Lecture: Dr. Rebelpronoun or: How I Learned to Stop Binding and Love Ahmet

In defense of a syntactic distribution beyond the limits of synonymy for Turkish "kendisi"

This short talk examines the syntactic distribution of the Turkish ‘rebel’ pronoun kendisi
‘self.3sg.poss’, challenging the notion that it is merely synonymous with the bare reflexive
kendi ‘self’. The study proposes that kendisi functions as a versatile pronoun, operating also
in contexts where traditional reflexives (e.g. kendi ‘self’) and regular personal pronouns (e.g.
o ‘3sg’) are constrained. It explores kendisi’s ability to engage in non-local binding and
its unique interpretations in various syntactic environments, thus hoping to establish a possibly compelling
raison d’ˆetre for this seemingly redundant pronoun in Turkish grammar.
The research investigates key areas where kendisi serves a distinct function, including
its role as a ‘middle-distance reflexive’ and its behavior in intensional contexts and ellipsis
constructions. By analyzing the interplay between syntax and semantics, the study suggests
a more nuanced understanding of reflexivity in Turkish.

Info

Day: 2024-11-23
Start time: 11:25
Duration: 00:30
Room: 00A02 CNMS
Track: Theoretical Linguistics
Language: en

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