Language/North-azerbaijani/Grammar/Negation

North Azerbaijani Grammar - Negation

Hi North Azerbaijani learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about negation in North Azerbaijani grammar. We will cover the basics of negation, its usage in different sentence structures, and some interesting cultural information. Let's get started!

Basics of Negation

Negation is the process of expressing the opposite of a statement. In North Azerbaijani, negation is typically expressed by placing the word "deyil" (pronounced "deyil") right after the verb. For example:

North Azerbaijani	Pronunciation	English
Nəvələr sümüklüdür	/nævæˈlær ˈsymyklydyr/	Oranges are not sour

Here, "deyil" is placed after the verb "sümüklüdür" to express negation. Note that "deyil" comes right after the verb in North Azerbaijani.

In addition, North Azerbaijani also has the word "yox" (pronounced "yokh") which can be used to express "no." For example:

North Azerbaijani	Pronunciation	English
Tələbələr var, amma müəllim yoxdur	/teˈlæbælær vær, æmmæ myəllim joxdyr/	There are students, but there is no teacher

Here, "yoxdur" is used to mean "there is no" or "does not exist."

Negation in Different Sentence Structures

Negation can be used in different sentence structures in North Azerbaijani. Let's take a look at some examples:

Negation in Simple Sentences

Simple sentences in North Azerbaijani typically have the following structure: subject-verb-object. Negation can be added by placing "deyil" after the verb:

North Azerbaijani	Pronunciation	English
Ay tütün çəkmir	/aj tyˈtyŋ ˈtʃækmir/	The moon is not smoking

Here, "deyil" is placed after the verb "çəkmir" to express negation.

Negation in Compound Sentences

Compound sentences in North Azerbaijani are formed by joining two or more simple sentences with coordinating conjunctions such as "və" (and), "amma" (but), "lakin" (however), and "fakat" (yet). Negation can be added to these sentences by placing "deyil" after each verb:

North Azerbaijani	Pronunciation	English
Köpək yaxınlaşır, amma salam deyil	/cœˈpæk jæχynlæˈʃir, æmmæ sæˈlæm deyil/	The dog is approaching but is not friendly

Here, "deyil" is placed after both verbs "yaxınlaşır" and "salam" to express negation.

Negation in Complex Sentences

In complex sentences in North Azerbaijani, negation is placed after the final verb:

North Azerbaijani	Pronunciation	English
Maşın çatışıb, sürücü xəsarət almamışdı	/mæˈʃin tʃætɯˈʃib, srydʒy xæsæˈræt ælmæmɯʃdy/	The car crashed but the driver was not injured

Here, "almamışdı" is the final verb in the sentence, so "deyil" is placed after it to express negation.

Cultural Information

In North Azerbaijani culture, it is considered polite to use negation instead of "yox" in some situations. For example, instead of saying "I do not know," it is considered more polite to say "I do not know for sure," using negation to soften the statement.

Additionally, North Azerbaijani has a rich tradition of poetry, and negation is often used in poetry to convey a sense of longing, loss, or sadness. For example, the following poem by the famous North Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi uses negation to express a sense of sadness:

North Azerbaijani	English
Seyran eləməyən söhbəti haradan düşsən bilərsən, Yalnızlıq o nazlının anlamından başqa nədədi? Bağban naməlum qəbahətdən ürək fəryadı salar , Yalnız, dilində elə ağıd var - isti, qəmli, qedrindədi.	"How can you know where the conversation of a non-reveler falls, Solitude was anything but the meaning of that grace? Through some unknown sin the gardener's heart cries, Only a lament, warm, sad, and precious in its essence. "

Dialogue

Here's a dialogue to help you see negation in context:

• Person 1: Bağda alma var? (Is there an apple in the garden?)
• Person 2: Yox, alma yoxdur. (No, there is no apple.)

Sources

• Azerbaijani language
• North Azerbaijani
• Azerbaijani poetry