Monika RindPawlowski Freie Universitt Berlin Institute for Turkology

Monika Rind-Pawlowski Freie Universität Berlin Institute for Turkology VOWEL HARMONY IN AXÏSKA

Mesxeti Region

Former settlement areas of the Axïska Turks

This talk will present Axïska peculiarities concerning: 1. End vowels 2. Possessiv forms 3. Copula forms 4. Verb forms 5. Suffixes ending on -x

Peculiarities of Axïska end vowels: nominal stems Turkish Axïska Translation kutu köprü kapı karı kuti köpri kapi kari box bridge door old woman razı dolu razi toli content full su su water

Peculiarities of Axïska end vowels: Ordinals Turkish Axïska Translation üç-üncü dokuz-uncu on-uncu üç-ünci doxuz-unci on-unci third ninth tenth

Peculiarities of Axïska end vowels: Accusative forms Turkish: Axïska: Translation: bu-nu o-nu bu-ni o-ni this-acc that-acc yol-u göl-ü qız-ı abla-yı yol-i göl-i qız-i abla-yi way-acc lake-acc girl-acc TT: older. sister/ AX: aunt-acc

Peculiarities of Axïska end vowels: Possessive forms Turkish Axïska Translation yol-u göl-ü qız-ı abla-sı yol-i göl-i qız-i abla-si way-poss. 3 lake-poss. 3 girl-poss. 3 TT: older. sister/ AX: aunt-poss. 3

How stable are these vowels? At noun stems: kuti kapi baci - kuti-si kapi-si baci-yi kuti-ye kapi-ler etc.

How stable are these vowels? At possessive suffixes: güli oduni kardaşi – – – gülüni odununi kardaşıni – – – gülüne odununa kardaşına

Some peculiarities in the possessive system Poss. 1 sg 2 sg 3 sg 1 pl 2 pl 3 pl Features in Axïska: -m, -im, -ım, -üm, -um -n, -in, -ın, -ün, -un end vowel peculiarities -miz, -imiz, -ımız, -ümiz, -umız -z, -iz, -ız, -üz, -uz = 3 sg (-l. Ari = pl of stem!)

Some peculiarities in the possessive system: 1 pl Turkish Axïska Translation abla-mız ev-imiz qız-ımız gül-ümüz çocuğ-umuz abla-mız ev-imiz qız-ımız gül-ümiz çocuğ-umız our sister/aunt our house our daughter our flower our child

Some peculiarities in the possessive system: 2 pl Turkish Axïska Translation abla-nız ev-iniz qız-ınız gül-ünüz çocuğ-unuz abla-z ev-iz qız-ız gül-üz çocuğ-uz your. pl sister/aunt your. pl house your. pl daughter your. pl flower your. pl child

Some peculiarities of the copula 3 sg copula: -dur, -dür, -tur, tür o məllim-dür o küçük-tür o qız-dur o arxadaş-tur that is a teacher that is small that is a girl that is a friend Usage: pragmatically unmarked 3 sg form, like in Azerbaijani

Peculiarities of Axïska end vowels: Verb forms Turkish Axïska Translation oxu! yu! oxi! yu! read! wash!

Peculiarities of Axïska end vowels: Verb forms Turkish Axïska Translation kal-dı koy-du böl-dü kal-di koy-di böl-di stay-pst put-pst divide-pst

How stable are these vowels? oxi kaldi koydi böldi - oxudum - - oxusun kaldiler koydiler böldiler

Some more peculiarities in the verbal system: Aorist Turkish Axïska Translation Type 1 bak-ar öp-er bax-ar öp-er look-aor kiss-aor Type 2 al-ır qal-ır bil-ir gel-ir al-ur qal-ur bil-ür gel-ür take-aor stay-aor know-aor come-aor

Some more peculiarities in the verbal system: Causative Turkish Axïska Translation alış-tırkal-dırbin-dir- alış-turkal-durbin-dür- accustom lift, take away let mount let get off

Some more peculiarities in the verbal system: -miş Turkish Axïska Translation gelmiş kalmış görmüş koymuş gelmiş kalmiş görmiş koymiş come-prf stay-prf see-prf put-prf kalmişdür, koymişler etc.

Some more peculiarities in the verbal system: Present tense Turkish Axïska Khertvisi Translation geliyor kalıyor görüyor koyuyor geliyer kaliyer göriyer koyiyer geler kaler görer koyer come-pr stay-pr see-pr put-pr

Suffixes ending on -x No vowel harmony! � -max � -Acax � -sax � -lux � -(y)ux � -dux

Infinitive -max Turkish Axïska Translation get-mek gör-mek kal-mak qoy-mak get-max gör-max kal-max qoy-max go-inf see-inf stay-inf put-inf

Hortative -ax Turkish Axïska Azerb. Translation ged-elim gör-elim kal-alım koy-alım ged-ax gör-ax kal-ax koy-ax ged-ək gör-ək qal-ax qoy-ax go-hort see-hort stay-hort put-hort

Future tense -Acax Turkish Axïska Translation ged-eceğ-im ged-ecek-sin ged-ecek ged-eceğ-iz ged-ecek-siniz ged-ecek-ler ged-ece: m ged-ecax-sın ged-ecax ged-eceğ-ux ged-ecax-sız ged-ecax-lar go-fut-1 sg go-fut-2 sg go-fut. 3 sg go-fut-1 pl go-fut-2 pl go-fut-3 pl cf. Azerbaijani 1 pl: gəd-əcəy-ik

Conditional 1 pl -sax Turkish Axïska Translation get-sem get-sen get-sek get-seniz get-seler get-sem get-sen get-se get-sax get-sez get-seler if I go if you. sg go if (s)he goes if we go if you. pl go if they go

Nominalizer -lux Turkish Axïska Translation iyi-lik büyük-lük ey-lux böyük-lux goodness bigness

Personal ending 1 pl -ux biz işçi-yux biz küçüg-ux we are workers we are small biz get-t-ux biz ged-eceğ-ux biz get-miş-ux biz ged-iyer-ux we went we will go we have gone we are going

Participle -Dux get-tux-tan sora after going

Summary � Final vowel i/ı/ü/u > i �stable in nominal roots and past tense –di �instable in other suffixes and imperatives � Short poss forms 1 pl, 2 pl � Two-syllabic personal endings assimilate only in first syllable � Copula, Causative, Aorist 2: u/ü, no variant i/ı � No assimiliation in perfect –miş � Present tense –iyer � No assimilation in suffixes ending in –x: -ax, -ux

Summary Similarities with Azerbaijani usage of copula –dur/-dür - present tense -iyer - hortative –ax - future 1 pl –acağ-ux -

Conclusions � Archaic features maintained in Axiska � Bridge dialect between Turkish and Azerbaijani � Internal dialectal variation (e. g. Khertvisi) � To be furhter investigated!

Interaction with literary Turkish � Turkish television � Teachers from Turkey � Print media in literary Turkish � Work migration to Turkey -> The Axiska variety is disappearing!

Thank you for your attention!