THE TURKIC R-/L-THEORY – HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC PROBLEMS Cover Image

ТЮРКСКАТА R-/L-ТЕОРИЯ – ИСТОРИЧЕСКИ И ЕЗИКОВИ ПРОБЛЕМИ
THE TURKIC R-/L-THEORY – HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC PROBLEMS

Author(s): Hristo Saldzhiev
Subject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Philology, Turkic languages
Published by: ЮГОЗАПАДЕН УНИВЕРСИТЕТ »НЕОФИТ РИЛСКИ«
Keywords: Turkic –r/-l theory, -r/-l etymologizations; phonetic discrepancies; diachronic; discrepancies; Turkic languages; Chuvash language; Danube Bulghars’ language

Summary/Abstract: The present article deals with some of the many controversial aspects of the Turkic –l/-r theory concerning the origin and affiliation of the language of the so called “Danube Bulghars” (7th – 9th century. The theory in question is based on the hypothesis of supposed relative relationships between “Danube” and “Volga” Bulghars. However, contrary to these views accepted a priori in the modern Turkic studies there are a lot of evidences that bring in question the entire hypothesis: the appearance of the ethnonym “Bulghar” in the region of Volga is obviously connected with the oikonym “Bolgar” whose origin is unclear (it could be result of migration of some group with “Bulghar” identity or to be a local hidr onym of Finno-Ugric origin transformed to oikonym), the evidences of the early Arab author Ibn Fadlan who personally visited “Volga Bulghars” in 922 do not support the existing of “Bulghar ethnical identity” in the region of Volga at the beginning of the 10th century, just like the latter Volga-Kama inscriptions do not support the existing of similar identity in the period between 13th – 15th century, the clan names of and the titles used by the “Danube Bulghars” do not have any correspondences among “Volga Bulghars”, the attempts at etymologizing some “Danube Bulgharian” words as –l/-r correspondences to the Chuvash numerals and words which are based on “phonetic rules” refuted by the language traces - words and antroponyms, known from the language of the “Danube Bulghars”.

  • Issue Year: 20/2022
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 176-183
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Bulgarian