Nominalized Clauses inside Noun Phrases

1. Function

Nominalized clauses inside noun phrases allow Turkish to compress actions, processes, and outcomes into compact noun units.

When an action enters a noun phrase, the structure shifts from a static label to a process-bearing unit, enabling dense information packaging in everyday speech, professional writing, and academic analysis.

2. Forms

A) Action Nominalization with –mA

Form:
Verb + (Voice) + -mA + Possessive

This structure turns an action into a noun that can function as the possessed element in a noun phrase.

Examples:

• strateji planlama-sı

• veri analiz yapıl-ma-sı

The possessive suffix is obligatory and signals nominal status.

B) Possessive-Based Modifiers with –DIK / –(y)AcAK

Relative nominalizations behave like possessive-based modifiers, not simple adjectives.

Form:
Owner (Genitive) + Verb-DIK / -(y)AcAK + Possessive

Example:

• hükümet-in al-dığ-ı kararlar

This structure refers to the outcome of an action, not to a descriptive quality.

3. Morphology

A) Possessive Control

Nominalized verbs must carry a possessive suffix to enter noun phrases.
Without possessive marking, the structure is incomplete.

B) Pronominal –n– (Structural Joint)

The pronominal -n- is not a simple buffer consonant.
It is a structural joint that connects possessive-marked units to case markers.

It appears after possessive suffixes and before any case marker, regardless of whether the case suffix begins with a vowel or a consonant.

Examples:

• planlama-sı-n-dan

• politika-sı-n-da

• yapıl-ma-sı-n-ı

C) Negative Nominalization with –mAmA

Negative processes are most naturally expressed through double nominalization, not through –sIz.

Examples:

• proje-nin onaylan-ma-ma-sı

• veri-ler-in paylaşıl-ma-ma-sı

These forms encode the absence of an action as a process and integrate smoothly into noun phrase structures.

4. Structural Guide

A) Chain Integration with Nominalized Actions

Nominalized clauses can occupy the final position in complex possessive chains.

Natural structure:

• evin tadilatının yapılmasını bekliyoruz

Hierarchical analysis:

• ev-in (Owner)

• tadilat-ı (Owned 1)

• -n-ın (Genitive bridge)

• yapıl-ma-sı-n-ı (Final owned action, Accusative)

Micro-morphology of yapılmasını:

• yap- (verb root)

• -ıl- (passive)

• -ma- (nominalizer)

• -sı (possessive)

• -n- (pronominal joint)

• -ı (accusative / specific object marker)

B) Visual Hierarchy (Matruşka Logic)

Meaning is decoded from right to left, while modification accumulates from left to right.

Example:

• [[şirket-in uyguladığ-ı] sistem]-in sonuçları

The inner unit must be interpreted as a complete block before attaching to the outer noun.

5. Usage

Nominalized clauses inside noun phrases are used to:

• Report processes without full subordinate clauses

• Maintain formal or neutral tone

• Organize complex information efficiently

• Reflect both spoken reasoning and written analysis

These structures are common in professional language and everyday explanations alike.