@article{2015,title={Categorization and Syntactical Analysis of Nominalizers in Turkish: A Minimalist Approach},abstractNode={This study aims to approach to morphological and syntactical analysis of gerunds and participles in Turkish through minimalist solutions proposed by the Minimalist Program. Syntactical analyses of these non-finite verb forms having nominal features have always been a highly controversial subject in that they are verb phrases (VP) headed by verbs derived by derivational morphology in the lexicon, noun phrase (NP), determiner phrase (DP), infinite tense phrases (TP), inflectional phrases (INFLP/IP), or nominalizer phrases (NomP) etc. Moreover, the same affixal structures have different functions under different categories in the same language, which has also caused contradictory ideas on their classification. In this context, functional affixal heads having nominal features allowing verbs to locate in specifier, complement, adjunct or modifier positions in the syntax are analyzed, questioned and categorized in terms of minimalist suggestions. Initially, morphological and syntactical properties of Turkish inflectional and derivational affixes are compared and contrasted in order to make discrimination between nominalizer heads and derivational morphology. Next, based on the morphological properties denoting grammatical features such as tense, EPP and agreement, affixes having nominal features are categorized into nominalizers and infinite T constituents, finally making clear distinction between nominalizers, derivational morphology and infinite tense constituents. Finally, rather than regarding these structures as VPs headed by a lexical verb, or NPs derived in the lexicon, this study categorizes nominalizers into Nom heads and suggests a NomP analysis for the phrasal derivations headed by nominalizer heads. The study contributes to the categorization of inflectional morphology described in traditional descriptive and prescriptive Turkish grammar through UG terms. Considering contradictory ideas on classification of nominalizers in this field, this study suggests important solutions not only for the categorization of affixes having nominal features but also for the syntactical analysis of these structures in Turkish morphology.},author={Emrullah ŞEKER},year={2015},journal={Journal of Turkish Studies}}