fiillerdir

Fiillerdir is a term used in linguistic pedagogy to illustrate a specific Turkish morphology pattern. It is not a standard grammatical category in Turkish grammar, but a constructed example commonly employed in teaching materials to demonstrate how affixes can modify nouns and how the copular suffix can express identification or classification.

Etymology and form: the word fiillerdir is formed from fiil (verb) plus the plural suffix -ler and the declarative copula -dir. In this construction, fiiller (verbs) is the base noun phrase that is being asserted as a particular category, and -dir marks the assertion that follows. The assembled form serves as a canonical example for students studying Turkish morphology and syntax.

Grammatical function: in ordinary Turkish, the copula -dir is used to make a strong declarative statement about the identity or classification of a subject. When combined with the plural noun fiiller (verbs), fiillerdir functions as a predicate that identifies the subject as belonging to the class of verbs. An example sentence in teaching materials is Bu kelimeler fiillerdir, meaning “These words are verbs.” While grammatically interpretable, such examples are most common in instructional contexts rather than everyday speech.

Usage and relevance: fiillerdir is primarily a pedagogical tool to demonstrate affix stacking, subject-predicate agreement, and the use of the copula in Turkish. It helps learners observe how noun phrases can be linked to a definitional or classificatory predicate, and how emphasis can be conveyed through the copular suffix.

See also: Turkish language, Turkish grammar, copula in Turkish, Turkish suffixes -ler and -dir.