Adjective-noun collocations the in Dede Korkut Stories

The Stories of Dede Korkut hold a significant place in Turkish culture. Written in a style that blends prose and verse, this work is considered one of the foundational sources of classical Turkish folk storytelling. At the same time, it stands as an important example of the transition from the epic tradition to folk narratives. In this study, the vocabulary based on adjective - noun combinations found in The Book of Dede Korkut by Muharrem Ergin and My Grandfather Korkut's Book by Orhan Şaik Gökyay is comparatively examined. Twelve stories included in My Grandfather Korkut's Book have been evaluated within this scope. These narratives, nourished by the lifestyle of the people, reflect a harmonious and lively social life where societal values are shaped. The vocabulary used in these stories, which mirrors the cultural fabric of the period, continues to hold significance for the Turkish language today. Among the word types that best convey cultural elements in these stories are adjectives. Since The Stories of Dede Korkut place great emphasis on the depiction of events and situations, adjectives are frequently used. Furthermore, this study employs a modern linguistic method known as collocation to identify adjective - noun pairings within the texts. The concept of collocation, as a component of semantics in linguistic research, functions as a means of introducing new concepts into a language's lexicon. Especially in efforts to uncover the vocabulary of historical texts, collocation studies play a critical role. Accordingly, this study bases its analysis of the adjectives used in The Stories of Dede Korkut on the collocation method.