Word-Formation Functions of the Suffixes -la and -le in the Language of the Diwan-i Hikmet

Abstract

This article examines the word-formative function and semantic characteristics of the suffixes -la/-le, which derive verbs from nouns in Khwaja Ahmad Yasawi’s Divan-i Hikmet. The relevance of the study lies in the need to identify the wordformation system of the Middle Turkic period monuments and to demonstrate its continuity with the modern Kazakh language. The aim of the article is to identify the derived verbs formed by means of the suffixes -la/-le in Yasawi’s wisdoms (hikmets), and to analyze their formation patterns, semantic features, and functional characteristics. The research employs descriptive, historical-comparative, morphological, and statistical methods of analysis. Based on linguistic data collected from the Hikmet texts, the structural and semantic groups of verbs formed with the suffixes -la/-le were classified and examined. The findings reveal that these suffixes are highly productive in generating verbal meanings through attachment to nouns. In addition, it is shown that the derived verbs are formed from names of body parts, concrete and abstract nouns, and express comparative, instrumental, actional, and figurative meanings. The study concludes that the suffixes la/-le constitute one of the most productive word-formative markers in Yasawi’s Hikmets and serve as an important linguistic source for understanding the developmental features of the historical word-formation system of Turkic language.