Attribution in Turkish with Dependency Tree Analyses

Abstract

In the general system of the natural tongues, attribution, whichundertakes the function of cluster restriction and cluster equipment, can be categorized in two main groups, namely, nounphrases and subordinate clauses. The process of cluster restrictionis realized by way of the reduction of the number of elements inthe cluster, to which a concept has been attributed, based on acertain characteristic. In the function of cluster equipment, thedimensions of a given concept remain unchanged. However, thisconcept can be enriched through a number additional attributionto be equipped. Noun phrases are determinative phrases, whichreport no judgement and which are constructed from more thanone word aggregated around a head noun. In the general sequence of Turkish language, the simplest attributive phrase is theadjective phrase made up of adjective and noun. An adjective ascribes some property, quality or status to the entity denoted by anoun. When adjectives attribute nouns, they become attributiveadjectives, and when they attribute the action they become adverbs of manner. Relative clauses with adjectival function arecomplicated structures which attribute noun phrases, and theyare generally constructed by taking participle suffixes like -(y)An, DIK (-DIğI), mIş, or -(y)AcAK (-EcEğİ). Relative clauses precedethe noun phrase they modify, in the same way that adjectivesprecede the noun they modify. In this study an argument hasbeen made about how the attributive functions of noun phrasesand subordinating clauses are realized, and the structural characteristics of attribution in Turkish in the context of dependencymodel (dependency tree) developed by Tesnière's DependencyGrammar Theory have been investigated