A split model for category specification: lexical categories in Turkish

Abstract

This dissertation discusses the nature of the traditionally recognized categorial distinctions "noun", "adjective" and "verb" in Turkish and investigates whether these distinctions are specified in the lexicon or in syntax. Based on the constraints governing the morphological and syntactic distribution of lexical expressions in Turkish, this study shows that there is a lexically specified category distinction among lexical expressions which is represented in the lexicon by the ± values of a single feature N. It is argued that this distinction divides lexical items into three major groups: +N expressions which are stative, –N expressions which are nonstative and expressions which are unspecified for the value of N. It is argued that the traditional noun-adjective distinction does not represent a category distinction in the lexicon and +N expressions become nouns in syntax through case assignment and become adjectives when they occur in attributive modification structures. It is further demonstrated that there are in fact no verbs in the lexicon and that the expressions traditionally classified as verbs are composed of a -N root expression and event heads such as CAUSE, DO and BECOME. This study, in conclusion, introduces a model of category specification which is split between the lexicon and syntax and demonstrates that as there are expressions in the lexicon with specified category features, there are also expressions with unspecified category features and which are categorized in syntax.