Morpho-Syntactic Variation and Methodology

Year 2011, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 1 - 14, 28.03.2012

Gülşat Aygen

Abstract

This article aims to identify the major methodological problems in research on Turkish syntax and morpho-syntax and propose solutions to those problems. Our understanding of Universal Grammar dictates that all languages and dialects are worth studying; however, all variables need to be controlled while eliciting data from native speakers of the studied language. The issue of what constitutes valid data in linguistic research has been a matter of discussion for a long time (Quine, 1953, 1972; Chomsky 1961, 2000, and other resources in Gervain, 2003). Intuition and introspective inspection techniques which have been excluded from other behavioral sciences are still being used by linguistics researchers widely, along with researchers whose native language is Turkish as a data elicitation method (Gevain, 2003, Aygen 2008). This article argues that the lack of a systematic data elicitation technique leads to serious theoretical problems, and a solution to this problem is proposed. The problem and the solution are illustrated through a case study on research done on the Turkish ECM (Exceptionally Case Marked) structures.

Key words: Morpho-syntactic variation, data inconsistencies, grammaticality judgements

 

Keywords

-

References

• The Proceedings of West Coast Conference in formal linguistics (WCCFL) Studies in Turkish Linguistics Proceedings of the Turkish Linguistics variation. Linguistics, , Proceedings of Linguistic Inquiry, Linguistics Natural Language and Linguistic Theory, The Verb in Turkish Linguistic Inquiry, Judgements and Linguistic Methodology. Linguistic Inquiry,