A Study of the Set Expressions “Dīwān lughāt al-turk” in the Turkic World

Abstract

Mahmud Kashgari’s Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk is a valuable monument preserving the lexical richness and cultural heritage of Turkic-speaking peoples. Compiled on the basis of materials gathered during the author’s travels among Turkic tribes, this work contains extensive information about their way of life, historical events, language, and culture in general. Written in Arabic, Kashgari’s dictionary provides Arabic explanations of Turkic words and also reflects the phonetic distinctions among Turkic languages of that period. In addition, the book includes a rich collection of folkloric elements such as proverbs, poems, aphorisms, and other oral traditions. This abundant folkloric material was employed to clarify the meanings of individual words and to provide illustrative examples. An important part of this illustrative material consists of fixed expressions shaped by the centuries-long life experience of the people. In the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, such expressions are referred to by the term “sav.” The wisdom embodied in these sayings reflects the intellectual world and cultural values of the ancient Turkic peoples. The study of proverbs and idiomatic units makes it possible to examine the ethical and aesthetic worldview of Turkic-speaking communities. Although the dictionary was written in the 11th century, the history of its scholarly study dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. Since that time, Turkologists around the world have investigated the work from various disciplinary perspectives. This article examines studies devoted to fixed expressions in the dictionary, including proverbs and phraseological units, conducted by scholars across the Turkic world. In particular, it analyzes comparative-historical and ethnolinguistic research carried out in the form of monographs, dissertations, and scholarly articles by Turkish, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and Azerbaijani Turkologists from the second half of the 20th century onward. As the study is aimed at identifying the continuity and cultural connection between proverbs, phraseological units, and modern Turkic languages, it contributes to broader research on the common linguistic and cultural heritage of Turkic peoples. Furthermore, increasing awareness of these studies across different regions of the Turkic world may help prevent the unnecessary repetition of similar research in the future.

Keywords: turkology, Mahmud Kashgari, Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, fixed expressions, proverbs.