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

Abstract

This article examines archaic lexical units attested in Abai Kunanbayuly’s Book of Edification (Gaqliya Kitaby) on the basis of Tugrul’s manuscript. The study compares this manuscript with the manuscript copies produced by Murseit Bikiuly in 1906, 1907, and 1910. The comparison reveals a number of lexical, phonetic, morphological, and semantic discrepancies between the manuscript sources.

The analysis shows that some readings established in later editions differ from the variants preserved in Tugrul’s manuscript. Particular attention is paid to lexical units such as “inanmaqqa salmasa”, “aiyqqan kezinde”, “jas bala da anadan tuganda”, and “bir kele salmagan son”. The manuscript evidence demonstrates that these variants are significant for understanding both the linguistic features of the text and the authorial intention.

The findings contribute to the clarification of several textual issues related to the Ghaqliya and highlight the importance of Tugrul’s manuscript as a valuable source for reconstructing the textual history of Abai’s work.