Now we're going to talk about consonant alternations in Turkish
Consonant alternation is the process where the consonant at the end of a Turkish noun or adjective
transforms into a different consonant when you add a suffix or ending that starts with a vowel. Let's look at an example
So "cevap" the Turkish word for answer
when we add a suffix that begins with a vowel like the possessive suffix, "m"
This "p" is going to undergo consonant alternation. Let's see, so let's say we want to say "your answer"
"Cevap"
will become
"Cevabın": your answer
"p" is one of four consonants in Turkish that undergo this kind of consonant alternation. Let's look at what they are
So we've seen that "p" at the end of a Turkish word can become
"b" when you add a suffix that begins with a vowel. There are three more
"ç" at the end of a word can become "c" when you add a suffix beginning with a vowel
"t" at the end of a word can become "d" when you add a suffix that begins with a vowel and
Finally "k" at the end of a word can become a soft g when you add a suffix that begins with a vowel
So you yumuşak ğ
Let's look at some examples with these three, so for example the Turkish word for tree, "ağaç"
And so the "ç," but if we want to say "your tree," so we're adding this possessive suffix that starts with a vowel, "ağaç"
becomes
"Ağacın": your tree
and if we want to say the Turkish word for hope "umut"
That "t" is going to undergo consonant alternation with "d" when we add a suffix that begins with a vowel, so
"Umut" become "umudun": your hope
With our final case of consonant alternation if you want to say the Turkish word for child
"Çocuk"
and then want to add the possessive suffix for your child
So "çocuk" becomes "çocuğun"
so that "k" became a yumuşak ğ because of the
suffix that starts with a vowel, now
every word in Turkish that ends with a "p" a "ç" at "t" or a "k" does not undergo consonant, consonant alternation
but many of them do
another note, if you are adding a
suffix that begins with a vowel to a
proper noun, like a name of a place or a person
consonant alternation may occur, but it won't be written. Let's look at an example
take the Turkish name "Mehmet"
if you want to add
genitive suffix to "Mehmeh" so to say Mehmet's
You would say "Mehmet'in"
Now notice this "t" is still written as at a but it's pronounced as a "d" - "Mehmet'in"
even though it doesn't change in writing