Olumlamaolumsuzluk

Olumlamaolumsuzluk is a term used in Turkish linguistics to describe the relationship and interaction between affirmation (olumlama) and negation (olumsuzluk) within statements. It concerns how positive and negative meanings are expressed, perceived, and interpreted in discourse, including how polarity is established, reinforced, or tempered by context, stance, and pragmatics.

In Turkish grammar, negation can be realized through particles and verb forms, most notably with the negation particle неdeğil and with negative verb constructions, while affirmation can be explicit through predicates or discourse markers such as evet. The study of olumlamaolumsuzluk investigates the scope and attachment of negation (what part of the sentence is negated), the distribution of polarity, and how double negation or mixed affirmations influence overall meaning, emphasis, and nuance. It also considers how modality, evidentiality, and rhetorical purpose shape affirmative and negative statements.

Common patterns discussed under this concept include simple affirmation, simple negation, emphatic affirmation or negation, and constructions that combine both to achieve hedging, irony, or contrast. The phenomenon is relevant for understanding how speakers manage truth conditions, emphasis, and conversational effect, as well as for natural language processing and pedagogy in Turkish.

Examples illustrate the range: "Bu kitap ilginç." (This book is interesting; affirmation) and "Bu kitap ilginç değil." (This book is not interesting; negation). A tag-question like "İlginç, değil mi?" can fuse affirmation with a seeking of confirmation, highlighting the practical use of olumlamaolumsuzluk in discourse.