An analysis of Turkish lexical items <i>insan</i> and <i>insanlar</i> as impersonalpronouns

Abstract This study examines Turkish lexical item insan and its plural form insanlar to uncover their functions as impersonal pronouns. These lexical items serve as impersonal pronouns when they appear in the subject position of the sentences of which verbs bear the aorist ending –Ir or the modality markers –Abil and –mAlI . However, when they occur in the object position, they do not assume an impersonal reading. These lexical items have inclusive readings regardless of their syntactic positions. Although insan and insanlar can be used in episodic sentences, the former still requires the use of the verbal endings –Ir, –Abil and –mAlI . The study concludes that impersonality in Turkish is realized through a combination of impersonal subjects such as insan and insanlar and generic verbal endings, –Ir, –Abil and –mAlI . The findings of the study offer a starting point to describe other Altaic and related languages in terms of impersonal pronouns.