Reciprocals in Turkish

Bibliographic Data

ID5901348
AuthorsÜmit Atlamaz (0000-0003-1657-9654, Bogaziçi University, corresponding author), Bahar Öztürk (0000-0002-3626-5890, Bogaziçi University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume8
Issue3
Pages158
Publication date2023-06-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguages (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2226-471X • E-ISSN: 2226-471X
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/languages8030158
OpenAlexW4382725271
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited27

This paper discusses various reciprocalization strategies in Turkish, including lexical, pronominal, and verbal reciprocals, as well as the collective and discontinuous constructions that appear with symmetric predicates. We propose that there are two distinct sources of reciprocity in Turkish: symmetry and distributivity-reciprocity. Lexical and verbal reciprocals are established via symmetry, whereas pronominal reciprocals are formed via distributor-reciprocator operators introduced by the reciprocal pronoun birbiri 'each other'. We argue that the verbal reciprocal morpheme -(I)ş is ambiguous between a symmetric reciprocal head (vRECP) and a pluractional head (vRL). The symmetric reciprocal head vRECP turns an asymmetric transitive predicate into a symmetric transitive predicate by creating two event variables as subevents of a single eventuality and permutes the thematic roles across the arguments of the predicate. Our proposal builds on the idea that symmetric predicates introduce plural events consisting of atomic subevents as their parts. This double-sourced analysis allows us to account for a range of facts involving collective and discontinuous constructions. We argue that both discontinuous and collective constructions are transitive and that collective constructions are formed through a combination of the two reciprocal sources (symmetry and distributivity-reciprocity) with an unpronounced reciprocal pronoun. We also provide an account of the reciprocal-pluractional syncretism of the -(I)ş suffix, arguing that the symmetric reciprocal head vRECP and the pluractional head vRL share a common [pl] feature spelled out as -(I)ş

Combinatorics · Linguistics · Predicate (mathematical logic · Pure mathematics · Reciprocal · Reciprocity (cultural anthropology · Transitive relation · Computer Science · Gender Studies in Language · Mathematics · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Philosophy · Psychology · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

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