Slogan ne uzun ne de süslü; açık ve basit.

to be

Breakdown of Slogan ne uzun ne de süslü; açık ve basit.

• ve: and
• uzun: long
• basit: simple

Questions & Answers about Slogan ne uzun ne de süslü; açık ve basit.

What is the function of the pattern ne … ne de …, and how is it used here?

It’s the Turkish equivalent of “neither … nor ….” It coordinates two things and negates both at once. In the sentence, it pairs the adjectives uzun and süslü to say the slogan is neither of those. With this construction, you don’t add any separate negation (like değil) to the adjectives or the verb.

Examples:

• Ne pahalı ne de ucuz. = Neither expensive nor cheap.
• Ne okur ne yazar. = He/She neither reads nor writes. (Note: verbal form is not negated separately.)

Why is there no “is/are” in açık ve basit?

Turkish often drops the copula in third-person present statements. So Slogan … açık ve basit literally reads “The slogan … clear and simple.” You may add the formal/generalizing suffix -dır/-dir: Slogan açıktır ve basittir, but it’s optional and sounds more formal or definitional.

Why is a semicolon used here? Could I use a comma, period, or colon instead?

The semicolon links two closely related independent clauses about the same subject. Alternatives:

• Comma + conjunction: …, ama/ancak açık ve basit.
• Period: Slogan ne uzun ne de süslü. Açık ve basit.
• Colon (to introduce an explanation/result): …: açık ve basit. All are acceptable; the choice is stylistic.

Do I have to include in ? What about just ?