The negative existential cycle in Turkish Sign Language (TİD)

Abstract The evolution of negation is typically characterized as a cyclical process, whereby new constructions emerge to encode existing functions. The current corpus-based study undertakes an investigation into the evolution of the negative existential negator yok ‘non.exist’ in Turkish Sign Language (TİD). It seeks to investigate the applicability of the negative existential cycle as proposed by Croft (1991) and examines its potential as an explanatory framework in understanding the sources and pathways of standard negation. Here it is evidenced that this cycle occurs within a specific language and TİD presents aspects of stage B ∼ C: the existential negator yok gradually substitutes for the verbal negator deĞİl in specific contexts of the grammatical system. The present analysis offers a novel perspective on the comprehensive structure of the TİD negation system. This perspective posits that the existential negator yok does not merely signify the negation of existence; rather, it also functions as a standard negator. The determination is substantiated by the negative existential cycle, establishes a framework for understanding the relationship between existential negation and standard negation.