Sunday, 4 October 2009

Uyghur grammar note - Present adjectival verbs

One thing beautiful about Turkic languages is that virtually every verb can be made into an adjective that derives from the verb root, and put in front of a noun to modify it, so that ideas are accurately and economically expressed where Indo-European languages have to employ wordy subordinate clauses.

The suffix -i/ydiğan is added to the verb root to form the adjectives that refer to actions in progression or about to take place (See? If this were a Turkic language, I would have said, 'actions in progression or about to take place referring-to adjectives):

bar- (to go)
Qumulğa baridiğan aptobus
Qumul-to going bus
'The bus that goes to Qumul'

bil- (to know)
Uyğur tilini yaxşi bilidiğan adəm
Uyghur language good speaking person
'a person who speaks good Uyghur'

oqu- (to read)
məktəptə oquydiğan kitab
school-at being-read book
'the book which is studied at school'

işlə- (to work)
zawutta işləydiğan işçi
factory-at working worker
'worker that is working in the factory'

iç- (to drink)
içidiğan su
drinking water
'drinkable warter'

kül- (to laugh)
Bu külidiğan iş əməs.
this to-be-laughed-at work is-not
'This is no laughable matter.'

de- (to say)
Yənə deydiğan gəp barmu?
again to-be-said speech are-there
'Do you have anything else to say?'

bər- (to give)
balamğa bəridiğan soğat
boy-my-to giving present
'the present I am giving my son'

As can be seen the meaning of such adjectival verbs is not strictly defined and should be interpreted in any way that makes sense. They are non-personal and can be either passive or active.

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