đ°€đ°đ°
nĂ€gĂŒ
Meaning:
what?
nĂ€gĂŒ is largely synonymous with nĂ€ âwhat?â, but Erdal analyses it as an old collective or plural formation via -(a)gu, originally approximately âwhat things?â. It subsequently became a general interrogative and indefinite pronoun meaning âwhat; whatever, anythingâ.
The form can take case suffixes and occurs in expressions such as nĂ€gĂŒ ĂŒĂ§ĂŒn âwhy?â, nĂ€gĂŒ ĂŒzĂ€ âwith what?, by what means?â and nĂ€gĂŒl, contracted from nĂ€gĂŒ ol, âwhat is it?â. With a following conditional verb, it commonly means âwhateverâ or âanyâ.
Examples
Translations
German:
was?
Russian:
ŃŃĐŸ
Turkish (Azerbaijan):
nÉ? nÉlÉr?
Turkish (TĂŒrkiye):
ne? neler?
Bibliography 2
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Marcel Erdal (2004) A Grammar of Old Turkic211211
The plural of nĂ€ appears to have been nĂ€gĂŒ, formed with the collective suffix +(A)gU; see OTWF 95. There are more instances in IrqB XXIV, U IV A42, Ht VII 1995 and Suv 610,11 and 621,4; e.g. takĂŻ nĂ€gĂŒ kĂŒtĂ€r sizlĂ€r (U I 43,7) âWhat else are you waiting for?â. nĂ€ nĂ€gĂŒ iĆĄ (U III 54,13) is âany sort of businessâ. nĂ€gĂŒ inflects for case as, e.g., nĂ€gĂŒdĂ€ ötgĂŒrĂŒ (U II 5,14) âthrough what thingsâ. nĂ€g(ĂŒ)lĂŒk âwhat for; to what purpose; whyâ is a derivate from nĂ€gĂŒ, attested e.g. in U IV A26, Suv 612,8, KP 4,9, 30,1 and 66,6 and often elsewhere. nĂ€gĂŒk (twice Suv) apparently comes from nĂ€gĂŒ (ö)k with the emphatic particle.
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Gerard Clauson (1972) An etimological dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish776-777776-777
D negĂŒ: Den. N./A. fr. ne:, and for practical purposes syn. w. it. N.o.a.b. See negĂŒlĂŒk. TĂŒrkĂŒ viii ff. (a blind colt looked for an udder on a stallion; if he is lost(?) in broad daylight) tĂŒn ortu: kanta: ne:gĂŒ:de: bolÄay ol âwhere (Hend.) will he get to at midnight?â IrkB 24: UyÄ. viii ff. Bud. oÄrı tĂ©p tĂ©dĂŒ-kĂŒĆĂŒz negĂŒ ol âwhat is it that you called a thief?â PP 59, 4-5; ne negĂŒ iĆ iĆlegeli uÄrasar âif he starts to do any workâ U II 23, 26; negĂŒ erser tĂ©medin âwithout saying anythingâ do. 31, 50; a.o. do. 5, 14 (ötgĂŒrĂŒ:); negĂŒ ĂŒĂ§ĂŒn âwhy?â U III 35, 26; bu etöz yeme negĂŒke kergeklig ol âand what is this body needed for?â do. 43, 27-8; o.o. U IV 10, 42 etc.; (the form negĂŒl before a gap in HĂŒen-ts. 108 is prob. the beginning of negĂŒlĂŒk, but in TT VI 31 v.l. it seems to be a crasis of negĂŒ: ol): Civ. (if one burns a dogâs tooth and) negĂŒke tĂŒrtser ârubs it on any (part of the body)â TT VII 23, 3; negĂŒ sakınç sakınsar âwhatever thought he hasâ 28, 4; and similar o.o. w. Conditional; negĂŒ kim, negĂŒ me âany, anythingâ are common in USp.: Xak. xi KaĆ. III 215 (nĂŒ:); n.m.e.: KB negĂŒ tĂ©r âwhat (someone) saysâ is very common 156, 165, etc.; negĂŒ bar ajunda biliÄde kĂŒsĂŒĆ âwhat is there in (this) world more desirable than wisdom?â 260; negĂŒke âwhy?â 467, 583, etc.; (if the water is dirty) neÄĂŒn yup arır âwhat can a man wash with to be clean?â 2108; o.o. 583, 663 (yum-), 1069 (udık), 1394 (ek-), 3488 (ke:ĆeĆ-): xiii(?) At. (hear) biliÄlig negĂŒ tĂ©p ayur âwhat the wise man saysâ 129; (tell me) bu negĂŒke kerek âwhat is this necessary for?â 314: Tef. negĂŒ âwhat?â; neg/negĂŒ also occurs at the beginning of questions with no specific meaning 228: (ĂaÄ. xv ff. naÄu (sic) ne ĂŒĂ§ĂŒn âwhy?â Vel. 390 (quotns.): naÄu çıra âwhy?â San. 321v. 14 (same quotns.), seems to be a corruption of this word).
