Moldova Bacalaureat Gagauz Language and Literature flashcards

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

Main idea

The central point the author communicates about the topic; often stated in the first or last paragraph and supported by all other details.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the text plus logical reasoning, not explicitly stated; must be forced by the text, not merely plausible.

Context clue

Information in surrounding words, sentences, or word structure that helps determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word in a Gagauz text.

Author's tone

The attitude conveyed through word choice, punctuation, and sentence structure, such as ironic, nostalgic, critical, or celebratory.

Text structure

The organizational pattern of a text, such as chronological, cause–effect, comparison–contrast, or problem–solution, signaled by transition words.

Vowel harmony

A rule in Gagauz where suffixes change vowels to match the front/back and rounded/unrounded quality of the root's last vowel.

Consonant assimilation

A phonological process where a suffix's initial consonant changes from voiced to voiceless (d→t) after a voiceless consonant in the root.

Noun cases

Gagauz has six cases: nominative, genitive (-ın/-in), dative (-a/-e), accusative (-ı/-i), locative (-da/-de), and ablative (-dan/-den).

Plural suffix

The suffix -lar or -ler added to nouns to indicate more than one, chosen according to vowel harmony with the last vowel of the word.

Past definite tense

A verb tense formed with -dı/-di/-du/-dü (or -tı/-ti after voiceless consonants) indicating a completed action witnessed by the speaker.

Postposition

A word like için, ile, kadar, or sonra that follows a noun and governs a specific case to express relationships such as purpose, means, or time.

Negation suffix

The suffix -ma/-me inserted before the tense suffix to make a verb negative, following vowel harmony rules.

SOV order

The basic Gagauz sentence order: subject first, object next, and predicate last; deviations shift emphasis.

Coordinating conjunction

A word like hem, ama, or ya that links words or clauses of equal grammatical status in a compound sentence.

Subordinating conjunction

A word like ki, çünkü, or eğer that introduces a dependent clause expressing reason, condition, or reported speech.

Direct speech punctuation

Quotation marks enclose the speaker's exact words; a comma separates the reporting clause from the quotation, and the period stays inside the closing mark.

Cohesion devices

Linguistic links such as pronouns, synonyms, demonstratives, conjunctions, and ellipsis that connect sentences and maintain topic continuity across a text.

Editing checklist

A set of checks for subject–predicate agreement, case government, vowel harmony, correct ä/ê spelling, and consistent tense before finalizing a text.

Paragraph unity

The principle that each paragraph develops one controlling idea, usually announced in a topic sentence and supported by related details.

Oral folk literature

Early Gagauz verbal art including türkü (songs), masal (tales), and atma türkü (improvised verses), later transcribed in the 19th century.

Cyrillic standardization 1957

The official adoption of a Cyrillic-based alphabet for Gagauz in the Soviet Union, which shaped literary norms for decades.

Socialist realism

The dominant literary method in the Soviet period, requiring realistic depiction of collective labor, war heroism, and village life in service of ideology.

Latin script return 1996

The official reintroduction of the Latin alphabet for Gagauz after independence, replacing Cyrillic and aligning with Turkic orthographic traditions.

Todur Zanet

A prominent Gagauz writer, translator, and alphabet reformer whose work spans poetry, prose, and cultural advocacy in the post-independence period.

Dimitri Kara Çoban

A Gagauz poet and folklorist known for collecting oral literature and shaping early written Gagauz poetry in the 20th century.

Gagauz autonomy 1994

The establishment of the Gagauz Autonomous Territorial Unit within Moldova, a political event that stimulated cultural and literary revival.

Theme

The central idea or message of a literary work, such as love of homeland or generational conflict, supported by textual evidence.

Round character

A character with complex, multidimensional traits who may change over the course of the narrative, contrasted with a flat character.

Plot structure

The arrangement of events in a narrative: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, which may be rearranged or framed.

Authorial intent

The meaning or effect the author aims to achieve, inferred from dedication, epigraph, narrative voice, and historical context rather than biography alone.

Thesis statement

A defensible claim that answers the essay prompt and previews the line of reasoning, usually placed at the end of the introduction.

Counterargument

An opposing view that a writer acknowledges and then refutes with evidence, strengthening the credibility of an argumentative essay.