Potential Category in Oghuz Group Written Languages and Dialects

Abstract

Potential is the category that states whether an action is possible or probable. In the historical and contemporary Turkic language field, the markers of the potential category have undergone different developments depending on a number of factors such as the course of dialectization and language relations. In contemporary Oghuz areas, three basic types of sequences can be mentioned for positive and negative potential: -A bil- and -AmA- (< -A uma-); -A bil- and -A bilme- ~ -AmmA- (~et al.); -p ~ -A bil- and -p ~ -A bilme-. The sequences of -A bil- and -AmA- (< -A uma-) are used in the written language of Turkish and the Western and Northeastern group dialects, in Cypriot dialects; in Balkan (Rumelia) Turkic dialects; in Syrian Turkic dialects; and in the written language of Gagauz Turkic and its dialects. The sequences of -A bil- and -A bilme- ~ -AmmA- (~ et al.) are used in the written language and dialects ofAzerbaijan Turkic; in Iraqi Turk dialects; It is established in the Eastern Group dialects of Türkiye; Sungur Turkic, Qashqai Turkic and Khorasan Turkic. -p ~ -A bil- and -p ~ -A bilme- sequences are dominant in Turkmen Turkic and Khwarezm Oghuz areas. Copied systems have also become widespread in Oghuz areas used together with official and dominant languages. In the South Azerbaijan, Sungur, Qashqai and Khorasan dialects, there is the sequence başar- ~ başarma- + modal suffix + main verb + request ~ imperative suffix, copied from the Persian potential system.