Project title

Applying Systemic Functional Linguistics to Tense Systems in Uyghur and Turkish

Research question

To what extent can SFL’s (Systemic Functional Linguistics) recursive tense model systematically explain complex suffix combinations and auxiliary structures in Uyghur and Turkish verbal systems?

Project description

In Turkic languages such as Uyghur and Turkish, a single suffix, or a combination of suffixes, can express tense, aspect or modality depending on the context in which it is used. This multifunctionality, rooted in the agglutinative structure of these languages, has long made it difficult for traditional Turkic linguistics to classify grammatical forms with any consistency.

Turdi Mettursun KARA proposes that Systemic Functional Linguistics, the theory of language developed by Michael Halliday and Christian Matthiessen, offers a way out of this impasse. The framework distinguishes between grammatical form and communicative meaning, and treats tense as a recursive system. Primary tense is anchored in the moment of speaking, while secondary tense is anchored in reference points established by the context. Applying this distinction to Uyghur and Turkish, the project aims to give a clearer account of complex suffix combinations and auxiliary verb constructions, and of how these work across the ideational, interpersonal and textual functions of language.

Selected publications

  • A Study on The Linguistic Landscape of Sultanahmet District, Journal of Travel and Hotel Business, 2025, 22(2),581-603.
  • On the Origin of the Name “Taklamakan”, Korkut Ata Journal of Studies in Turcology, 2022, 7, 572-577.
  • The Poet Ahmetşah Karakaş and His Poem “Selamname”. Journal of Turkish World Studies, 2021, 21(2), 195-206.
  • The Examination in Terms of Tense, Aspect and Temporal Reference of Suffix /-Gan/ in Modern Uyghur. International Journal of Turkish Literature Culture Education (TEKE), 2020, 9(2), 589-604.
  • Multiple Intelligence Theory in Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language. 4th International Students Symposium proceedings, 2019, 207-220.
  • On the Tense Marker {-i/y} in Modern Uyghur. Uludag University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Journal of Social Sciences, 2018, C. 19, S. 35, 893-918.