Breakdown of O üniversite sadece köklü değil, aynı zamanda prestijli. Kaldı ki, orada okumayı gerçekten istiyorum.
o
that / he / she / it
değil
not
orada
over there
okumak
to read
Questions & Answers about O üniversite sadece köklü değil, aynı zamanda prestijli. Kaldı ki, orada okumayı gerçekten istiyorum.
How does kaldı ki function in this sentence compared to a simpler word like ayrıca?
Kaldı ki is a conjunction used to introduce an additional, often decisive argument that seals the deal. While ayrıca just adds another fact to a list, kaldı ki translates closer to 'Not to mention...' or 'On top of all that...'. It shows that your personal desire to study there is the ultimate reason, making the university's prestige almost just a bonus.
Could we say okumak gerçekten istiyorum instead of okumayı?
You could say orada okumak istiyorum using the standard infinitive -mAk. However, using the verbal noun -mA with the accusative case suffix -yI (okuma-y-ı) makes the action much more specific. You are pointing to the exact concept of 'studying at that specific university' as a defined, specific object of your desire, which perfectly fits the strong emphasis of this sentence.
How does the sadece ... değil, aynı zamanda ... construction work here?
This is the Turkish equivalent of 'not only..., but also...'. Sadece köklü değil provides the 'not only well-established' part, and aynı zamanda (literally 'at the same time') introduces the 'but also' part (prestijli). Notice that you don't need a word for 'but' (ama) because the contrast is already implied by the structure.
What is the literal meaning of köklü, and how does it mean 'well-established'?