Tilni

Tilni is a grammatical form used in several Turkic languages to mark the definite direct object of the noun til, which means language or tongue. The base word til is combined with the object suffix -ni (the exact form may vary with vowel harmony and language, e.g., -ni or -nï), producing tilni. This construction functions similarly across related languages, such as Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, and Azerbaijani, where til means language and tilni specifies “the language” as the object of the verb.

The primary role of tilni is to indicate that the noun language is the direct object of the action described by the verb. For example, in Uzbek, Ingliz tilini o'rganaman means “I am learning the English language.” In contexts where the language is not the object, different grammatical forms may be used, such as when the language is the subject or possessively linked to another noun.

Usage notes:

- Tilni appears after the language noun when it is the object of the verb, and it respects the vowel harmony rules of the language.

- The same root til can appear in other cases and constructions without the -ni suffix, depending on grammatical role.

- In everyday speech and writing, tilni is common in education, translation, and language-learning contexts, while speakers may also use language names with possessive or other case forms.

See also:

- Turkic languages

- Direct object marking in Turkic grammar

- Language (linguistics) in Turkic contexts