Native Turkic Lexicon іn Abay’s Book оf Edification: A Textologicaland Comparative Study Based on the Tughrul Manuscript

Abstract

This article presents, for the systematic scholarly analysis of the native lexicon found in Abay Kunanbayuly’s Book of Edification (Gaqliya Kitaby), based on the original manuscript authored by Tughrul. For a long period, textological and linguistic studies of Abay’s heritage relied predominantly on the manuscripts copied by Murseit Bikiuly in 1906, 1907, and 1910. A comparative examination of the manuscript of Tughrul, introduced into academic circulation relatively recently, reveals approximately two hundred divergences from the Murseit manuscripts, affecting the lexical, phonetic, morphological, and semantic levels of the text.

The comparative analysis demonstrates that a significant portion of the native words and expressions embedded in the thinker’s reflections were interpreted incorrectly or inaccurately. In particular, expressions commonly rendered as «eger ogan da yntymaqtasa almasa», «arbir mastyn soylegen kezinde», «kei baylar, eldegi quttylar, suttiler berekelese almagan son» et al, are in fact attested in the original manuscript in the forms «yaki ekeyi inanmaqqa salmasa», «ua arbir mastyn ayiqqan kezinde», «kei baylar eldegi qutty suttiler bir kele salmagan son».

It should be noted that in a number of studies devoted to Abay’s language, such textual inaccuracies either remained insufficiently examined or were subject to subjective interpretation. This, in turn, led to the formation of distorted views regarding the linguistic and stylistic features of the thinker’s works. The findings of the present study make it possible to refine existing perceptions of Abay’s native linguistic system and contribute to a more accurate and adequate understanding of his philosophical and literary legacy.