Comparative polypredicative constructions with the postposition чiли ‘as if’ in the Khakass language

The relevance of this study is determined by the insufficient knowledge of polypredicative constructions in the Khakass language. The purpose of this article is to identify and describe the polypredicative constructions of comparative semantics with the postposition чiли ‘as if’ in the Khakass language. Our material shows that in the Khakass language, as in other Turkic  languages, one of the main means of expressing comparative relations are analytical-synthetic polypredicative constructions with the postposition чiли ‘as if’. This postposition is a means of expressing comparative relations between two events, which can form both monosubject and multi-subject constructions. The composition of the polypredicative construction includes the  main part, which is the subject of comparison, and the dependent part is the standard  of comparison (or standard). The subject of the dependent part appears in the form of a  nominative, the dependent clause – in the form of a past participle (=хан), present (=чатхан)  and future (=ap) tense in combination with the postposition чiли. The predicate of the  dependent part is often omitted because it conveys the same action as the predicate of the main part. In the considered constructions with comparative postpositions, the dependent part is  often reduced to the subject and the adverbial modifier (more often adverbial modifier  of time). The construction with the postposition of чiли can also convey target and cause-effect relations. The research material was examples in the Khakass language, extracted by continuous sampling from the works of Khakass writers, as well as poetic texts. The prospects for further research of comparative polypredicative constructions with the чiли postposition in the Khakass language are seen in the involvement of comparative material on other Turkic languages,  which will make it possible to identify common and specific features in the structure and  semantics of the structures under consideration in the compared languages.

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