Turkish Language - Some Rules about using Buffer Letters
Turkish makes use of three buffer letters -n- -y- -s- mainly to keep vowels apart when adding suffixes. There are rules on the choice of these suffixes which will be discussed below.
The buffer letter -S- (with the third person - "he, she it")
The -s- buffer letter is only used with the third person suffix -i, -ı, -u, -ü meaning his, her, its. The suffix -i -ı -ü -u - his, her, its - always takes buffer letter -s- thus taking the form -si -sı -sü -su when added to a root word which ends in a vowel.
| Simple Noun - Meaning | Suffixed Noun | Extended Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kedi - cat | kedisi [kedi-si] | his/her cat |
| şemsiye - umbrella | şemsiyesi [şemsiye-si] | his/her umbrella |
| kapı - door | kapısı [kapı-sı] | his/her/its door |
| palto - overcoat | paltosu [palto-su] | his overcoat |
| ütü - flatiron | ütüsü [ütü-sü] | his/her iron |
| araba - car | arabası [araba-sı] | his/her car |
| kuzu - lamb | kuzusu [kuzu-su] | his/her lamb |
The buffer letter -s- is only used for the third person singular possessive suffix - it is not used in any other instance.
The buffer letter -Y- (plain nouns only)
This is used ON PLAIN SIMPLE UNSUFFIXED NOUNS with the suffix -I - "the.. (objective)" - the Direct Object Condition (Accusative)
The suffix -i, -ı, -u, -ü - Direct Object Pointer - always takes buffer letter -y to become -yi, -yı, -yu, -yü - when added to a root word which ends in a vowel.
kedi - cat - becomes - kediyi - the cat (object)
banka - bank - becomes - bankayı - the bank (object)
To reiterate: - The buffer letter -y- is only used with simple nouns ending in a vowel which have not already been suffixed.
However it takes buffer letter -n- to become -ni, -nı, -nu, -nü when added as a second suffix to an already extended noun (as follows).
The buffer letter -N- (extended nouns only)
This is used on ALREADY SUFFIXED NOUNS with the suffix -I - "the.. (objective)" - the Direct Object Condition (Accusative)
Buffer letter -n- is onlly used with nouns that have already been suffixed.
kedisi - his/her cat - becomes - kedisini - his/her cat (object)
bankası - his/her bank - becomes - bankasını - his/her bank (object)
This shift of buffer letter - y to n - enables the listener to discern that the word is already agglutinated (extended) by previous suffixes.
To reiterate: - The buffer letter -n- is used on nouns which have already been extended by the addition of a suffix
The buffer letters -Y- and -N- (with -a/-e)
These are similarly used as the rules above with the suffix -a, -e - "to, towards.." - the Movement Toward Condition (Dative)
The suffix -a, -e - to, towards - always takes buffer letter -y to become -ya -ye - when added to a root word which ends in a vowel.
kedi - cat - becomes - kediye [kedi-y-e] - to the cat
banka - bank - becomes - bankaya [banka-y-a] - to the bank
baba - father - becomes - babaya [baba-y-a] - to the father
The buffer letter -Y- is only used with simple nouns which have not already been suffixed. But it takes buffer letter -n- to become -ne, -na when added as a second suffix to an already extended noun. This shift of buffer letter - y to n - enables the listener to discern that the word is already agglutinated (extended) by previous suffixes.
Buffer letter -n- is only used with nouns that have already been suffixed.
kedisi [kedi-s-i] - his/her cat - becomes - kedisine [kedi-s-i-n-e] - to his/her cat
bankası [banka-s-ı] - his/her bank - becomes - bankasına [banka-s-ı-n-a] - to his/her bank
babaları [baba-ları] - their father - becomes - babalarına [baba-ları-n-a] - to their father
To reiterate: The buffer letter -n- is used on nouns which have already been extended by the addition of a suffix.
The Buffer Letter -N- (with -da/-de and -dan/-den)
Is also used with -de -da - "in, on, at" - and -den -dan - "from, via, by, through", to keep the suffix apart from the noun it modifies.
| The suffixes -de and -dan are added directly to basic nouns | ||
| kedi - cat | kedide [kedi-de] - on the cat | kediden [kediden] - from the cat |
| kapı - door | kapıda [kapı-da] - on/at the door | kapıdan [kapıdan] - from the door |
| They become -nda and -ndan when added to nouns which are already suffixed in order to keep the suffix apart from the extended noun: | ||
| kedisi - his cat | kedisinde [kedi-si-n-de] - on his cat | kedisinden [kedi-si-n-den] - from the cat |
| kapısı - door | kapısında [kapı-sı-n-da] - on/at the door | kapısından [kapı-sı-n-dan] - from the door |
Some examples
| Simple Noun | Meaning | Extended Noun | Extended Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| bankadan | from the bank | bankasından | from his bank |
| bankada | in/at the bank | bankasında | in/at his bank |
| bankalardan | from the banks | bankalarından | from their bank(s) |
| evden | from the house/from home | evinden | from his house/home |
| evlerde | in the houses | evlerinde | in their houses |
| evinde | in his house | evlerinde | in their house |
| evinden | from his house | evlerinden | from their house |
| bankasında | in his bank | bankalarında | in their bank |
| kediden | from the cat | kedilerinden | from their cat(s) |
| kedisinden | from his cat | kedilerinden | from his cats |