Evidentiality in Uzbek and Kazakh

2.3.2 Non-Finite Verbal Morphology 
Non-finite paradigms of the verb employed as predicates may be divided into three classes based 
on their non-predicative function: participial, infinitival, and converbial. All of these forms (with 
a partial exception in the case of converbial forms) take the pronominal agreement markers (see 
Tables 12-14). 
Participles are the some of the most prominent types of non-finite forms that may act as 
predicates. As their name implies, participles may function attributively or predicatively: 
(30) žaz-ar adam 
~ 
adam žaz-ar. (Kaz) 
 
write-
AOR
man 
~ 
man write-
AOR
'The man who writes.'
'The man writes.' 
 
Although participles function much like adjectives, their verbal basis allows them to take voice 
and negation morphology: 
(31) žaz-ïs-pa-ğan adam-dar 
~ 
adam-dar žaz-ïs-pa-ğan (Kaz) 
write-
RECP
-
NEG
-
PRF
man-
PL
~ 
man-
PL
write-
RECP
-
NEG
-
PRF
‘The men who haven’t written to each other’ ~ ‘The men haven’t written to each other.’ 
 
A table of participles (19) shows that Uzbek and Kazakh share a number of cognate forms: 
Table 19 - Participles in Uzbek and Kazakh 
 
Uzbek 
Kazakh 
Aorist
4
 
-(a)r 
-(A)r 
Future 
-(y)ajak 
-(A)tIn 
Perfect 
-gan 
-GAn 
Perfect 
-mish 
-MIs 
Habitual 
-adigan 
 
Present/Imperfect 
-ayotgan 
 
Optative 
-gay 
-GAy 
 
Note that in Uzbek, two participles end in -gan: -adigan and -ayotgan. The -gan portion of these 
forms is cognate with the -gan that forms the perfect participle. However, no perfect or past 
tense meaning is expressed in either of these forms, which instead likely grammaticalized from 
4
The negative form of the aorist is irregular. For Uzbek: -mas, for Kazakh: -mAs. 

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50 
converbial constructions before -gan acquired its perfect meaning and instead expressed 
imperfectivity. The cognate of this form still expresses imperfectivity in modern Turkish, where 
it has the form -An (see Erdal 1991; 2004). 
The -mish/-mIs forms are now largely obsolete in Uzbek and Kazakh, having been 
supplanted by -gan. Although they are no longer attached directly to verbs, they still exist in 
copular (Uz: emish) or clitic form (Kaz: -mIs), so they will considered in the following 
discussions of evidentiality in Uzbek and Kazakh. 
The presence of *-gAn as the marker of the perfect participle is one of the core features 
that distinguish the Central Asian Turkic area from other Turkic-speaking regions (Schönig 
1999). Both the predicative (32) and participial (33) uses are common: 
(32) Biz osha joy-ga bor-gan-da halol pitza ye-gan-miz. (Uz) 
We that place-
DAT
go-
NMLZR
-
LOC
halal pizza eat-
PRF
-1
PL
 
 
‘Whenever we’ve gone there we’ve eaten halal pizza.’ 
 
(33) Odan äri ärkim žet-ken žer-i-ne qon-ar. (Kaz) 
Then after everyone arrive-
PRF
place-3-
DAT
camp-
AOR
.3 
‘After that, everyone encamps at the place where they arrive.’ 
 
For historical reasons, and for the sake of connecting the predicative and participial uses of this 
form, it will be glossed as 
PRF
, i.e. perfect. As noted above, the perfect contrasts with the simple 
past in a number of ways that will be further explained in the following chapter. 
Another use of this form is to nominalize clauses for the purposes of complementation or 
in order to attach a case ending. This use is seen in (32) above; an example of its use to form 
clausal complements is in (34).  
(34) Men-i tehnologiya ko’r qil-gan-i-ni bil-a-man. (Uz) 
I-
ACC
technology blind make-
NMLZR
-3-
ACC
know-
PRES
-1
SG
‘I know that technology makes me blind.’ 
 

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51 
When the *-gAn suffix is used for the purposes of nominalization, it will be glossed as 
NMLZR
, 
i.e. nominalizer, rather than perfect, as the time reference of these nominalized clauses is 
context-dependent. 
The infinitive (Uz: -moq, Kaz: -Uw, -MAK) is used to form a number of non-finite forms that 
may be used predicatively. On its own, the Kazakh infinitive marker -MAK may be used to 
indicate a definite future tense. In both languages, the addition of the agentive marker (Uz: -chi, 
Kaz: -šI) creates forms that also indicate an intentional future tense (35). The addition of the 
locative case (Uz: -da, Kaz: -DA) creates forms that indicate near future tense or inchoative 
aspect (36).  
(35) Men bar-maq-šï-mïn. (Kaz) 
 
I go-
INF
-
AGT
-1
SG
‘I will go.’ ‘I intend to go.’ 
 
(36) Men bor-moq-da-man. (Uz) 
I go-
INF
-
LOC
-1
SG
‘I’m going to go,’ ‘I am about to go.’