Issues in the grammar of Turkish comparatives

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Özge U.

Dilbilim Araştırmaları Dergisi, cilt.34, sa.1, ss.57-79, 2023 (Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 34 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.18492/dad.1185344
  • Dergi Adı: Dilbilim Araştırmaları Dergisi
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Directory of Open Access Journals, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.57-79
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

The paper investigates several issues in the syntax/semantics of comparison constructions in Turkish. We first show that although comparison constructions use nominalized constituents in marking the standard of comparison, they involve rich clausal structure under this nominalization. Second, we demonstrate that the interpretation of comparison constructions is constrained by syntactic structure, differing from languages that primarily thrive on contextual cues. We also address the grammatical nature of comparative standards, evaluating the options of a phrasal and a clausal comparative head. We provide evidence against a phrasal head, concluding that Turkish comparatives are clausal.