Turkish: A Comprehensive Grammar

20
NEGATION
This chapter discusses the means of negating clauses in Turkish, and particular
expressions which interact with negation. Sections 20.1–20.3 describe the conditions in
which the markers of negation, -mA, değil and yok, are used. In 20.4 we discuss the
negative connective ne…ne…‘neither… nor…’, and in 20.5 expressions that occur
mainly in negative sentences, such as hiç ‘never’, ‘ever’, ‘at all’, kimse ‘no one’,
‘anyone’, hiçbir şey ‘nothing’, ‘anything’, asla ‘never’, etc. Section 20.6 focuses on the
usage of negative expressions in subordinate clauses.
20.1 -mA
The negative marker -mA (8.2.2) is an unstressable suffix. Its interaction with stress and
intonation are discussed in 4.3.2 and 5.2.1. For the irregular combination of -mA with
other suffixes see 8.2.3, and for converbial suffixes containing -mA see 8.5.2.2.
20.1.1 NEGATING CLAUSES WITH SIMPLE VERBS
-mA is the primary means used for negating verbal sentences and subordinate clauses.
(1) Ağaçları kes-me-yecek-ler.
cut.down-NEG-FUT-3PL
‘They won’t cut down the trees.’
(2) Ahmet [Zeki’yi gör-me-yeceğ-in]-i iddia ediyordu.
see-NEG-VN-3SG.POSS-ACC
‘Ahmet was claiming that he wouldn’t see Zeki.’
(3) [Ayşe-nin durumu bil-me-diğ-in]-i hiç bir zaman düşün-me-di-m.
know-NEG-VN-3SG.POSS-ACC think-NEG-PF-1SG
‘I never thought that Ayşe didn’t know about the situation.’
In sentences with small clauses (24.5) the negation marker usually occurs once and can
be either on the main clause verb or on the verb of the subordinate clause.
(4) [Zeki’yi Fransızca konuşuyor] addet-mi-yor-lar.
consider-NEG-IMPF-3PL
‘They don’t consider Zeki a speaker of French.’
(5) [Zeki’yi Fransızca konuş-mu-yor] addediyorlar.
speak-NEG-IMPF
‘They consider Zeki unable to speak French.’