Nominalized clauses function as subjects and objects in sentences.

Nominalized clauses formed with –mA function as noun phrases within sentence structure.

These clauses serve as subjects or objects and participate in clause syntax through possessive and case marking.

1. Function

Nominalized clauses allow an event or state to be treated as a referential unit. They occupy subject or object positions in the clause structure, functioning as core arguments of the main predicate.

2. Forms

Nominalized clauses are formed with:

• –mA verbal noun formation,

• possessive suffixes marking the subject of the nominalized clause,

• case suffixes marking the syntactic role of the nominalized clause in the main clause.

3. Morphology

The nominalized clause is built as follows:

Verb stem → –mA → possessive suffix → case suffix (if required)

Suffix shape:

• –mA → ma / me

Case suffix shapes:

• -(y)I → ı / i / u / ü

• -(y)A → a / e

• -DA → da / de / ta / te

• -DAn → dan / den / tan / ten

Negation is formed inside the nominalized clause. When negation and nominalization both use –mA, the sequence appears consecutively.

4. Structural Formation of Nominalized Clauses

Nominalized clauses follow a fixed and ordered morphological structure. Suffixes are added in a strict sequence that cannot be altered.

Obligatory order:

Verb stem → –mA → possessive suffix → case suffix

Suffix Placement Rules

1. –mA nominalizes the verb and creates a verbal noun.

2. Possessive suffixes mark the subject of the nominalized clause.

3. Case suffixes mark the syntactic role of the entire nominalized clause within the main clause.

No suffix may intervene between these elements.

Structural Examples

• gel-me-n
  (come + –mA + 2nd person singular possessive)

• gel-me-ni
  (come + –mA + possessive + Accusative)

• gel-me-si
  (come + –mA + 3rd person singular possessive)

• gel-me-si-ne
  (come + –mA + possessive + Dative)

• gel-me-me-si
  (come + negation + –mA + possessive)

• gel-me-me-si-ni
  (come + negation + –mA + possessive + Accusative)

Negation and Suffix Order

Negation precedes nominalization.

Verb stem → negation –mA → nominalization –mA → possessive → case

This produces consecutive –mA sequences without fusion or omission.

Structural Constraints

• Possessive suffixes are obligatory in nominalized clauses.

• Case suffixes are optional and depend on syntactic function.

• Case marking applies to the entire nominalized clause, not to the verb stem alone.

5. Syntax

The nominalized clause behaves as a noun phrase.

It may appear with or without an overt genitive-marked subject phrase (e.g., “senin”, “onun”); in all cases, the subject of the nominalized clause is encoded by the possessive suffix.

Case marking attaches to the end of the nominalized clause, after –mA and the possessive suffix.

6. Usage

Nominalized clauses commonly occur with predicates expressing:

• volition, preference, and expectation,

• evaluation,

• necessity, possibility, and similar stance relations.

The syntactic role of the nominalized clause is determined by the main predicate and marked by case when required.