An Etymological and Phonological Review on the Name of Manbij

Muhammet Abazoğlu

Article Details

An Etymological and Phonological Review on the Name of Manbij

Authors:

Muhammet Abazoğlu

Publisher:

Harran University

Main Topics:

Arap Dili ve Belagatı

Journal:

Harran İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 50, pp.1-18

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001303758

pISSN:

2791-6812

Keywords:

Abstract:

 The problems caused by the Arab Spring are one of the most thorny and unresolved political conflicts of our time. As commonly known, the popular uprising at the beginning of the Arab Spring spread from country to country and led to regime changes in many Arab countries. However, the uprising in Syria was quite different from the others and led to endless political and military conflicts. As the war has continued for years, the areas of military control in the region have constantly changed hands. In parallel to this, there have been many international conflicts, and concepts have emerged, such as the East of the Euphrates and the West of the Euphrates, which reflect certain regions and cities. One of these concepts is the name of a city called Manbij, one of the popular sites of conflicts in Syria today. Being an ancient settlement, the city has been given different names, due to the successive rule of many civilizations. In the past, the city was called Mabog, Manbig and Hierapolis, and each name was given in accordance with the temporal and spatial characteristics of its civilization, along with the linguistic properties of the language being used. This city, which had been a part of the Byzantine Empire for many years, was conquered by the Islamic armies in 637, and became a homeland for Muslims. In Manbij, which has a history that dates back to ancient times, many civilizations have existed so far. This city has been home to many states from the Hittites to the Assyrians, from Byzantium to the Romans, from the Umayyads to the Abbasids, from the Seljuks to the Ottomans and from the French occupation to todays Syria. Therefore, it has undergone changes in terms of religion, language, race and social structure. This was naturally reflected in the name of the city, and every nation that came to the city has named it willingly or unwillingly in line with its own language and sound characteristics. It is natural and acceptable that these different pronunciations are shaped based on various languages. The name of the city entered Turkish through borrowing from Arabic and was pronounced in line with the structural properties of Turkish. Although the presence of variation in spelling in official correspondence in Turkish is not a common phenomenon, but it does pose a problem. There are different Turkish pronunciations of the name of this city, which has been constantly on the agenda and a site of conflict among the active parties in the post-2011 Syria. In fact, it is possible to see that there is a confusion in the media as to whether the original Turkish name of the city is Munbij, Mumbuch or Manbij. Therefore, this study aims to clear up this confusion. The present study covers the etymological and phonological analysis of the word Manbij in addition to the history, geographical location and some other properties of the city. In this context, the pronunciations the name of the city by different nations are discussed and the correct pronunciation in Turkish is presented. This study addresses a critical subject that has not been addressed before. Moreover, it provides detailed historical, geographical, literary and linguistic information about the city of Manbij, which is currently popular on the political agenda. In addition, instead of the inconsistent pronunciations of the name of the city in Turkish, it is important to arrive at a consensus to offer an opinion for a local and national pronunciation and to clear up the current confusion about the way this name is pronounced. The present study follows tahlīl as its method of analysis. By using this method, the word is analyzed in the context of interlingual relations, and its root and meaning are revealed. In addition, the relationship between Arabic and other languages is considered, and the name of the city in other languages with which Arabic interacts is analyzed and presented. Then, the variations of the name in Arabic and Turkish are presented, with a particular focus on its origin and sound forms, along with the different versions used in these two languages from the past to the present. The present study revealed that the pronunciation of the name of the city as منبج  Manbij in Arabic language is influenced by Akkadian, Aramaic and Syriac, which are the siblings of Arabic within the family of Semitic languages. In addition to this linguistic interaction, it is understood that it is morphologically derived from the roots بج  bajja or نبج  nabaja in Arabic. In addition, the combination of the first part of the word with the syllable ما  māʾ, which means water in Arabic, is associated with the abundant water resources of the city. In terms of the origin of the word and the sound structure of the language, all these factors have been highly influential in the way the city is named in Arabic.

 Arap Baharı sürecinin getirmiş olduğu sorunlar çağımızın en karmaşık ve bir türlü çözülemeyen siyasi gelişmelerinden birisidir. Bilindiği üzere bu sürecin başında yaşanan halk ayaklanması, ülkeden ülkeye sıçramış ve birçok Arap ülkesinde rejim değişikliğine yol açmıştır. Ancak bu ülkeler arasında Suriyedeki ayaklanma diğerlerinden farklı seyretmiş ve bitmez tükenmez siyasi ve askeri çekişmeler yaşanmıştır. Savaşın gittikçe uzamasıyla bölgede askeri açıdan kontrol alanları sürekli el değiştirmiştir. Buna paralel olarak uluslararası ilişkiler kapsamında birçok çekişme yaşanmış, Fıratın doğusu ve Fıratın batısı gibi bazı bölge ve şehirleri yansıtan kavramlar ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu kavramlardan birisi de günümüzde Suriye olaylarının popüler çekişme sahnelerinden birisi olan Münbiç şehrinin adıdır. Kadim bir yerleşim yeri olan bu şehirde birçok medeniyetin peş peşe hüküm sürmesiyle farklı adlandırmalar yapılmıştır. Eskiden şehre Mabog, Manbiğ ve Hierapolis gibi adlandırmalar yapılmış ve her bir isim kendi medeniyetinin zamansal ve mekânsal özelliklerinin yanı sıra dilsel özelliklerine de uygun olarak verilmiştir. Uzun yıllar Bizans imparatorluğu topraklarının bir parçası olan bu şehir 637 yılında İslam orduları tarafından fethedilerek Müslümanlara yurt olmuştur. Fetihler sonrası Arapların yerleştiği bu şehirde artık yeni bir devir başlamış, şehrin adı da Arapçaya uygun ses ve biçim açısından evrilerek uygun hale gelmiştir. Tarihi çok eskilere dayanan Münbiçte, geçmişten günümüze kadar birçok medeniyet varlığını göstermiştir. Hititlerden Asurlara, Bizanstan Romalılara, Emevilerden Abbasilere, Selçuklulardan Osmanlılara ve Fransız işgalinden günümüz Suriyesine kadar birçok devlete ev sahipliği yapmış olan bu şehir; din, dil, ırk ve sosyal yapı açısından değişimler geçirmiştir. Bu durum doğal olarak şehrin adına da yansımış ve gelen her millet kendi dilsel yapısına ve ses özelliklerine dayanan sebeplerden ötürü isteyerek ya da istemeyerek adlandırma yapmıştır. Bu farklı telaffuzların muhtelif dillere göre şekillenmesi aslında pek doğal ve kabul edilebilir bir durumdur. Türkçeye ise şehrin adı Arapçadan girmiş ve Türk dil yapısına uygun olarak telaffuz edilmiştir. Ancak, Türkçede resmi yazışmalarda birden fazla ifadelendirmenin bulunması pek rastlanır bir olgu olmamakla birlikte bir sorun teşkil etmektedir. 2011 sonrası Suriyesinde sürekli gündeme gelen ve etkin taraflar arasında bir çekişme sahnesi olan bu şehrin adıyla ilgili Türkçede farklı telaffuzlar mevcuttur. Nitekim kentin Türkçe orijinal adının Münbiç mi, Mumbuç mu yoksa Menbiç mi olduğu konusunda görsel ve yazılı medyada bir çelişkinin olduğunu görmek mümkündür. Dolayısıyla bu çalışma, bu çelişkili duruma bir açıklık getirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırma, şehrin tarihsel süreci, coğrafi konumu ve diğer bazı özelliklerinin yanı sıra Münbiç kelimesinin etimolojik ve fonolojik açıdan incelemesini kapsamaktadır. Bu bağlamda farklı milletlerin telaffuz şekilleri ele alınıp Türkçe literatürdeki doğru telaffuz şeklini sunmaya çalışacaktır. Bu çalışma, daha önce değinilmemiş bir konu olması itibariyle önem arz etmektedir. Ayrıca çalışmada, siyasi gündemde popüler olan Münbiç şehriyle ilgili detaylı tarihi, coğrafi, edebi ve dilbilimsel önemli bilgilere yer verilmektedir. Bunun yanı sıra Türkçede şehrin adıyla ilgili farklı çevreler arasında görülen çelişkili telaffuzlar yerine, bir buluşma noktası oluşturmak, yerli ve milli bir telaffuz için görüş sunmak ve kullanım şeklini netleştirmek açısından önem arz etmektedir. Çalışma, yöntem olarak tahilil metodunu izlemektedir. Buradan yola çıkarak diller arası ilişkiler bağlamında kelimenin incelemesi yapılıp kökü ve anlamı ortaya konulacaktır. Ayrıca Arapçanın diğer dillerle olan ilişkisi gözetilip etkileşim içinde olduğu diğer dillerdeki şehrin adı incelenerek sunulmaya çalışılacaktır. Ardından Arapça ve Türkçede şehrin adı köken ve ses biçimleri itibariyle geçmişten günümüze bu iki dilde kullanılan farklı versiyonlar sunulacaktır. Çalışmanın ulaştığı tespitler bakımından ise Arap dili literatüründe şehrin adının منبج  Menbic şeklinde telaffuz edilmesi konusunda; başta Sâmi dilleri ailesine mensup Arapçanın diğer kardeşleri olan Akadca, Aramice ve Süryaniceden etkilendiğini söylemek mümkündür. Bu dilsel etkileşimin yanı sıra, Arapçada morfolojik olarak بج  becce veya نبج  nebece köklerinden türetildiği anlaşılmaktadır. Ayrıca kelimenin ilk kesiti olan ve Arapçada, su anlamına gelen ما mâ hecesi ile birleşmesi de şehrin su kaynaklarının bol olma özelliğiyle ilişkilendirilmiştir. Kelime kökeni ve dilin ses yapısı itibariyle bakılırsa bütün bu etkenler şehrin Arapça olarak isimlendirilmesinde etkili olmuştur.

 The problems caused by the Arab Spring are one of the most thorny and unresolved political conflicts of our time. As commonly known, the popular uprising at the beginning of the Arab Spring spread from country to country and led to regime changes in many Arab countries. However, the uprising in Syria was quite different from the others and led to endless political and military conflicts. As the war has continued for years, the areas of military control in the region have constantly changed hands. In parallel to this, there have been many international conflicts, and concepts have emerged, such as the East of the Euphrates and the West of the Euphrates, which reflect certain regions and cities. One of these concepts is the name of a city called Manbij, one of the popular sites of conflicts in Syria today. Being an ancient settlement, the city has been given different names, due to the successive rule of many civilizations. In the past, the city was called Mabog, Manbig and Hierapolis, and each name was given in accordance with the temporal and spatial characteristics of its civilization, along with the linguistic properties of the language being used. This city, which had been a part of the Byzantine Empire for many years, was conquered by the Islamic armies in 637, and became a homeland for Muslims. In Manbij, which has a history that dates back to ancient times, many civilizations have existed so far. This city has been home to many states from the Hittites to the Assyrians, from Byzantium to the Romans, from the Umayyads to the Abbasids, from the Seljuks to the Ottomans and from the French occupation to todays Syria. Therefore, it has undergone changes in terms of religion, language, race and social structure. This was naturally reflected in the name of the city, and every nation that came to the city has named it willingly or unwillingly in line with its own language and sound characteristics. It is natural and acceptable that these different pronunciations are shaped based on various languages. The name of the city entered Turkish through borrowing from Arabic and was pronounced in line with the structural properties of Turkish. Although the presence of variation in spelling in official correspondence in Turkish is not a common phenomenon, but it does pose a problem. There are different Turkish pronunciations of the name of this city, which has been constantly on the agenda and a site of conflict among the active parties in the post-2011 Syria. In fact, it is possible to see that there is a confusion in the media as to whether the original Turkish name of the city is Munbij, Mumbuch or Manbij. Therefore, this study aims to clear up this confusion. The present study covers the etymological and phonological analysis of the word Manbij in addition to the history, geographical location and some other properties of the city. In this context, the pronunciations the name of the city by different nations are discussed and the correct pronunciation in Turkish is presented. This study addresses a critical subject that has not been addressed before. Moreover, it provides detailed historical, geographical, literary and linguistic information about the city of Manbij, which is currently popular on the political agenda. In addition, instead of the inconsistent pronunciations of the name of the city in Turkish, it is important to arrive at a consensus to offer an opinion for a local and national pronunciation and to clear up the current confusion about the way this name is pronounced. The present study follows tahlīl as its method of analysis. By using this method, the word is analyzed in the context of interlingual relations, and its root and meaning are revealed. In addition, the relationship between Arabic and other languages is considered, and the name of the city in other languages with which Arabic interacts is analyzed and presented. Then, the variations of the name in Arabic and Turkish are presented, with a particular focus on its origin and sound forms, along with the different versions used in these two languages from the past to the present. The present study revealed that the pronunciation of the name of the city as منبج  Manbij in Arabic language is influenced by Akkadian, Aramaic and Syriac, which are the siblings of Arabic within the family of Semitic languages. In addition to this linguistic interaction, it is understood that it is morphologically derived from the roots بج  bajja or نبج  nabaja in Arabic. In addition, the combination of the first part of the word with the syllable ما  māʾ, which means water in Arabic, is associated with the abundant water resources of the city. In terms of the origin of the word and the sound structure of the language, all these factors have been highly influential in the way the city is named in Arabic.

 The problems caused by the Arab Spring are one of the most thorny and unresolved political conflicts of our time. As commonly known, the popular uprising at the beginning of the Arab Spring spread from country to country and led to regime changes in many Arab countries. However, the uprising in Syria was quite different from the others and led to endless political and military conflicts. As the war has continued for years, the areas of military control in the region have constantly changed hands. In parallel to this, there have been many international conflicts, and concepts have emerged, such as the East of the Euphrates and the West of the Euphrates, which reflect certain regions and cities. One of these concepts is the name of a city called Manbij, one of the popular sites of conflicts in Syria today. Being an ancient settlement, the city has been given different names, due to the successive rule of many civilizations. In the past, the city was called Mabog, Manbig and Hierapolis, and each name was given in accordance with the temporal and spatial characteristics of its civilization, along with the linguistic properties of the language being used. This city, which had been a part of the Byzantine Empire for many years, was conquered by the Islamic armies in 637, and became a homeland for Muslims. In Manbij, which has a history that dates back to ancient times, many civilizations have existed so far. This city has been home to many states from the Hittites to the Assyrians, from Byzantium to the Romans, from the Umayyads to the Abbasids, from the Seljuks to the Ottomans and from the French occupation to todays Syria. Therefore, it has undergone changes in terms of religion, language, race and social structure. This was naturally reflected in the name of the city, and every nation that came to the city has named it willingly or unwillingly in line with its own language and sound characteristics. It is natural and acceptable that these different pronunciations are shaped based on various languages. The name of the city entered Turkish through borrowing from Arabic and was pronounced in line with the structural properties of Turkish. Although the presence of variation in spelling in official correspondence in Turkish is not a common phenomenon, but it does pose a problem. There are different Turkish pronunciations of the name of this city, which has been constantly on the agenda and a site of conflict among the active parties in the post-2011 Syria. In fact, it is possible to see that there is a confusion in the media as to whether the original Turkish name of the city is Munbij, Mumbuch or Manbij. Therefore, this study aims to clear up this confusion. The present study covers the etymological and phonological analysis of the word Manbij in addition to the history, geographical location and some other properties of the city. In this context, the pronunciations the name of the city by different nations are discussed and the correct pronunciation in Turkish is presented. This study addresses a critical subject that has not been addressed before. Moreover, it provides detailed historical, geographical, literary and linguistic information about the city of Manbij, which is currently popular on the political agenda. In addition, instead of the inconsistent pronunciations of the name of the city in Turkish, it is important to arrive at a consensus to offer an opinion for a local and national pronunciation and to clear up the current confusion about the way this name is pronounced. The present study follows tahlīl as its method of analysis. By using this method, the word is analyzed in the context of interlingual relations, and its root and meaning are revealed. In addition, the relationship between Arabic and other languages is considered, and the name of the city in other languages with which Arabic interacts is analyzed and presented. Then, the variations of the name in Arabic and Turkish are presented, with a particular focus on its origin and sound forms, along with the different versions used in these two languages from the past to the present. The present study revealed that the pronunciation of the name of the city as منبج  Manbij in Arabic language is influenced by Akkadian, Aramaic and Syriac, which are the siblings of Arabic within the family of Semitic languages. In addition to this linguistic interaction, it is understood that it is morphologically derived from the roots بج  bajja or نبج  nabaja in Arabic. In addition, the combination of the first part of the word with the syllable ما  māʾ, which means water in Arabic, is associated with the abundant water resources of the city. In terms of the origin of the word and the sound structure of the language, all these factors have been highly influential in the way the city is named in Arabic.

Article Details

An Etymological and Phonological Review on the Name of Manbij

Authors:

Muhammet Abazoğlu

Publisher:

Harran University

Main Topics:

Arap Dili ve Belagatı

Journal:

Harran İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 50, pp.1-18

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001303758

pISSN:

2791-6812

Arabic Language

Linguistics

Etymology

Phonology‎

Syria‎

Manbij‎Arap Dili‎

Dilbilim

Etimoloji

Fonoloji

Suriye

Münbiç

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Muhammet Abazoğlu

Publisher: Harran University

Main Topics: Arap Dili ve Belagatı

Journal: Harran İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 50, pp.1-18

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 12/2023

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001303758

pISSN: 2791-6812

Issues

Authors:

Muhammet Abazoğlu

Publisher:

Harran University

Main Topics:

Arap Dili ve Belagatı

Journal:

Harran İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 50, pp.1-18

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001303758

pISSN:

2791-6812