Said Najari - May 21, 2013
 |
| Küyülü Nəccari Səid |
Speaking and reading/writing can create the conditions for a language to live and gradually evolve over time. Each of these—speaking, reading, and writing—can be the subject of separate writings. Here, we want to focus specifically on the reading and writing of a language.
To be able to write in a language, it is necessary to know both the spoken and written forms of that language. Of course, there are various ways to learn the spoken and written styles of any language. In this article, we intend to talk about the writing style and the practice of reading and writing in a language.
Azerbaijani Turkish is our mother tongue, and those who grow up speaking this language can speak it to some extent. Everyone speaks the language in the dialect they first learned, and when they begin to write, they tend to write in that same dialect. Among the different dialects of a language, the pronunciation of certain words, as well as some of the words themselves, certain idioms, and even entire proverbs, may vary from one dialect to another. When a language is spoken, written, and read in its formal form, a common dialect emerges. In linguistics, this is called the standard dialect. This dialect encompasses the core characteristics of the language and incorporates the shared features of various dialects. It also borrows a number of words from more widespread dialects.
What we’ve said about the standard dialect can also be applied to Azerbaijani Turkish. Since our Turkish is spoken across a wide geographical area, it naturally includes various dialects. Because the language is not taught or used formally in writing in our (South) Azerbaijan, the standard dialect developed in North Azerbaijan has been accepted as the main dialect of our language. On the other hand, due to the widespread influence of Turkey’s Turkish throughout the Turkic world, it has also had an impact on our language. Meanwhile, because the Turks living in Iran are educated in the Persian language, they have inevitably been influenced—both in the past and today—by that language as well.
Based on the above points, when an Azerbaijani Turk in Iran wants to write in their own language, they are inevitably influenced by the following factors:
-
Their own spoken dialect
-
The Persian language
-
The standardized Azerbaijani Turkish
-
Turkish from Turkey
1. One's own spoken dialect
Everyone speaks their mother tongue in the dialect taught by their mother and the region they live in. We are no exception to this rule. In Iran, Azerbaijani Turkish is spoken in a wide range of areas from Maku, Jolfa, and Mugan to as far as Khuzestan. In Azerbaijani Turkish, the presence of phonological rules such as the "vowel harmony" rule and the "labial vs. non-labial consonants" rule defines the framework of the standard dialect. These two rules are preserved in some dialects, while in others, at times, one or both of them are violated. The difference in pronunciation in such dialects stems from this. Words like:
-
"Qardaş" / "Qədaş"
-
"Qara" / "Qərə"
-
"Bilmek" / "Bolmaq"
-
"Sınamaq" / "Sinəmmək"
...are examples that reflect whether or not these rules are followed.
To be able to write in a unified framework in any language, it’s very important to create a dialect based on the fundamental features of the language and the widely used vocabulary. This shows the necessity of forming a standard dialect. Of course, changes and updates can be made to the standard dialect over time.
2. The Persian language
In the past ninety years, Persian has been the first official language we’ve seen used in writing and in media (radio and television). Because of this, whether we like it or not, we’ve been influenced by Persian in all language-related areas—and we continue to be. Of course, this influence doesn’t apply to everyone equally, but most Turks have been affected by it. Even those who study in foreign languages often have a foundation that was built through Persian. Since Persian is the official language in Iran, its characteristics have influenced—and continue to influence—all the languages spoken in Iran, including ours.
This influence can be seen in vocabulary, sentence structure, and even in idioms and proverbs. For example, in Persian, compound verbs consisting of two or more words are commonly used. While Turkish has a variety of verb structures, in the past ninety years, compound (multi-word) verbs have become more common under the influence of Persian.
Some examples include:
-
Nişan vermək (used instead of “göstərmək” – to show)
-
İstisi olmaq (instead of “istəmək” – to want)
-
Namzəd eləmək (instead of “adadlamaq” – to nominate)
When it comes to idioms and proverbs, our native ones are being forgotten and replaced with translations from Persian. For example, in Turkish there is the idiom "sözünün altından çıxmaq" (to back up one’s words), but in some areas, the translated Persian version "sözünün altına vurmaq" is used instead. Regardless of whether these expressions originated in Persian or came into Persian from other languages, we have adopted them as if they are Persian.
When it comes to sentence structure, the influence is even more evident. Consider the following examples:
-
“O kişi ki, mən gördüm” (instead of “gördüyüm kişi” – "the man I saw")
-
“Bank Melli / Meɫɫi” (instead of “Milli Bank” – "National Bank")
The Persian language's influence can also be seen in pronunciation and spelling of words. However, this topic could be a subject for a separate article on its own.
The influence of Persian we discussed above does not stem from its linguistic superiority or strength, but rather from its status as the official language.
3. The standardized Azerbaijani Turkish
The third factor influencing us when we write in Turkish is the standard dialect of Azerbaijani Turkish, which is the official language in North Azerbaijan.
This dialect has been well-established, and for over a hundred years, books have been written in it. The standard dialect we refer to stands as one of the main sanctuaries that can save us from linguistic disunity, and it is considered a gateway for enabling reading and writing in our language.
However, in my view, this standard dialect also carries with it the following challenges and contradictions:
-
Since this dialect was established in North Azerbaijan, even though it incorporates the core vocabulary and common features of Azerbaijani Turkish as a whole — from both north and south — the proportion of features specific to the southern dialects is smaller in comparison. This creates significant linguistic friction within Azerbaijani Turkish.
-
As is clear, the geographical area where Azerbaijani Turkish is spoken in Iran includes a much wider territory than that of Southern Azerbaijan (in the strict political sense). This means there is greater dialectal diversity and, in turn, greater linguistic richness — i.e., in terms of vocabulary and sentence structure, there is much more to draw from.
In North Azerbaijan, since Azerbaijani Turkish is the official language, it's much harder to make changes to it. But in the South (Iran), such changes can be made more freely. -
In the standard dialect, some of our native words have not been included in the standard form — either because they were considered too local or for other reasons — and instead, foreign words have been used.
Examples include:-
“Alpinist” instead of “dağçı” (mountaineer),
-
“mübahisə” instead of “dartışma” (debate),
-
“təqdim etmək” instead of “tanıtdırmaq” (to present),
-
“mayor” instead of “minbaşı” (military rank, “major”).
More such examples could easily be given.
-
-
In the standard dialect, there are many borrowed words from other languages. While many of these words might not yet have equivalents in our own language, at least some of them do, and others could be formed from native elements.
Examples include:-
“yelatı” instead of “velosiped” (bicycle),
-
“biçərdoğar” instead of “kombayn” (combine harvester), etc.
-
-
In the standard dialect, strange compounds have been formed by combining native words with borrowed words, or by fusing elements from different languages.
Examples include:-
“qayğıkeş” (qayğı + keș = caring),
-
“əleyhdar” (əleyh + dar = opponent),
-
“işgüzar” (iş + güzar = businessperson/entrepreneur), etc.
-
4. Turkish from Turkey
Another factor that influences Azerbaijani Turkish writing in Iran is Turkish from Turkey (Turkey Turkish). Since Turkish from Turkey is backed by a powerful country, a well-established literary tradition, and widespread media such as radio, television, and newspapers, it has become one of the leading languages in the world. Given that Turkish from Turkey and Azerbaijani Turkish are very close to each other—often differing only in dialect—it is no surprise that the influence of this language has become an everyday matter.
The differences between Azerbaijani Turkish and Turkish from Turkey can be summarized as follows:
Pronunciation: Some words are pronounced differently, for example:
-
baxmaq / bakmak (to look),
-
dartışmaq / tartışmak (to argue),
-
pambıq / pamuk (cotton),
-
dovşan / tavşan (rabbit).
Vocabulary: Some objects or concepts have different names:
-
çörək / ekmek (bread),
-
gilə / sitem (complaint),
-
dərgez / tırpan (scythe).
Also, some words that are pronounced the same carry different meanings in the two languages. For instance:
-
çatışmaq in Azerbaijani can mean "to run out" (e.g., not enough), while in Turkish it often means "to clash" or "confront".
Idioms and Proverbs: Some idioms and proverbs either differ in specific words or are entirely different:
-
"Sözünün altından çıxmaq" (to stand by one’s word) vs. "Sözünü tutmamak" (not keeping one’s word),
-
"Barı olan ağaca daş atarlar" (they throw stones at the fruitful tree) vs. "İyi inekten süt umarlar" (they expect milk from the good cow).
Grammar: There are some differences in sentence structures:
-
Mən ondan soruşdum vs. Ben ona sordum (I asked him/her),
-
O məni vurdu vs. O bana vurdu (He/she hit me).
You can also see differences in how suffixes are attached to words ending with vowels:
-
qapını (qapı+n+ı) vs. kapıyı (kapı+y+ı).
Phonology (Sound rules): In the standard dialect of Azerbaijani Turkish, voiceless consonants like p and t at the end of words (excluding certain verb roots) are often written and pronounced as their voiced counterparts b and d. In contrast, Turkish from Turkey keeps the original voiceless consonants:
-
bulud / bulut (cloud),
-
baxıb / bakıp (having looked).
Neologisms and Terminology: In the past century, Turkish from Turkey has created new words in many fields in response to foreign terms entering world languages. In Azerbaijani Turkish, this effort has been much more limited. This has created another difference between the two versions of Turkish:
-
kompüter / bilgisayar (computer),
-
təyyarə / uçak (airplane).
Conclusion:
For those writing in Azerbaijani Turkish, it is crucial and necessary to pay attention to all the above-mentioned factors in order to write in a stronger, more natural, and purer style. Otherwise, the resulting text will be weak, artificial, and mixed.
Of course, there are also other factors that influence writing, and the opinions of various language experts could help bring them to light.
Protecting the distinctiveness and beauty of our Turkish means strengthening our language.