and -gAy (either future or optative tense, it will explained in future lessons). However, the latter suffix always requires pronouns and does not have synthetic inflection (there is no such expected **-gAm, **-gAŋ, **-gAmXŕ, ...), while the former one is added here due to Turkmen alteration in the section above (that is, the inflections were originally **-mArXm, **-mArXŋ, ..., note depalatalization of final -ŕ-).
 * I
 * -m
 * you
 * -ŋ
 * he/she/it/they
 * we
 * -mXŕ
 * you (plural)
 * -ŋXŕ
 * }
 * we
 * -mXŕ
 * you (plural)
 * -ŋXŕ
 * }
 * }

The first person plural ending in most languages, including the Oghuz, Karluk, Kipchak branches, however used the ending -k instead of -mXŕ.

Next lesson: Optatives, necessitatives and questions