2.3.2.1. Basic order in the different types of sentence
In equative sentences [Syntax - 2.1.4.] in TİD, there are no overt verbs. The predicate may be expressed simply by a noun phrase, an adverbial phrase, or an adjectival phrase. If the predicate is an adjectival phrase (e.g. heavy ‘(is) heavy’) the order is Subject- Predicate:
all family happy
‘The whole family is happy.’
(adapted from Açan 2007: 86; ex. 45)
bag heavy
‘The bag is heavy’
(Dikyuva et al. 2017: 211)
If the predicate is expressed by a locative phrase (e.g. table top ‘(is) on the table (top)’) then the order may be Predicate-Subject:
table top book
‘There is book on the table’
(Dikyuva et al. 2017: 212)
Another type of predicate occurs in existential sentences. Existential sentences in TİD may indicate the presence (or absence, in the case of negative existential sentences) of an entity, or they may show possession, ownership, or part-whole relations [Syntax – 2.1.5.]. The sign there_is is a 5-Handshape sign with body contact [Phonology - 1.2.], and is most often placed at the end of the sentence, although it can sometimes occur at the beginning:
room chair there_is
‘There is chair in the room’
(Dikyuva et al. 2017: 211)
she sister there_is
‘She has a sister.’
(Dikyuva et al. 2017: 212)
there_is violin make
‘(Yes) there are violin players’
(Açan 2007: 65; ex. 13)
Yes-no questions have the same word order as declarative sentences. They are distinguished from declaratives by non-manual markers [Syntax - 1.2.1.2.]. Another, less frequently used, alternative is to place a lexical sign, a morpheme that resembles the orthographic question mark sign, at the end of the sentence [Syntax - 1.2.1.3.]
In content questions which contain the words what, who, when, where, why, which, which_one, how_many, how_much, there are various positions for these items [Syntax - 1.2.3.5.].
In coordinated clauses, the word order of the second clause is usually copied from that of the first. For example, if the verb is at the end in the first clause, it is also at the end in the second clause. (Note that some constituents may be elided in coordinated clauses, which results in various interpretations) [Syntax - 3.1.4.2.].
man sit_down and woman hug
‘The man sat down and hugged the woman.’
cat be_frightened and woman attack
‘The cat was frightened and the woman attacked [it].’
(adapted from Sevinç 2006: 36; ex. 16a, b)
However, the word order within the two coordinated clauses may sometimes be different. The first clause below is verb-final, but the second one is verb initial:
man shout_at and become_sad woman
‘The man shouted at (the woman) and the woman became sad’
(adapted from Sevinç 2006: 40; ex. 24)
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant Agreement No 693349.