| Category 10 -- M-doublets
I really like these, Marvin.
Me too, Mabel. They remind me of the pig-Latin I used to speak as a boy.
Wait a sec...
I didnt know you were bi-lingual, Marv.
I don't tell everyone.
The purpose of the m-doublet ikilemeler is exactly the same as (and may be used interchangeably with) filan, or falan, or filan falan -- to facilitate the meaning of and similar things or and similar people or and related things or and so on or and such like or etcetera. And they are usually (but not always) made from nouns.
And remember...
the second 'word' in an M-doublet is not a word at all. It's just a rhyming sound starting with m, that serves to mean etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...
Language point illustration!What agreement..?
Overheard during a game of Turkish 'hide and go seek'...
Terrorized Juvenile: Our agreement wasn't like this... [Notice the slurring of değildi.] You were [supposed] to come out when I said 'apple', you weren't [supposed] to come out when I said 'pear'!...
Gun-toting Juvenile Delinquent: There was no such agreement [like that]...
[Anlaşma manlaşma yok.] [I'm] Sorry, pal...
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Thanks to:
Komikaze 2 by Erdil Yaşaroğlu LeMan Basin Yayın Ltd Şti.
Istanbul (March 1995)
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M-doublet Vowel Chart
For words beginning with a vowel, an m-doublet is made by adding m...
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Word starting with a vowel...
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The resulting 'M-doublet'
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The English meaning
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adamlar
(men)
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adamlar madamlar
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men and creatures like them...
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elim
(my hand)
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elim melim
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my hand, its fingers, the bone, and skin, etc.
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ırmak
(stream)
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ırmak mırmak
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streams and such like...
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İngiliz
(an English person)
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İngiliz mingiliz
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English people and people like the English people...
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odun
(firewood)
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odun modun
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firewood and other burnable material...
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ödev
(homework)
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ödev mödev
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homework and the like...
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ucuz
(inexpensive)
Note that this is not a noun...
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ucuz mucuz
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cheap, affordable, easy to acquire, etc.
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ütü
(an iron)
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ütü mütü
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an iron, ironing board, ironing cloth, etc.
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Example sentences:
Araba maraba vızgelir, yürürüm.
Cars and trucks and such don't matter to me, I can walk.
Arsanda ağaç mağaç yok mu?
Arent there any trees or bushes or shrubs on your land?
For words starting with a consonant, drop the consonant before adding the m to form the m-doublet....
M-doublet Consonant Chart
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Word starting with a consonant
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The resulting M-doublet
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The English Meaning
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bakan
(minister)
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bakan makan
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ministers and bureaucrats and such
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caddeler
(streets)
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caddeler maddeler
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streets and roads and things like that
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çöp
(trash)
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çöp möp
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trash and waste and such
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defter
(notebook)
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defter mefter
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notebooks and other such writing materials
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fikir
(idea)
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fikir mikir
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ideas and thoughts and such
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gazete
(newspaper)
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gazete mazete
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newspapers and magazines and such
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hikaye
(story)
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hikaye mikaye
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stories and fables and the like
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jilet
(razor blade)
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jilet milet
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razor blades and other sharp things
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kaba
(rude)
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kaba maba
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rudeness and vulgarity and the like
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kız
(girl)
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kız mız
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young girls and teenagers and such
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lastik
(tire/tyre)
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lastik mastik
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tires/tyres and other rubber things
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nar
(pomegranate)
Isn't that the English word that Perihan can't say, Mabel?
You'd better hope she doesn't hear you say that, Marvin.
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nar mar
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pomegranates and similar fruits
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para
(money)
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para mara
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money and other valuables
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resim
(picture)
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resim mesim
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pictures and other memorabilia
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sabır
(patience)
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sabır mabır
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patience, forbearance and the like
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şaka
(joke)
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şaka maka
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jokes and other things to laugh at
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tabak
(plate)
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tabak mabak
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plates and dishes and things for eating
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vaatler
(promises) |
vaatler maatler [Note the irregular vowel harmony.] |
promises and other oaths
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yağ
(butter)
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yağ mağ |
butter and oils and greasy things
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zahmetsiz
(without trouble)
Note that this is not a noun...
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zahmetsiz mahmetsiz
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easy, not difficult, not onerous, etc.
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Example sentences:
Çarşıdan kalem malem aldım.
I bought pens and other writing materials at the store.
Kalem malem yok mu?
Isn't there anything to write with?

Did you spot the missing letter in the previous M-doublet Consonant Chart?
Well, surprise! It's 'M' itself... Words beginning with m can't 'benefit' from this special language feature of Turkish. For m-words, then, you have to resort to filan (or falan or filan falan) as in, merhaba falan; 'hello' and similar greetings...
One final observation/warning...
despite the 'technical correctness' of the m-doublets
Antalya mantalya,
dünya münya,
and deniz meniz,
a Turk would not use those expressions.
For some reason, they just don't 'sound right'
according to highly placed Turkish language 'experts'
(two guys we met on Bar Street in Kuşadasî last Tuesday...)
Instead, he or she would use something like: Antalya filan to mean Antalya and similar towns,
dünya filan falan to mean the world and similar planetary bodies deniz falan to mean the sea, the beach, etc....
And there are other m-doublet exception words like those, but
we are just too tarrd to list them all right now...
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