Reflection of Sanskrit Words Used in the Old Uighuran Language on the Context of the Language-Thought of Turkish Thought

Emel Topçu

Article Details

Reflection of Sanskrit Words Used in the Old Uighuran Language on the Context of the Language-Thought of Turkish Thought

Authors:

Emel Topçu

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Dilbilim (Diğer)

Journal:

Dilbilim Issue 41, pp.15-52

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

5/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001319267

pISSN:

0255-674X

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Turks have spread across a vast geography from ancient times to the present. Their traditions, lifestyles, language, and intellectual life are integral parts of their culture and play a significant role in defining Turkish identity. Each component reflects Turkish identity. Another significant element in revealing the identity of society is the way of life and thought. It shows language thoughts according to the assumptions of linguistic determinism in linguistics. According to this, every word in the language represents the thought system of the community. Therefore, ideas are defined and concretised through words. Each word serves as a symbol of Turkish intellectual life. The adoption of Buddhism and Manichaean beliefs marked a new concept in the Turkish thought system, particularly with the shift towards a sedentary lifestyle among the Uighurs. Turks with these new beliefs read and comprehend religious texts written in Chinese and Sanskrit. The Abhidharma texts are philosophical writings that demonstrate Buddhist understanding. During the translation, the word-making rules of Turkish were fully utilised. However, certain Buddhist terms, names of individuals, titles of works and chapters, and place names were retained in the Turkish pronunciation of their Sanskrit origins. The purpose of this article is to highlight the relationship between the Sanskrit words used by ancient Uighurs and Buddhist beliefs and Turkish intellectual life, based on the Abhidharma texts. The document review method was used in this study. Sanskrit words are examined in alphabetical order in Abhidharmakośabhāṣya-Ṭīkā Tattvārtha. The Sanskrit words were sourced from the Latin-letter transcription of Masahiro Shōgaitos study of the Uighur Abhidarma Texts in 2008.

 Turks have spread across a vast geography from ancient times to the present. Their traditions, lifestyles, language, and intellectual life are integral parts of their culture and play a significant role in defining Turkish identity. Each component reflects Turkish identity. Another significant element in revealing the identity of society is the way of life and thought. It shows language thoughts according to the assumptions of linguistic determinism in linguistics. According to this, every word in the language represents the thought system of the community. Therefore, ideas are defined and concretised through words. Each word serves as a symbol of Turkish intellectual life. The adoption of Buddhism and Manichaean beliefs marked a new concept in the Turkish thought system, particularly with the shift towards a sedentary lifestyle among the Uighurs. Turks with these new beliefs read and comprehend religious texts written in Chinese and Sanskrit. The Abhidharma texts are philosophical writings that demonstrate Buddhist understanding. During the translation, the word-making rules of Turkish were fully utilised. However, certain Buddhist terms, names of individuals, titles of works and chapters, and place names were retained in the Turkish pronunciation of their Sanskrit origins. The purpose of this article is to highlight the relationship between the Sanskrit words used by ancient Uighurs and Buddhist beliefs and Turkish intellectual life, based on the Abhidharma texts. The document review method was used in this study. Sanskrit words are examined in alphabetical order in Abhidharmakośabhāṣya-Ṭīkā Tattvārtha. The Sanskrit words were sourced from the Latin-letter transcription of Masahiro Shōgaitos study of the Uighur Abhidarma Texts in 2008.

 Turks have spread across a vast geography from ancient times to the present. Their traditions, lifestyles, language, and intellectual life are integral parts of their culture and play a significant role in defining Turkish identity. Each component reflects Turkish identity. Another significant element in revealing the identity of society is the way of life and thought. It shows language thoughts according to the assumptions of linguistic determinism in linguistics. According to this, every word in the language represents the thought system of the community. Therefore, ideas are defined and concretised through words. Each word serves as a symbol of Turkish intellectual life. The adoption of Buddhism and Manichaean beliefs marked a new concept in the Turkish thought system, particularly with the shift towards a sedentary lifestyle among the Uighurs. Turks with these new beliefs read and comprehend religious texts written in Chinese and Sanskrit. The Abhidharma texts are philosophical writings that demonstrate Buddhist understanding. During the translation, the word-making rules of Turkish were fully utilised. However, certain Buddhist terms, names of individuals, titles of works and chapters, and place names were retained in the Turkish pronunciation of their Sanskrit origins. The purpose of this article is to highlight the relationship between the Sanskrit words used by ancient Uighurs and Buddhist beliefs and Turkish intellectual life, based on the Abhidharma texts. The document review method was used in this study. Sanskrit words are examined in alphabetical order in Abhidharmakośabhāṣya-Ṭīkā Tattvārtha. The Sanskrit words were sourced from the Latin-letter transcription of Masahiro Shōgaitos study of the Uighur Abhidarma Texts in 2008.

 Türkler geçmiş çağlardan günümüze geniş bir coğrafya içine yayılmıştır. Gelenekleri, yaşam şekilleri, dilleri ve düşünce hayatları ortak kültürün önemli parçalarıdır. Her bir parça Türk kimliğinin bir yansımasıdır. Toplum kimliğini göstermesi bakımından inceleme altına alınan önemli unsurlardan biri de düşünce şekli ve hayatıdır. Dilbilimdeki dilsel belirlemecilik hipotezine göre dil düşünceyi gösterir. Buna göre dile ait her bir sözcük aslında topluluğun düşünce sistemini yansıtır. Yani sözcükler düşüncenin somutlaştırarak tanımlanmasını sağlar. Eski Uygurların yerleşik yaşama geçmesiyle birlikte özellikle Budizm ve Maniheizm inançları Türklük düşünce sistemi için yeni bir oluşumdur. Bu yeni inançların dairesine giren Türkler; Çince ve Sankritçe ile yazılmış dinî metinleri okuyup anlamak istemişlerdir. Abhidharma metinleri Budist anlayışın gösterildiği felsefi yazılardır. Bu metinlere çeviri yaparken Türkçenin söz yapımı kuralları tüm derinliğiyle kullanılmıştır. Ancak özellikle birçok Budizm terimi, kişi adları, eser adları ve bölüm adları, yer adları Sanskritçe asıllarının Türkçe söyleyişiyle çeviride bırakılmıştır. Bu makalenin amacı da Abhidharma metinlerinden yola çıkılarak Budist inancına sahip Eski Uygurların yazıda kullandığı Sanskritçe sözcükleri dil-düşünce bağlamında Türk düşünce hayatı ile ilişkisini göstermektir. Çalışmada doküman inceleme yöntemi kullanılmıştır. AbhidharmakośabhāṣyaṬīkā Tattvārtha metninde yer alan Sanskritçe sözcükler alfabetik sırayla incelenmiştir. Sanskritçe sözcükler, Masahiro Shōgaitonun 2008 tarihli Uighur Abhidharma Text: A Philological Study with Introduction çalışmasındaki latin harfli transkripsiyonundan alınmıştır.

Article Details

Reflection of Sanskrit Words Used in the Old Uighuran Language on the Context of the Language-Thought of Turkish Thought

Authors:

Emel Topçu

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Dilbilim (Diğer)

Journal:

Dilbilim Issue 41, pp.15-52

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

5/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001319267

pISSN:

0255-674X

Old Uighur

language

linguistic determinism

thought

sanskrit wordsEski Uygurca

dil

dilsel belirlemecilik

düşünce

Sankritçe sözcükler

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Emel Topçu

Publisher: Istanbul University

Main Topics: Dilbilim (Diğer)

Journal: Dilbilim Issue 41, pp.15-52

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 5/2024

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001319267

pISSN: 0255-674X

Issues

Authors:

Emel Topçu

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Dilbilim (Diğer)

Journal:

Dilbilim Issue 41, pp.15-52

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

5/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001319267

pISSN:

0255-674X