Applicative Constructions in Abzakh - a West Circassian Dialect [Batı Çerkesçesinin Abzah Lehçesinde Aplikatif Yapılar]

Abstract

This paper analyses the applicative constructions in Abzakh dialect spoken in the Yeleme village in Antalya, Turkey. Abzakh is a dialect of West Circassian which belongs to the Northwest Caucasian language family (NWC). The present paper focuses on the morphosyntactic properties of the applicative constructions in Abzakh, which are also attested in the standardized West Circassian spoken in the Caucasus. The analysis shows that Abzakh has seventeen applicative markers, thirteen of which are locative applicatives. The applicative constructions in Abzakh are non-direct applicative constructions in that they do not promote an adjunct argument to a direct object position but to an indirect object position. Abzakh makes a wide use of applicative markers, i.e. in reciprocal & reflexive constructions, in relativisation and in factive complementation. Thus, compared to the applicative constructions in standard West Circassian, Abzakh spoken in the Yeleme village stays conservative in terms of morphosyntactic and semantic properties.