Research Article

Testing the Binding Hierarchy on Turkish Complement Clauses: A Cognitive Grammar Approach

Number: 33 March 21, 2026
TR EN

Testing the Binding Hierarchy on Turkish Complement Clauses: A Cognitive Grammar Approach

Abstract

Cognitive linguistics formularizes grammar by the semantic characterizations of symbolic structures. Sentential complexity is studied through forming a resemblance between the structures of noun phrases and clauses. A clause is considered to reflect a layering of semantic functions. The embedded clause plays a subordinate role determined by the main clause. In that respect, complementation is among the study areas of cognitive grammar perspective. Givon (1980)'s "Binding Hierarchy" classifies verbs into main categories and determines a scale the top level of which is composed of verbs specifying dependent complements, while the verbs at the bottom specifying higher independence. The present study analyzes the universality of Givon's "Binding Hierarchy" by testing Turkish verbs in complex sentences. For that aim, Kornfilt (2007)'s evaluation on -mA and -DIK markers in constructing complex sentences is taken as the indicator of dependence/independence of complementation in Turkish. At the end of the study, it is observed that Givon's "Binding Hierarchy" is also functional in Turkish. The verbs on top of the scale form less independent complementation while the ones at the bottom form higher independency from the main verb. This outcome may be considered as a support for the validity of the "Binding Hierarchy" cross-linguistically.

Keywords

References

  1. Aarts, B. (2006). Subordination. In Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics. Elsevier, 248-254.
  2. Achard, M. (2007). Complementation. The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics. ed. D. Geeraerts, and H. Cuyckens. New York. Oxford University Press, 139-169.
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  6. Csató, É. Á. (2009). Two types of complement clauses in Turkish. Turcology in Mainz / Turkologie in Mainz Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 107-122.
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  8. Givón, T. (1980). The Binding Hierarchy and the Typology of Complements. Studies in Language 4 (3), 333-377. https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.4.3.03giv

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Cognitive Linguistics

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

March 21, 2026

Submission Date

November 14, 2025

Acceptance Date

March 17, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: 33

APA
Akal, T. (2026). Testing the Binding Hierarchy on Turkish Complement Clauses: A Cognitive Grammar Approach. Dil Ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları, 33, 329-346. https://doi.org/10.30767/diledeara.1823575
AMA
1.Akal T. Testing the Binding Hierarchy on Turkish Complement Clauses: A Cognitive Grammar Approach. Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları. 2026;(33):329-346. doi:10.30767/diledeara.1823575
Chicago
Akal, Taylan. 2026. “Testing the Binding Hierarchy on Turkish Complement Clauses: A Cognitive Grammar Approach”. Dil Ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları, nos. 33: 329-46. https://doi.org/10.30767/diledeara.1823575.
EndNote
Akal T (March 1, 2026) Testing the Binding Hierarchy on Turkish Complement Clauses: A Cognitive Grammar Approach. Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları 33 329–346.
IEEE
[1]T. Akal, “Testing the Binding Hierarchy on Turkish Complement Clauses: A Cognitive Grammar Approach”, Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları, no. 33, pp. 329–346, Mar. 2026, doi: 10.30767/diledeara.1823575.
ISNAD
Akal, Taylan. “Testing the Binding Hierarchy on Turkish Complement Clauses: A Cognitive Grammar Approach”. Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları. 33 (March 1, 2026): 329-346. https://doi.org/10.30767/diledeara.1823575.
JAMA
1.Akal T. Testing the Binding Hierarchy on Turkish Complement Clauses: A Cognitive Grammar Approach. Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları. 2026;:329–346.
MLA
Akal, Taylan. “Testing the Binding Hierarchy on Turkish Complement Clauses: A Cognitive Grammar Approach”. Dil Ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları, no. 33, Mar. 2026, pp. 329-46, doi:10.30767/diledeara.1823575.
Vancouver
1.Taylan Akal. Testing the Binding Hierarchy on Turkish Complement Clauses: A Cognitive Grammar Approach. Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları. 2026 Mar. 1;(33):329-46. doi:10.30767/diledeara.1823575

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