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CLASSIFICATION OF VERBAL MEANS EXPRESSING NONVERBAL UNITS
ACCORDING TO THEIR REFLECTION OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
ATTITUDES
Tamilla Annazarova
Teacher of Turkish language at Oriental university,
Independent Researcher, Higher School of Turkology,
Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies,
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Abstract
: This scholarly study examines 420 paralinguistic units extracted from the
Büyük
Türkçe Sözlük
(Comprehensive Turkish Dictionary), analyzing their semantic and structural
features in depth. The primary focus is on how these paralinguistic expressions convey human
emotions, attitudes, and psychological states through nonverbal means, outside of spoken
language. Particular attention is given to units such as
gülmek
(to laugh),
gülümsemek
(to smile),
omuz vermek
(to support),
dudak bükmek
(to pout),
morarmak
(to bruise or turn blue),
baş
sallamak
(to nod),
göz kırpmak
(to blink),
el sallamak
(to wave),
kekelemek
(to stutter), and
dikleşmek
(to straighten up or resist), which are thoroughly analyzed within their contextual
usage. Each paralinguistic unit is evaluated based on how it expresses internal feelings,
emotional responses, and interpersonal attitudes, with a focus on their semantic range and
communicative function. The relevance of this research lies in the fact that paralinguistics has
not yet been fully established as an independent field within Turkish linguistics. Therefore, this
study represents one of the first systematic attempts to classify and analyze paralinguistic
elements found in the Turkish explanatory dictionary. In conclusion, the study offers a
classification of Turkish paralinguistic units according to their emotional coloring, phonational
and kinetic properties, semantic scope, and structural characteristics. The findings aim to
highlight the linguistic and communicative significance of paralinguistic tools and serve as both
a theoretical and practical resource for linguists, translators, literary scholars, and cultural
researchers.
Keywords:
paralinguistic elements, Turkish language, explanatory dictionary, emotional
expression, positive and negative attitude, neutral units, verb-based expressions, phraseological
units, emotional coloring, div language, phonational features, kinetic features, structural
analysis, semantic analysis, contextual meaning.
Introduction to Paralinguistic Means in Turkish Linguistics. The analysis of paralinguistic units
collected from the
Explanatory Dictionary of the Turkish Language
reveals that these elements
can express both negative and positive attitudes. In addition, a number of neutral units have been
identified which, depending on the context, may take on either a negative or positive connotation.
Accordingly, the 420 paralinguistic units collected from the dictionary have been classified
based on the type of attitude they convey as follows:
Negative-attitude indicators: 115 units
Positive-attitude indicators: 103 units
Neutral indicators (context-dependent, may express either negative or positive attitudes):
202 units
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955
Examples of lexical units with negative connotations include:
gürlemek
(“to roar”),
vınlamak
(“to whine”),
gevelemek
(“to mumble”),
kaş çatmak
(“to frown”),
morarmak
(“to bruise, turn
blue”),
akarmak
(“to leak”),
benzi atmak
(“to go pale”),
dudak bükmek
(“to pout”),
omuzları
çökmek
(“to slump one’s shoulders”),
irkilmek
(“to flinch”),
eli ayağı titremek
(“hands and feet
trembling”), and others.
For instance, the verb
sırıtmak
means “to grin by showing teeth in a foolish, surprised, sly, or
mocking way”:
Bir yandan karısını yatıştırmak istermiş gibi davranıyor, bir yandan hınzırca sırıtıyordu.
"On
one hand, he acted as if trying to calm his wife; on the other, he was grinning slyly."
The verb
morarmak
has several meanings:
1.
“To take on a bluish color” —
Mürdüm erikleri morarmaya başlamış, yakında
olgunlaşırlar.
"The damson plums had started to turn blue; they would soon ripen."
2.
“A part of the div turning blue due to physical impact, illness, or distress” —
Parça parça morarmış yüzüyle ateş püskürüyordu (A. Ş. Hisar).
"With a face bruised in patches, he was seething with anger."
Boğulan adamın bütün vücudu
morarmıştı.
" The div of the drowned man had turned completely blue."
3.
In a figurative sense,
morarmak
can also mean “to be disturbed by someone's words or
behavior” or “to feel ashamed.”
Examples of lexical units with positive meanings include:
gülmek
(“to laugh”),
kıkırlamak
(“to
giggle”),
agulamak
(“to coo”),
gülümsemek
(“to smile”),
göz kırpmak
(“to wink”),
selamlamak
(“to greet”),
omuz vermek
(“to support”),
dikleşmek
(“to stand firm”),
dik durmak
(“to stand
tall”),
el öpmek
(“to kiss someone’s hand out of respect”),
okşamak
(“to caress”), and so on.
The verb gülmek (“to laugh”) means “to express an emotional reaction, usually vocally, in
response to things, events, or situations that a person finds pleasant or strange.” For example:
O
ne söylese sinirli sinirli ve tabii olmayan gülüşü ile gülüyordu.
"He was laughing nervously and
unnaturally at whatever was said."
The studied verb also carries meanings related to experiencing happiness or enjoyment:
“to spend happy, joyful times; to have fun; to enjoy oneself.”
Gülmek can also be used in the sense of “to mock or ridicule someone”:
Gülme komşuna, gelir başına.
(Proverb) “Do not laugh at your neighbor’s misfortune; it may
happen to you as well.”
Additionally, gülmek can mean “to appear pleasantly charming and warm enough to attract
attention”:
Annemin, yirmi gündür ağlayan yüzü, bu akşam ilk defa güldü.
“My mother’s face, which had been crying for twenty days, smiled for the first time this
evening.”
Classification and Analysis of Paralinguistic Means. The verb gülümsemek means “to
smile lightly, to appear as if smiling”:
Hep ona doğru bakar, göz göze geldiklerinde gülümserdi.
“She always looked at him and smiled lightly when their eyes met.” A proverb-like phrase:
Unutup gülümsemek, hatırlayıp üzülmekten çok daha iyidir.
“Forgetting and smiling is much better than remembering and being sad.”
Neutral paralinguistic units include lexical items that, depending on the situation, can take on
either negative or positive connotations. Examples include:
kekelemek
(to stammer),
bocalamak
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956
(to hesitate),
gürlemek
(to roar),
çığlık atmak
(to scream),
ahlamak
(to moan),
taramak
(to comb),
göz kırpmak
(to blink/wink),
kızarmak
(to blush),
dudağını ısırmak
(to bite one’s lip),
baş
sallamak
(to nod),
baş döndürmek
(to feel dizzy),
başını dük tutmak
(to keep one’s head down),
omuz dikleştirmek
(to straighten one’s shoulders),
öne doğru eğilmek
(to lean forward),
dikleşmek
(to stand firm),
yaslanmak
(to lean back),
ayak ayak üstüne atmak
(to cross one’s legs).
The verb dikleşmek has the following meanings:
1.
“To come to an upright position.”
2.
“To behave defiantly or confrontationally towards someone; to oppose or challenge.”
Example:
Fen şubesi şefi birden dikleşti.
(R. H. Karay)
“The head of the science department suddenly became defiant.”
The paralinguistic gesture el sallamak (“to wave a hand”) is used in the following senses:
1.
“To call, invite, or request.” Example:
Garsona el salla da buraya gelsin.
“Wave to the waiter so he comes here.”
Pencereden bize el sallıyor, bir şey demek istiyor sanırım.
—
He is waving at us from the window; I think he wants to say something.
2. Sevgi ve ilgiyi el hareketiyle ifade etmek – expressing love and affection through hand
gestures. For example:
İstasyondakiler trendeki ilk yolculara el sallıyordu.
—
The people at the station were waving to the first passengers on the train.
Hayranları ünlü sanatçıya el sallamaya devam etti.
—
Fans continued waving at the famous artist.
3. Yolculukta birbiriyle vedalaşmak – saying goodbye to each other during a journey.
For example:
Ablasıyla birbirine el sallayıp ayrıldılar.
—
She and her sister waved goodbye to each other.
Kardeşlerimi en son bana el sallarken gördüğümü hatırlıyorum.
—
I remember seeing my siblings wave goodbye to me for the last time.
Structural analysis of paralinguistic devices collected from the explanatory dictionary of Turkish
revealed the following:
1.
Single-word paralinguistic devices: Paralinguistic devices expressed with a single word
form the smallest group quantitatively. This group mostly includes verbs, partly adjectives, and
adverbs.
There are a total of 118 single-word paralinguistic devices, of which 72 are verbs, 28 adjectives,
and 19 adverbs.
2.
Phrase-based paralinguistic devices: The majority of paralinguistic devices collected
from the Turkish explanatory dictionary, specifically 302, are fixed expressions or phrases.
The largest subgroup among single-word paralinguistic devices is verbs. Let us analyze the
meanings of some of them:
The verb gevşemek has the following meanings recorded:
Its first meaning is defined as “to lose stiffness and tension.”
Example:
Kar kalkmış, hava açmış, ayaz gevşemişti.
(A. Gündüz)
—
The snow had stopped falling, the weather had cleared, and the frost had softened.
The second meaning, used as a paralinguistic device, is “to calm down, to relax, to loosen up.”
For example:
Poker lafını işitmesin, eli ayağı gevşiyor.
(A. İlhan)
—
He must not hear the word “poker,” or his hands and feet become limp.
The main meaning of
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the verb duraksamak is “to hesitate, to pause uncertainly, to waver without knowing what to do
or say.” For example:
Silahına karşılık ilk kurşun yüzünü seğirterek geçince duraksadı.
(R. H.
Karay)
—
He hesitated when the first bullet passed twitching across his face in response to his weapon.
Ayaklarım birbirine dolaşarak merdivene doğru koşarken duraksadım.
(Y. Z. Ortaç)
—
I hesitated while running toward the stairs with my feet tangled together.
The verb dokunmak
means “to feel or touch qualities such as heat, cold, hardness, softness, etc., through nerve
endings under the skin; to touch, to feel with the hand, to make contact.”
For example:
Bir elektrik zilinin düğmesine dokunduk.
(A. Haşim)
—
We touched the button of an electric bell.
This verb is also used in the meanings of “to
interfere with, to take, to use, to lay a hand on.” For example:
Buğdaydan, bulgurdan ne varsa
kimse dokunmuyor, daha zor günlere saklıyordu.
(N. Araz) —
No one touched the wheat or
bulgur; they were saving it for harder days.
Onun tek kuruşuna bile dokunmam.
—
I wouldn’t touch a single penny of his.
Dokunmak can also mean “to harm or affect health.”
For example:
Bu yemek bana dokunur.
—
This food harms me.
Bu hava dokundu.
—
This weather harmed me.
The main meaning of the verb eğilmek is “to
take a position that forms an angle in a certain direction, to lean towards one side, to lose
uprightness.”
For example:
Sofraya pilav gelince Aziz eğilerek kokladı.
(C. Uçuk)
—
When the pilaf was served at the table, Aziz leaned down and smelled it.
This verb is also
used to describe human movements, meaning “to bend the waist to do something.” For example:
Tenis oynarken yüz çeşit çeviklikler içinde eğilir, kalkar, sıçrar, koşar.
(R. H. Karay) —
While
playing tennis, one bends, rises, jumps, and runs with various agility.
In a figurative sense, eğilmek means “to accept someone else’s pressure or authority.”
Additionally, the verb carries the meaning “to consider something important and study it.” For
example:
Bir yandan ayrıntılara eğilirken, bir yandan da bunları alaylı bir süzgeçten geçirir.
(S.
Birsel)
—
On one hand, he studies the details carefully, and on the other, he filters them through a
critical sieve.
Paralinguistic devices expressed by adjectives.
The words in this group mainly express emotions and attitudes conveyed through the human face.
The adjective
çatık
means “frowning.” This adjective in Turkish is used to describe eyebrow and
facial gestures. In expressions like
çatık kaş
(frowning eyebrow),
çatık çehre
(frowning face),
çatık yüz
(frowning face),
çatık surat
(frowning visage), the word indicates that the person
performing the action is angry, upset, or displeased.
For example:
O çatık kara kaşlı, al yanaklı hanımın kucağına oturmak lazım gelmişti.
(Y. K.
Karaosmanoğlu) —
He had to sit in the lap of that frowning, dark-browed, rosy-cheeked lady.
Topal Hocanın çatık suratını gördüm.
(Halikarnas Balıkçısı)
—
I saw Topal Hoca’s frowning face.
The main meaning of the adjective
sarı
is “the color
between green and flame, the color of lemon peel.” Its secondary meaning is “having that color.”
For example:
Ortalık sarı bir toz bulutu içinde.
(A. Ağaoğlu) —
The surroundings were in a
yellowish dust cloud.
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The adjective
sarı
also means “pale, wan.” For example:
Yüzü çok sarıydı.
—
His face was very pale.
The comparative form of
sarı
means “very pale.”
For example:
İmtihana, cenaze dönüşü, sapsarı bir yüzle girdim ve kıpkırmızı gözlerle çıktım.
(Y.
Z. Ortaç) —
I entered the exam with a pale, yellowish face as if coming from a funeral, and
came out with bloodshot red eyes.
Biliyorum, şimdi hiddetten sapsarıdır. Telefonu daima kendisi kapatmak ister.
—
I know, now he is pale from anger. He always wants to hang up the phone himself.
The first
meaning of the adjective
kırmızı
is “red.” The second meaning is “having that color.” For
example:
Siyah zülüflü, kırmızı dudaklı, altın ve mercan gerdanlı kadınlar.
(A. Haşim) —
Women with black locks, red lips, wearing gold and coral necklaces.
The intensive form of the adjective
kırmızı
—
kıpkırmızı
(bright red) — can express feelings
such as embarrassment, anger, or nervousness depending on the context.
Conclusion and Implications for Further Research. In Turkic linguistics, the field of
paralinguistics is still emerging independently and has not followed the path of any particular
linguistic school. It has been observed that the term "paralinguistics" has only rarely been
mentioned in Turkic linguistics, and no specialized research related to this topic has been
conducted. At the same time, a study of Turkic literature shows that the issue of “div language”
has been explored in some detail. Although the information mentioned in these sources does not
fully cover paralinguistic devices, to some extent it corresponds to them.
The study of paralinguistic devices, particularly their classification and systematic organization
based on certain logic, remains a relevant and important issue.
For the purpose of studying the lexical units reflecting paralinguistic devices within the
vocabulary of the Turkish language, 420 lexical units were extracted from the Turkish Language
Association’s (TDK) explanatory dictionary "Büyük Türkçe Sözlük." These units were classified
according to the following criteria: phonational, kinetic, emotional coloration, and structural
aspects.
Thus, in the study of paralinguistic devices, it is not sufficient to understand and explain them
solely based on their external signs. Rather, it is appropriate to comprehend them as a complex
system of interrelated internal signs.
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