Word-initial consonant clusters in Turkish: Evidence from transcription texts
Word-initial consonant clusters in Turkish: Evidence from transcription texts

Summary/Abstract: Transcription texts of Turkish record a phonetic phenomenon rarely attested in other Turkish sources: word-initial consonant clusters in items of non-Western origin. Although Turkish regularly admits such clusters in Western loanwords, their occurrence in non-Western vocabulary is unexpected from a phonotactic perspective. Numerous examples of cluster-initial spellings appear in transcription texts from the 16th to 20th centuries. The aim of this study is to determine which of these forms reflect genuine phonetic developments and which are merely products of source-specific orthographic practices. While many items are written with initial clusters, only fourteen can be reliably interpreted as phonetic in origin. The remaining cases must be approached cautiously, as the orthographic conventions of certain authors – particularly Argenti, Ferraguto, and Molino – frequently obscure the underlying pronunciation.

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