Bakir Chobanzade and folklore of turkic peoples

Abstract

In the article the famous scientist Bakir Chobanzade’s scientific thoughts about folklore, especially
folklore of Turkic peoples are investigated. Though many articles and monographs about Bakir Chobanzade’s scientific and artistic activity have been written, his thoughts about folklore are almost beyond the
researches. Nevertheless the prominent writer has done all necessary work in the collection, publication
and research of folk literature. His activities in the Azerbaijan Society for Scientific Research and Studies,
the visit on expeditions, works done about the Kumuk folklore, etc. are examples for it. The systematic
study of these as a whole is one of the serious and necessary issues in folklore-study. B.Chobanzade has
used the samples of folk literature as a line in his analysis and has given the more attention to clarify the
thoughts and results from the folk memory. Folklore samples such as proverbs, sayings, bayati (quatrain),
songs, folklore ceremony, legends, rumors, tales, eposes, etc. take an important part in his researches.
The rich ethnographic culture of Turkic peoples and the folklore memory form the energy source of the
analysis of the outstanding scientist. For the first time in the article this area becomes a subject of the
research. As a result of his researches it is concluded that B.Chobanzade is not only a linguist and literary
critic, but he is also an outstanding scientist who is deeply aware of the folklore and ethnography of the
Turkic peoples.