A previously unknown Old Turkic inscription from Kültöbe in today’s Turkistan region of Kazakhstan has recently been published in an academic context. The inscription is dated to the ninth to tenth century and represents an important contribution to the study of early Oghus history.
This discovery was presented by Doç. Dr. Hayrettin İhsan Erkoç. During the last meeting of the Friends of Turkology and Asian Studies, he personally informed us about this find. Since then, we have been eagerly awaiting the official publication, and we are very pleased that it has now appeared.
From our perspective, this find is of great importance. It demonstrates first that the Oghuses, the ancestors of modern Turks, Turkmen and Azerbaijanis, made use of the Old Turkic runic script. Second, it shows that this writing tradition among the Oghuses was in use until the tenth century.
This discovery significantly enhances our understanding of writing culture, historical identity and the transmission of knowledge among the Oghuses and represents an important building block for Turkology. We warmly congratulate Doç. Dr. Hayrettin Erkoç on the publication and consider this a wonderful discovery for the field of Turkology.
https://www.academia.edu/145514621/K%C3%BClt%C3%B6be_Yaz%C4%B1t%C4%B1_Erken_O%C4%9Fuzlarda_Yaz%C4%B1_Kullan%C4%B1m%C4%B1na_%C4%B0li%C5%9Fkin_Yeni_Bir_Buluntu_K%C3%BClt%C3%B6be_Inscription_A_New_Find_Regarding_the_Usage_of_Writing_among_the_Early_Oghuz
We must revive The Old Turkic script, it’s part of who we are. And modernize to fit our current daily needs.
I would disagree on reviving the Old Turkic script. The Latin (and Cyrillic) script fits Turkic languages just fine, there is literally no need to start using a script that hasn't been used for thousands of years like everyone would have to re-learn how to read and write again and for what reason? Like what does the Old Turkic script provide that the Latin/Cyrillic doesn't? You do know that just because the script you are using isn't something you invented originally that your culture doesn't weaken/disappear. We should focus on uniting the Turkic countries under one union first. I think these types of goals don't provide much actual value to the Turkic people and makes the dream of union even greater by adding unnecessary things. Let's get tangible things done on the ground first then we can focus on the less necessary stuff like scripts. That's just my two cents.
Bringing back the Turkic script is very important I would argue. Why should we keep using the script our colonizers taught us? Why can’t we use our own script? Using the script of our colonizers literally screams “We’re too dumb to come up with our own script”. That’s embarrassing! We have our own nation, we have our own identity and everything about us should scream “We are Turks!” Starting with the script we use to write books. I agree there are lots of important and tangible things we need to resolve but this is definitely one of them. I want Turkic people to be the greatest nation on earth. I don’t want us to be using Latin or Cyrillic script, or use Russian or Western words for abstract concepts. We can do everything in our own mother tongue and script.
We CAN use our own script but I don't think we SHOULD in terms of practicality and also no it does not mean "We’re too dumb to come up with our own script" almost anyone can come up with a script for a language it is not particularly hard there is even a hobby of doing it called conlangs. Anyways I agree that we have our own identity, and I also agree that we should be proud of our identity, but I don't think you can completely disconnect yourself from countries/regions that you have been in constant contact with for hundreds/thousands of years and be 100% purely Turk in everything. I also don't really see the value of that; I think it is better if we learn things from other nations and sometimes take things that are useful (like what every other nation does). Anyways I support using the Latin script instead of Cyrillic anyway since it is not a script associated with imperialism and colonial rule and also it is less associated with Russia so there will be less meddling in our internal affairs. Look brother/sister I see that you are coming from a good place and I agree we need to be more proud of our roots but at the end of the day I don't think purifying everything to Turkic will benefit us. I think at this moment you are being a bit overzealous on this issue, but obviously your opinion is your opinion and my opinion is mine. I wish you a happy new year.
P.S. If I may ask, which nation are you from? Just personal curiosity it's ok if you don't want to share.
Kardeşim İsrailden haberin yok sanırım.Adamlarda neredeyse asırlardır kullanılmayan dili ve alfabeyi geri getirdi.Bir-iki düzenlemeyle bizde kolayca yaparız
Haberim var ve tabikide yapılabilir. Ben sadece gereksiz olacağını söylüyorum. İsrail örneğinde Yahudilerin geldikleri ülkelerin aksine bir kültür oluşturmaları gerekiyordu ondan dolayı İbranice alfabesini kullanmaya başladılar. Bizim buna ihtiyacımız yok çünkü zaten Türklerin türk olabilecekleri bir vatanı zaten var. Sen kendini kimden farklı göstermek için böyle bişey yaparsın ki? Yani ihtiyacımız yok diye düşünüyorum ben. Esenlikler
Bence bir gün olma ihtimali olan Türk birliği için ilk adımlardan biri olmalı.Bunun yanında gerçekten kendi öz kültürümüze dönmek ve kültürlerimizi birleştirmek için önemli bir adım.Hem bu alfabeyle birlikte dilimzdeki anlamsız alınma sözleri daha kolay çıkara biliriz.
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if your question is why not go back to runic scripts, it is because runic isn't very practical at all.
That’s why I said the Old Turkic script needs to be standardized. You obviously don’t expect a script that’s been obsolete for centuries to be perfectly fitting for our modern times, right? lol
I agree. It is something we created, reflecting our culture and beliefs. We can't just let it go. Everything set aside, the script itself is also so charismatic. Latin is too soft and dull.
Thank you! It’s literally our own thing. I don’t understand how anyone can be against this idea. Imagine Chinese using Arabic script, or Japanese using Indian script…
Every great nation brought back, modernized and standardized their own people’s script simply because it represents their culture and beauty.
Even Hebrew was revived from the ashes. We can do it too!
I think it's too late for that, I might even argue that it would be destructive and harmful for us.
It’s never too late, we should definitely get our brightest linguists together and have them develop a modernized version. It’s literally our own script, Arabs use Arabic script, Chinese use Chinese script, why can’t Turks use the Turkic script? We can do it! I am also a fan of the Uyghur script.
Uyghur script is derived from the Sogdian script, which comes from the Middle East, related to the Arabic script. If you want a truly unique Turkic script, the only choice is the Old Turkic script.
I agree, but I just stated that the Uyghur script looks very cool as well. I think it’s even prettier than Arabic script, it’s almost like a mixture of Chinese + Arabic, yet it’s unique. But I do agree, the Old Turkic script purely developed on its own but Uyghur derived influences from various cultures to create a unique script. And I’ll say this too, we have two great options to revive but I am leaning towards reviving the Old Turkic script simply because it’s purely Turkic with zero influence from others.
Old Uyghur script is unique enough with its alphabetized system, top to bottom line and different appearance.
But there is a difference, don't you think? The Chinese and Arabs have been using their scripts ever since they developed significant literature in them centuries ago. In contrast, the ancient Turks (actually medieval, as there were no "ancient Turks") left behind absolutely no literary monuments other than scattered inscriptions. I mean, I can understand why the Greeks want to preserve the alphabet of Plato and Aristotle, but what sense does it make for the Turks to preserve/restore a script in which they wrote nothing valuable?
No, my brother, you’re thinking very wrong.
First off, it’s true our ancestors didn’t write much with our own Old Turkic script, I believe Uyghur script was utilized more but I digress. Secondly, it is never too late to start reviving and bringing back what we once had. Yeah, sure, we might not have written much using the Old Turkic script but that doesn’t mean we cannot revive it and start heavily utilizing it now. Just because Arabs and Chinese used their own script for a long time, doesn’t mean we cannot start using our script NOW and continue using it so that our children 1,000s of years from now can look back and say “Our ancestors started using it way long back” Or the alternative is we can keep switching our script depending on whatever language or script becomes the new world language.
The reason why Chinese have kept their history and knowledge intact is because they documented and wrote everything in a language every Chinese understands. It’s been always Chinese.
Whereas us Turks, our history was mostly written or documented by Chinese, Persians, Arabs, Greeks or Russians.
We must revive a Turkic script and start using it today! And only make tweaks to it as we go rather than hopping from Arabic script to Cyrillic script to Latin script to what next? Chinese script?
In any case, this happened among all the new tribes that abandoned nomadism and began to form national communities during the middle ages. All European nations, as well as the Slavs, abandoned their runic scripts (in which they had developed no literary tradition) and adopted the Latin or Cyrillic alphabet. Perhaps a linguist could provide insight into the historical factors that led to this change. The same thing happened with the Oghuz Turks, who are basically a medieval nation.
The Roman people from 470s CE are called "ancient Romans" but not the Turks? We literally have the name of Bumin Khagan's great-great-great-great grandfather, and let alone we have the Xiongnu (Asian Huns) from the 3rd century BC who were identified as the invaders from the north "who rode on horseback" by the Chinese. Just because our ancestors didn't use the word "Turk" as a state name before BC (or maybe they did and we don't know it yet) doesn't mean "ancient" Turks didn't exist. That's absurd. The Chinese chronicles of the Six Kingdoms period says that Xiongnu were of Turkic rather than Mongolian origin as Xiongnu "spoke a language different from that of the Xianbei" who were Mongolian. Bumin Khagan's family tree itself is enough to know that "ancient Turks" existed as an 'adjective' but Xiongnu is just a cherry on top. It makes every sense for the Turks to restore their own ancient script created by their own ancestors.
Common Oghuz W
this is amazing to see. this came out while I've been wondering recently about early oghuz language and earliest oghuz script
Ne yazıyor?
Whait a sec. You mean 9th-10th century AFTER Christ? In Greece, if we found an inscription from the 10th century AD, no one would pay any attention to it.
Ok I think you don’t understand. There are Turkic inscriptions which are much more older. In this case it is interesting because it was still used in the 10.th century and not by Uigurs or other eastern Turkic tribes, it was used by Oghuz people. Do you understand it now?
So which century do the oldest surviving Oghuz inscriptions date from? From what I know, they didn't have any written language until they adopted the arabic script.
For especially the western Oghuz tribe federation this is the first time we have find old inscriptions. So these are the oldest for Oghuz.