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Document Details :

Title: Perspectives for a Project Investigating Syntax
Author(s): WALTISBERG, Michael
Journal: ARAM Periodical
Volume: 24    Date: 2012   
Pages: 103-115
DOI: 10.2143/ARAM.24.0.3009255

Abstract :
Turoyo, a Central-Neoaramaic dialect spoken originally in the Tur Abdin, a mountainous region in south eastern Turkey, is one of the best known varieties of modern Aramaic. It has a large corpus of published texts (primarily by Ritter 1967-71, among others) and comprehensive grammars by Ritter (1990) and Jastrow (1993). In addition, there exists an excellent teaching grammar by Jastrow (1992). The syntax of Turoyo, however, has not received the same amount of attention as the phonology and morphology of the language. The syntactic features have been described rather superficially to date, if at all. The planned investigation of Turoyo syntax will be based on most of the texts published until now. In addition, work with Turoyo speakers who now live in Germany, notably Giessen, will be carried out. The methodology used will be functionally oriented and strongly inductive. As a general rule, diachronic explanations of the synchronic facts will be disregarded. The paper presented at ARAM 26th conference introduces the project and tries to highlight its sources and methodology as well as a selection of syntactic problems and their possible solutions. In particular, the paper discusses some features of Turoyo which, in my opinion, are still not entirely clear. These include the possibility of circumstantial clauses lacking a copula; the intricate use of Turoyo tenses, especially the verbal prefixes ko- and g- with the imperfective verb base; the various forms of the conditional clause; or the syntax of ḥojĭr as against other verbs of perception. The paper cannot offer definitive answers at the present time. Rather, it seeks to outline the problems and discuss possible solutions.