Middle Turkic refers to a phase in the development of the Turkic language family, covering much of the Middle Ages (c. 900âÂÂ1500 CE). In particular the term is used by linguists to refer to a group of Karluk, Oghuz and Kipchak and related languages spoken during this period in Central Asia, Iran, and other parts of the Middle East controlled by the Seljuk Turks. Middle Turkish is also a dialect of Common Turkic.
Classification
Middle Turkic can be divided into eastern and western branches.
Eastern Middle Turkic consists of Karakhanid (also called Khaqani Turkic), a literary language which was spoken in Kashgar, Balasaghun and other cities along the Silk Road and its later descendants such as Khorezmian Turkic and Chagatai.
The western branch consists of Kipchak languages documented in Codex Cumanicus and various Mamluk Kipchak texts from Egypt and Syria, and Oghuz Turkic represented by Old Anatolian Turkish. Old Anatolian Turkish was noted to be initially influenced by Eastern Middle Turkic traditions.
Karluk and Oghuz "Middle Turkic" period overlaps with the East Old Turkic period, which covers the 8th to 13th centuries, thus sometimes Karakhanid language is categorized under the "Old Turkic" period.
Literary works
- Book of Wisdom (ïÃÂÃÂçàÃÂÃÂÃÂ
ê) (DëvÃÂn-i Ḥikmet) by Khoja Akhmet Yassawi. (in Karakhanid)
- Mahmud al-Kashgari's Divânü Lügati't-Türk (in Karakhanid and Arabic)
- Yusuf Balasaghuni's Kutadgu Bilig (in Karakhanid)
- Ahmad bin Mahmud Yukenaki (Ahmed bin Mahmud Yükneki) (Ahmet ibn Mahmut Yükneki) (Yazan Edib Ahmed b. Mahmud Yükneki) () wrote the Hibet-ül hakayik (Hibet ül-hakayñk) (Hibbetü'l-Hakaik) (Atebetüül-hakayik) (Hibat al-ḥaqÃÂyiq) (ÃÂèé çÃÂÃÂÃÂçÃÂÃÂ) ()
- The works of Ali-Shir Nava'i (in Chagatai), including (titles in Arabic)
- GharÃÂâÂÂib al-á¹¢ighÃÂr ("Wonders of Childhood")
- NawÃÂdir al-ShabÃÂb ("Witticisms of Youth")
- BadÃÂâÂÂiâ al-Wasaá¹ ("Marvels of Middle Age")
- FawÃÂâÂÂid al-KibÃÂr ("Advantages of Old Age")
- MuḥÃÂkamat al-Lughatayn ("Judgment between the Two Languages")
- The Mughal Emperor Babur's Baburnama (in Chagatai)
- The âÂÂPaganâ Oãuz-namä â date and place of composition is unknown.
See also
References
- Sinor, Dennis. "Old Turkic and Middle Turkic Languages." History of the Civilizations of Central Asia, vol. IV, 2 (2000), pp. 331âÂÂ334.
- Boeschoten, Hendrik. "A Dictionary of Early Middle Turkic." Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1 The Near and Middle East, Volume: 169