Ebru Gündeş, Hata

It seems that the old *izde- ´to follow, to search for´ (OMG is it really iz there) has both lexicaliced and grammaticalized. The lexical development is meaning 2, ´saying loud what one desires´.

Grammaticalizing into more abstract meanings like necessity has gone through getting accustomed to different types of subjects i.e. subjects whose referent is inanimate or in the next step, infinitive. That has opened a road for new pragmatic interpretations.

I even drew it but for some reason I cannot copy paste a diagram from Word to the Add Message box. Haha who cares anyway.

Thank you tunci. And thank you si++ for reminding that special use of subjunctive  -  certainly these sentences are examples of it.

It shows that you are the smartest member around.

The lyrics of a Mavi Sakal song plays with this ambiguity (and others, too).

İster misin bulut yağsın gökyüzünden

yine de ister misin?

İster misin ölüm yağsın söz yüzünden

yine de ister misin?

Diler misin demir yağsın ön yüzünden

acımadan ister misin?

İster misin yıkılsın tüm köprülerin

yine de ister misin?

It is impossible to translate it literally, so I just let it go. My Try:

What if it rained heavily from the sky

are you still along?

What if people died in great numbers because of a word that has been said

are you still along?

What if it rained iron because everyone wants the pole position

are you still along with no pain of conscience?

What if all your bridges were ruined

are you still along?

istemek is a peculiar verb. It roots from a verb meaning ´going after, following´. But in present day language just like it was not one but three or four verbs:

1. to feel desire

Birşey yemek istiyoruz.

2. to ask, to utter a wish

When mother said grain is finished Keloğlan answered: Komsulardan isteriz.

In this sense istemek can also be used in the imperative form: Hukümetten yardım isteyin.

3. to be necessary

Yurdun ilerlemesi için çok çalışmak ister.

Does it work in other persons also or has it developed into an adjective like gerek?

4. in idioms and sayings also something like ´take which ever of the alternatives´

İster sağ ister sol, yeter ki insan ol.

İster misin as a sentence adverbial means just about the same as ya olursa ´what if´ while it still has the concrete meaning also.

Confusing enough.

Only those who already master Turkish phonology  -  vowel harmony and consonant changes  -  are allowed to use this tool.

Prejudices  -  real or imagined  -  seem to have been an issue in the classroom discussions recently. Every nationality wants to know if Turks love them or not. Come on, as if any one of us really believed we are loved or hated not because of what we are but because of where we come from. Nemanja, if a jerk called you names because your nationality why do you pay attention to this person just like the thirty Turks who were friendly and helpful were an exception and he was the rule. Think. It is you who decides how important his statement is.

Thinking of ourselves as victims of this and victims of that does not take us very far. Neither does being too much dependent on other peoples likes and dislikes.

...or actually three:

1. Do you hate us even though we love you?

2. Do you like the policy of our government or do you hate our country?

3. And furthermore, do you like what we are doing or are you a racist?

I think there is a trap in the question.

Kız kulesi efsaneleri

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24VEKG3TI-4

1. The Maiden’s tower has been used for many purposes. Which one or which ones of the following was/were not mentioned in the above video clip?

a) restaurant

b) Ottoman navy location

c) customs station

d) isolation center for patients suffering from plague

e) graveyard

f) a place where good times were celebrated

2. According to a legend, what did the king want to protect her daughter from when placing her to the Maiden’s tower?

3. Find the following expressions from the story:

a) this place

b) an indispensable part

c) what a guide has to say

b) especially when Üsküdar is mentioned

e) famous of its legends

f) in that period of time

g) anno domini

h) in order to collect taxes from the ships

i) after Mehmed II had conquered Istanbul

j) the Maiden’s tower undergoes a change

k) most recently in 1995

(Thanks to the Turkish member who helped me with the difficult parts.)