HSC Turkish Continuers flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Vowel harmony two-way rule

Suffix vowels are 'a' after a, ı, o, u and 'e' after e, i, ö, ü. This determines plurals and locatives, so 'kitap' becomes 'kitaplar' while 'ev' becomes 'evler'.

Consonant assimilation d to t

A suffix beginning with 'd' changes to 't' after the voiceless consonants p, ç, t, k, f, h, s, ş. Hence 'kitapta' but 'defterde', and 'gelmekten' but 'evden'.

Four-way vowel harmony

After a, ı the suffix vowel is 'ı'; after e, i it is 'i'; after o, u it is 'u'; after ö, ü it is 'ü'. This controls endings such as '-dır, -dir, -dur, -dür'.

Listening for discourse markers

Markers signal logical relations: 'ama, fakat' introduce contrast, 'çünkü' gives reason, 'yani' reformulates, 'aslında' corrects, and 'halbuki' flags an unexpected contrast.

Telling time in Turkish

Minutes past use 'geçiyor' ('üçü on geçiyor'); minutes to use 'var' with a dative hour ('üçe çeyrek var'). Half past is 'buçuk', as in 'dört buçuk'.

Formal versus informal address

'Siz' with '-ınız' endings, titles like Bey and Hanım, and plural verbs mark formal speech. 'Sen' with '-sın' endings and first names mark informal speech between close speakers.

Numbers in spoken Turkish

Dates are read day-month-year, for example 'on iki Mart bin dokuz yüz seksen'. Years are read as full numbers, and hundreds use 'yüz' before the unit.

Agglutinative word parsing

Turkish stacks suffixes on one root in a fixed order: derivational suffixes first, then inflectional ones. Long words are decoded by stripping suffixes from the end back to the root.

Question types in listening

Multiple-choice items usually reward paraphrase recognition, true-or-false items target one stated detail, and short-answer items require the exact number, name, or word heard.

Politeness markers in requests

'Rica ederim', 'mümkünse', 'lütfen' and the conditional 'acaba ... -abilir miyim?' soften requests. In formal contexts they replace blunt imperatives, which sound rude to unfamiliar listeners.

Topic sentence placement

Turkish expository paragraphs usually open with the main claim and close with a restatement introduced by 'kısacası' or 'sonuç olarak'. Middle sentences supply examples and support.

Suffix -lık meaning

Attached to adjectives and nouns, '-lık/-lik/-luk/-lük' forms abstract nouns or nouns of purpose: 'güzel' to 'güzellik' (beauty), 'tuz' to 'tuzluk' (salt shaker).

Suffix -lı and -sız

'-lı/-li' means 'having' or 'from': 'tuzlu' (salty), 'Ankaralı' (from Ankara). '-sız/-siz' means 'without': 'evsiz' (homeless), 'tuzsuz' (saltless).

Turkish relative clause structure

Relative clauses precede the noun and end in '-dik/-dığ' plus a possessive ending. 'Dün aldığım kitap' means 'the book that I bought yesterday'.

Passive suffix formation

'-ıl/-il/-ul/-ül' or '-ın/-in' after vowels forms passives: 'yazıldı' (was written), 'okundu' (was read). The agent, if named, takes 'tarafından'.

Causative suffix formation

'-dır/-dir/-t' adds a causer: 'yazdırdı' (had it written), 'yaptırdı' (had it done). Causatives add one participant, the person who arranges the action.

Evidential -mış versus -dı

'-mış/-miş' marks information not directly witnessed or a state discovered later, as in 'gelmiş' (apparently came). '-dı/-di' marks directly observed past events.

Three functions of ki

'Ki' works as a clause linker after 'öyle' or 'o kadar', as a possessive linker after time words ('akşamki'), and as a pronoun suffix on ben and sen ('benimki').

Cohesive devices in reading

Anaphora uses 'bu' or 'o' plus noun; 'ise' shifts topic; 'ancak, yalnız' qualify; 'ayrıca, bunun yanı sıra' add. Tracking these keeps referents clear across sentences.

Inference item evidence rule

An inference answer must be supported by statements in the passage. Options that are generally true but not stated in the text are distractors and should be rejected.

Reading for gist versus detail

Skim first for the main idea and text type, then scan for names, numbers, and dates that answer specific items. Detail scanning without gist reading causes misread main-idea questions.

Formal letter closing formulas

Formal letters close with 'Saygılarımla' or 'Saygılarımızla' followed by the full name. Informal letters close with 'Sevgilerle' or 'Görüşmek üzere' and a first name.

Formal letter opening formulas

Formal letters open with 'Sayın Yetkili' or 'Sayın' plus surname, then state purpose with '... hakkında yazıyorum'. Informal letters use 'Sevgili' plus name or 'Merhaba'.

Turkish word order SOV

The predicate stands last and the subject usually comes first. Moving an element immediately before the verb gives it emphasis, so 'Bu kitabı ben aldım' stresses who bought it.

Postposition case requirements

'İle', 'için' and 'gibi' attach to bare or genitive forms. 'Önce' and 'sonra' take the ablative ('dersten sonra'); 'göre' takes the dative ('bana göre').

Necessity and suggestion modals

'-malı/-meli' expresses should or must ('gitmelisin'). 'Lazım' or 'gerek' with an infinitive expresses need ('gitmek lazım'). '-abil/-ebil' expresses possibility or permission.

Correlative conjunction pairs

'Hem ... hem' means both, 'ne ... ne' means neither, and 'ya ... ya' means either. Each pair links parallel elements, and the verb agrees with the combined subject.

Register consistency in writing

A formal text keeps 'siz' address and '-ınız' endings throughout; mixing in 'sen' breaks register. An informal text keeps 'sen' and first names consistently.

Task fulfilment word count

Examiners check that every bullet of the prompt is addressed and the required length is reached. Unaddressed bullets lose marks even when the Turkish is accurate.

Tense consistency in narrative

Past narration uses '-dı/-di' for events and '-yor' or '-mekte' for background description. Switching tense without a time marker confuses the sequence of events.

Diary and announcement conventions

Diary entries use first person, past or present tense, and a date line. Notices use short impersonal sentences, often with '-ıl/-il' passives and imperative forms like 'Lütfen ...'.

Connector placement in paragraphs

Sentence-initial connectors ('Ayrıca', 'Bununla birlikte', 'Öte yandan') mark new points. Repeating the subject noun instead of using connectors makes writing repetitive and less coherent.