Breakdown of Kemanın sesi odada yankılandı.
oda
the room
ses
the sound
-da
in
keman
the violin
yankılamak
to echo
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Questions & Answers about Kemanın sesi odada yankılandı.
Why does keman change to kemanın in this sentence?
In Turkish, possession is expressed by a two-part construction. The possessor noun (keman) takes a genitive marker—in this case, -ın—to indicate “of the violin.” Meanwhile, the possessed noun (ses) receives a possessive suffix that agrees with the possessor. So kemanın signals that the following sound belongs to the violin.
Why is ses written as sesi here, and what does that extra -i signify?
The extra -i on ses is the third-person singular possessive suffix. It confirms the relationship begun by the genitive on keman. Essentially, sesi means “its sound” (the sound belonging to the violin), showing the double marking of possession that is common in Turkish.
How is the locative case used in odada, and what rule governs its formation?
The word odada comes from oda (“room”) with the locative suffix -da added. This suffix indicates location, meaning “in the room.” The form -da is chosen according to Turkish vowel harmony rules; nouns with certain vowels receive -da (or -de after front vowels) to keep the sound consistent.
How is the verb yankılandı constructed, and what does its form tell us about the sentence’s tense and voice?
Yankılandı is derived from the verb yankılamak (“to echo”). The ending -dı (adjusted by vowel harmony to -dı, -di, etc.) marks the simple past tense in the third person singular form. Therefore, yankılandı translates to “echoed” and confirms that the action occurred in the past.
What does the sentence structure tell me about typical Turkish word order compared to English?
Turkish generally follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. In this sentence, kemanın sesi (“the violin’s sound”) is the subject, odada (“in the room”) functions as an adverbial phrase indicating location, and yankılandı is the verb at the end. This differs from English, which typically uses a Subject-Verb-Object order. Understanding this helps in grasping how information is organized in Turkish sentences.
Are there any notable aspects of vowel harmony in the suffixes used here?
Yes, vowel harmony is a fundamental feature of Turkish. The suffixes adjust to match the vowels in the base words. For example, keman contains the vowel e, so its genitive suffix becomes -ın rather than another variant. Similarly, oda has the vowel a, so the locative suffix appears as -da. Recognizing these patterns helps learners predict the correct form of suffixes in different words.