Chagatai Turkish and Its Effects on Central Asian Culuture
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Title Chagatai Turkish and Its Effects on Central Asian Culuture Author(s) Cakan, Varis Citation 大阪大学世界言語研究センター論集. 6 P.143-P.158 Issue Date 2011-09-28 Text Version publisher URL http://hdl.handle.net/11094/12239 DOI rights Note Osaka University Knowledge Archive : OUKA https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/ Osaka University 大阪大学世界言語研究センター論集 第6号(2011年) Chagatai Turkish and Its Effects on Central Asian Culture CAKAN Varis * Abstract Hakaniya Turkish, the official language of Karahanli State which reigned between 840 and 1212 in Central Asia, was – on account of the Mongolian invasion – labeled by the linguists with the name of ‘Chagatai Turkish’. Chagatai Turkish was employed by the Central Asian Turkic States as a written language – and consequently as a diplomatic language – from the 13th century until the 19th century. It was the language of the rich Turkish literature of Central Asia of the time. Chagatai Turkish exerted significant influence on a huge region extending from Afghanistan, India, to Crimea and Caucasus in Russia. It was the common national language of Central Asian Turks. From the second half of the 19th century on, due to the fact that Central Asia was invaded and shared by the Chinese and Russian Empires, the Chagatai language began to lose influence and was replaced by regional dialects. The Chagatai Turkish then split into two, becoming the two modern Turkic languages known as Uighur and Uzbek. This paper goes on to review the major literary works of Chagatai Turkish. After Chagatai Turkish had lost influence and been replaced by the regional dialects Russian and Chinese languages began to expand in Central Asia. The official language policy applied by the Russian and Chinese governments during the last one and a half centuries was the major source of the ongoing linguistic and cultural conflicts in the area. Keywords : Central Asia, Chagatai Turkish, Turkistan, Uighur, Uzbek _____________ * Research Institute for World Languages, Osaka University, Specially Appointed Associate Professor (Note: I would like to thank Fergus O’Dwyer who proofread this paper, and made suggestions for revisions.) 143 Page 2 1. Introduction CAKAN:Chagatai Turkish and Its Effects on Central Asian Culture It is known1.Introduction that Turkish has been used as the official language and common language since the times of the 2002:131It is known. Since that Turkishwe cannot has definitely been used say as thethat officialthe letters language of the Greatand common Hun Tanrıkut language Batur since to thethe Khan , ئەمىنHuns Empresstimes are written of the inHuns the [ Chinese ,language, 2002:131]. it is Since possible we thatcannot these definitely letters are say in thatTurkish. the letters The Central of the AsianGreat Turkish languageHun after Tanrıkut the Hun Batur language to the was Khan called Empress the “Gokturk are written language”. in the It Chinesecan be said language, that Turkish it is waspossible more that commonly used in Centralthese letters Asian are in inthe Turkish. period of The the CentralGokturk Asian state, Turkishwhich is language between theafter seventh the Hun and language eighth centuries. was called Since we do not thehave “Gokturk adequate language”. evidence ofIt canthe beTurkish said thatused Turkish in Central was moreAsian commonly previously, used the inGokturk Central epigraphs Asian in by the riversidesthe of period Orhun of as the the Gokturk oldest evidence state, which currently is between known the of theseventh Central and Asian eighth Turkish centuries. written Since language. we do notScientists, consideringhave that adequate the language evidence of ofthe the Gokturk Turkish epigraphs used in Centralis highly Asian developed previously, both inthe orthography Gokturk epigraphs and wording, by state that the thewritten riversides language of Orhunof Turks as goesthe oldest back muchevidence further. currently Uighurs, known who of established the Central a stateAsian by Turkish the Orhun written River after Gokturkslanguage. continued Scientists, to use the considering Gokturk language that the till language the second of halfthe Gokturkof the eighth epigraphs century. is Thehighly Uighur developed managers and intellectualsboth adoptedin orthography Manichaeism and wording, as their religionstate that after the the written campaign language of the of Uighur Turks Khangoes backBögü much in Orhun further. to China in 762. WhenUighurs, Uighurs who adopted established Manichaeism, a state by which the Orhun is the Riverreligion after of Gokturkssettled and continued trading societies, to use the they Gokturk needed many religiouslanguage and cultural till the books second to s preadhalf of this the religioneighth century.among theThe public Uighur and managers brought andsuch intellectuals books to their adopted country and translatedManichaeism them. When asthey their shifted religion from after their the life campaignstyle based of on the nomad Uighur husbandry Khan Bögü to a newin Orhun settled to life China style in based on trading 762.culture, When they Uighurs needed adopteda change Manichaeism, in this alphabet. which So theyis the left religion their alphabet of settled of and38 letters trading that societies, was developed from ancientthey neededstamps many and shiftedreligious to andthe culturalUighur alphabetbooks to developedspread this from religion Sogud among language the public with and18 letters.brought Uighurs enrichedsuch the bookswritten to language their country they tookand translatedfrom Gokturks them. with When many they foreign shifted wordsfrom theirand terlifems style they based borrowed on from Chinese,nomad Indian husbandry language, toSanskrit, a new settledSyriac andlife styleSogud based languages on trading they usedculture, in theirthey translationsneeded a change of the inreligious this and cultural alphabet.works. The So Uighurthey left authors their alphabet and translators of 38 letters tried thatto find was the developed equivalents from of ancient the concepts stamps of and the shifted religions like Manichaeism,to the UighurBuddhism alphabet and Christianity developed infrom the SogudTurkish language language. with When 18 letters.they could Uighurs not find enriched any equivalents the written for such terms, theylanguage adopted they words took frominto GokturksTurkish phonetics. with many Foreign foreign words andof material terms they and borrowed spiritual fromculture Chinese, continued to increaseIndian with thelanguage, increasing Sanskrit, contacts Syriac of theand TurkishSogud languages state with they neighboring used in their countries translations in the oftime the ofreligious Uighurs. The foreign andwords cultural that have works. entered The Uighur the Turkish authors language and translators in the time tried of to Uighursfind the didequivalents not disturb of thethe conceptsmain structure of of Turkish;the to religionsthe contrary, like theyManichaeism, mostly enriched Buddhism it with and cul Christianitytural words. in Archeologist the Turkish language. Prof Tolostov When claims they couldin one of his articles thatnot find“the rateany ofequivalents literacy among for such Turks terms, increased they adopted in the eighth words and into ninth Turkish centuries” phonetics. İnan, Foreign 1998:191]. words of material and spiritual culture continued to increase with the increasing contacts of the Turkish state After termination of Uighurs in Orhun in 840 by the Kırgız Turks in Yenisei, majority of the Uighurs in the with neighboring countries in the time of Uighurs. The foreign words that have entered the Turkish Orhun riverside migrated to the west to their kins living at the outskirts of the Tengri Mountains1. The northern and language in the time of Uighurs did not disturb the main structure of Turkish; to the contrary, they eastern skirts of the Tengri Mountains2 were the most important cultural centers of Central Asian Turks for a long mostly enriched it with cultural words. Archeologist Prof Tolostov claims in one of his articles that “the time. A Chinese Buddhist priest T’ang Hsüan-tsang was the guest of the West Gokturk Khan Tongyabgu in 639 and rate of literacy among Turks increased in the eighth and ninth centuries” [İnan, 1998:191]. conferences to Turks in philosophical and religious subjects. With the coming of Uighurs from Orhun riversides, the After termination of Uighurs in Orhun in 840 by the Kırgız Turks in Yenisei, majority of the Turkish Uighur written Uighurs in the Orhun riverside migrated to the west to their kins living at the outskirts of the Tengri Mountains.1 The northern and eastern skirts of the Tengri Mountains were the most important cultural centers of Central Asian Turks for a long time. A Chinese Buddhist priest T’ang Hsüan-tsang was the _____________ 1 The Tengri1 The TengriMountains Mountains is isa a largelarge mountainmountain system system located locatedin Central in Asia.Chinese: Central Asia.Chinese:天 山 (Tiān 天Shān), 山 Uighur:(Tian Shan), .Mongolian:Tenger Uul. Uul ,تەڭرى تاغ :Uighur 144 大阪大学世界言語研究センター論集 第6号(2011年) guest of the West Gokturk Khan Tongyabgu in 639 and conferences to Turks in philosophical and religious subjects. With the coming of Uighurs from Orhun riversides, the Turkish Uighur written language experienced a new development in this area, which is the heart of the Central Asia. Most of the works in Uighur Turkish that were taken to Europe by European investigators in the early twentieth century and that fill the museums and libraries in European capitals, particularly Berlin