My research focuses on the syntactic and semantic properties of elliptical constructions in Turkish, particularly how object gaps are formed and interpreted. I aim to uncover the mechanisms behind these gaps and the factors influencing their resolution.

A central part of my work looks at how different types of verbs and adverbs affect the inclusion and interpretation of adjuncts in ellipsis contexts. I aim to compare ellipsis patterns in Turkish with those in other languages, particularly within the Turkic language family, to highlight both common and distinctive features. Through this research, I hope to clarify how ellipsis operates in Turkic languages, showing how verb and adverb types influence the interpretation of omitted elements. In the end, this work seeks to offer a clearer picture of how ellipsis functions across languages.

Publications

Fincan, Y. (forthcoming). Argument ellipsis or more? Adjunct recoverability in Turkish object gaps. In E. Gómez Alzate & A. Cuza-Blanco (Eds.), Language in context: Ideologies, policies, and community-based research. Routledge.

Conference Presentations

Upcoming

Edward F. Hayes Advanced Research Forum (40th Annual Hayes Forum), The Ohio State University, March 2026.When Silence Still Means Something: Evidence from Turkish. Oral presentation.

The 11th Workshop on Turkic and Languages in Contact with Turkic (Tu+ 11), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, April 2026. Adjunct Inclusion in Turkish: Experimental Evidence for Verb-stranding VP Ellipsis. Poster presentation.

The 27th International Symposium on Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (ISTAL 27), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, May 2026. Did Ayşe Make the Cake or Not? Adjunct Inclusion in Turkish Object Gaps. Oral presentation.

Past

Student Conference on Linguistics (SCOL24), Boğaziçi University, May 2024. Verb Phrase Ellipsis Beyond English: A Study of Object Gaps in Turkish. Poster presentation.

11th Annual Buckeye Language Network Symposium (BLN), The Ohio State University, March 2025. Adjunct Inclusion in Turkish Elliptical Object Gaps. Poster presentation.

Purdue Linguistics Symposium (PLS 2025), Purdue University, April 2025. Investigating Adjunct Inclusion in Turkish Elliptical Object Gap Constructions. Oral presentation.

Arizona Linguistics Circle 18 (ALC 18), University of Arizona, October 2025. Did Ayşe Make the Cake or Not? Adjunct Inclusion in Turkish Object Gaps. Oral presentation.

Central Kentucky Linguistics Conference (CKLiC), University of Kentucky, February 2006. Adjunct Inclusion in Turkish: Experimental Evidence for Verb-stranding VP Ellipsis. Oral presentation.