A few notes on the writing system and vocabulary of the Qarï Čor Tegin inscription

Abstract

There are over five hundred Old Turkic inscriptions written in the Turkic runic alphabet, which are considered to be the oldest known Turkic texts. As time passes, newly discovered inscriptions are contributing to the vocabulary of Old Turkic, while also providing new data for researchers working in fields other than the Old Turkic. In 2012, a gravestone written in Old Turkic and Tang Dynasty Chinese (Late Middle Chinese) was found in Xian, China, and then transferred to the Datang xishi (大唐西市) Museum in Xi’an. Numerous studies have been conducted on these two texts, which are not translations of each other. Although the Old Turkic part of the inscription contains a short text of seventeen lines, there are different readings and interpretations due to the letters that have been erased or damaged by wear nd tear on the lines. This article will focus on the spelling and vocabulary of the Old Turkic part of the inscription. After discussing topics such as the inscription’s layout, the reason for the short lines, the excessive alignment of the stone to the left, and the layout of the letters, the second part of the article will address the inscription’s vocabulary. Some words will be compared with their forms in other inscriptions from the inscription period of Turkic, and particular attention will be paid to the evidence found in the inscriptions of the Uyghur Khaganate. The paper will evaluate the valuable vocabulary of the Qarï Čor Tegin Inscription in relation to the inscriptions of the Uyghur Khaganate and the texts of the Old Uyghur period, and will present evidence that the inscription contains materials belonging to Uyghur dialectology.

Keywords

• Old Turkic
• Old Turkic Inscriptions
• Uyghur Inscriptions
• Qarï Čor Tegin Inscription
• Vocabulary

Karı Çor Tegin Yazıtı’nın Yazım Düzeni ve Söz Varlığı Hakkında Birkaç Not

Öz

There are over five hundred Old Turkic inscriptions written in the Turkic runic alphabet, which are considered to be the oldest known Turkic texts. As time passes, newly discovered inscriptions are contributing to the vocabulary of Old Turkic, while also providing new data for researchers working in fields other than the Old Turkic. In 2012, a gravestone written in Old Turkic and Tang Dynasty Chinese (Late Middle Chinese) was found in Xian, China, and then transferred to the Datang xishi (大唐西市) Museum in Xi’an. Numerous studies have been conducted on these two texts, which are not translations of each other. Although the Old Turkic part of the inscription contains a short text of seventeen lines, there are different readings and interpretations due to the letters that have been erased or damaged by wear nd tear on the lines. This article will focus on the spelling and vocabulary of the Old Turkic part of the inscription. After discussing topics such as the inscription’s layout, the reason for the short lines, the excessive alignment of the stone to the left, and the layout of the letters, the second part of the article will address the inscription’s vocabulary. Some words will be compared with their forms in other inscriptions from the inscription period of Turkic, and particular attention will be paid to the evidence found in the inscriptions of the Uyghur Khaganate. The paper will evaluate the valuable vocabulary of the Qarï Čor Tegin Inscription in relation to the inscriptions of the Uyghur Khaganate and the texts of the Old Uyghur period, and will present evidence that the inscription contains materials belonging to Uyghur dialectology.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Old Turkic
• Old Turkic Inscriptions
• Uyghur Inscriptions
• Qarï Čor Tegin Inscription
• Vocabulary

References

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