Projections

Tense is typically a trait of verbs and the suffixes associated with it cannot be applied to members of other lexical categories. But still it is possible to imagine something expressed by a nominal sentence to have been the case in the past. Turkish has a small number of suffixes which can be applied to all types of sentence in order to create a certain projection. The first section deals with projection in the past, and interestingly, application to a tensed verbal predicate leads to compound tenses. Next, the suffix associated with indirect observation (reported past, inference) is introduced, and thirdly, the suffix which deals with hypothetical statements is discussed. There are many possible and impossible combinations across these three suffixes. The fourth suffix is used for assumptions and in statements of general validity.