An invesigation of the ethnic landscape of the lexical system for teaching old Turkic language: A case of the language of the “Tonyukuk” monument

Abstract

The concept of “ethnic landscape of the lexical system” in itself expresses a very broad content. Ethnic landscape covers such concepts as customs and traditions, exotic lexicon, national way of life, etc. Once Turkic language is considered as a subject of teaching, then it may mean teaching directly about the Turk himself. Historically different Turkic tribes lived side by side, shoulder to shoulder. In their socio-political environment, historical and cultural life, as well as in their traditions, there were similarities as well as differences. Therefore, before going to this depth, it is considered more important to prioritize the study of teaching old Turkic languages. All this is made possible by referring to the language of the written monuments that provide more information about the Turkic tribes. One of them is the “Tonyukuk” stone inscription, which stands out from other monuments due to its uniqueness. The aim of this study is to pay attention to the tribal names in the language of this monument as a means of teaching old Turkic language. Although most of the tribes recorded in “Tonyukuk” are tribes of Turkic origin, occasionally tribes of non-Turkic origin are also found. Since the etymologicalization of the tribe names we recorded is of special interest, this issue is at the center of our research. As a research subject, twelve tribes were analyzed. The results have revealed that most of the ethnonyms recorded are notable of Turkic origin.