Turkish: A Comprehensive Grammar

The verb phrase 139
In these constructions there is only one subject (here Kemal) and the verb therefore has
singular person marking (see also 12.2.2.4 (ii)). There is a slight difference between the
meanings of the two constructions. While in (61) the two agents of the action, Kemal and
Zeki, have equal standing as agents of the verb, (62) is a statement about an action
performed by Kemal, in which Zeki is also involved.
The reciprocal pronoun birbir- ‘each other’ (18.1.4) can be used in reciprocal
constructions with -(y)lA as an adverbial of manner:
(63) Kemal-le Zeki birbir-leri-yle döv-üş-tü-ler.
Kemal-CONJ Zeki each.other-3PL.POSS-COM beat.up-REC-PF-3PL
‘Kemal and Zeki fought (with) each other.’
For other examples of verbs to which the reciprocal suffix can be added see 8.2.1.4. The
reciprocal suffix also appears in the verb-forming suffix -lAş (7.2.2.1).
13.2.4 COMBINATIONS OF VOICE SUFFIXES
More than one voice suffix can attach to a verb. Since these suffixes affect the transitivity
of a clause, the order in which they are attached is very important. The last suffix to
appear determines the (in)transitivity of the stem.
Apart from the double occurrences of the passive and the causative which are
explained above, other combinations are also possible. When the passive suffix attaches
to a verb, the only other voice suffix that can attach to it is a second passive, as discussed
in 13.2.2.3–4.
Causative (+causative)+passive
This is the most productive of combinations. In such constructions the verbal complex as
a whole (e.g. dik-tir-il- below) is passive, and therefore the sentence does not contain a
direct object:
(64) Herkes-e birer ağaç dik-tir-il-di.
everyone-DAT a tree plant-CAUS-PASS-PF
(i) ‘It was arranged that a tree be planted for everyone.’
(ii) ‘Everyone was made to plant a tree.’
Where, as in (64), there is just one causative suffix on the verb, a dative-marked noun
phrase (such as herkese) is more often used to express a beneficiary (as in (64 (i)), than to
express the causee (as in (64 (ii)). By contrast, when a passive suffix is attached to a
double causative, the more likely interpretation is the one where the dative-marked noun
phrase expresses the causee, as in (65 (i)):
(65) Bütün öğrenci-ler-e resim-ler yap-tır-t-ıl-dı.
all student-PL-DAT picture-PL paint-CAUS-CAUS-PASS-PF
(i) ‘All the students were made to paint (pictures).’
(ii) ‘It was arranged for pictures to be painted for every student.’
The addition of a causative suffix followed by a passive suffix produces a stem different
in meaning and structure from the corresponding root. For example, both the root piş-