ON THE STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF WORDS IN M. BEKCHURIN'S TEXTBOOK

Abstract

The aim of this scientific study is to conduct a linguistic analysis of the general structure, lexical composition, and shared/distinct lexical units of the Kazakh, Tatar, and Bashkir languages presented in M. Bekchurin’s textbook A Basic Guide to the Study of Arabic, Persian, and Tatar Languages, compiled in the mid-19th century.

The main focus of the research is to identify the historical and structural features of the language material through thematic and ideographic classification of the textbook’s vocabulary. The lexical system of the work serves as a basis for examining the 19th-century Kazakh language vocabulary, including its dialectal and borrowed layers, orthographic features, and the mutual influence among Turkic languages. The study also aims to reconstruct the linguistic and cultural landscape of the era through analysis of historical language teaching methods.

The research employs methods such as lexical selection, semantic grouping, structural description, comparative-historical, synchronic, and diachronic analysis. These approaches enabled the analysis of approximately 4,000 lexical units, of which 65% are of Turkic origin, 20% of Arabic-Persian origin, 10% Russian, and 5% of other origins. In addition, more than 300 lexical units marked with an asterisk clearly illustrate differences between the Kazakh and Bashkir languages.

The study found that the structure of the textbook (alphabet → vocabulary → dialogues) influenced the formation of later Kazakh-Russian dictionaries. The asterisk-marked differences are recognized as an early model of marker systems in modern multilingual dictionaries. The frequent use of the grapheme “й” at the beginning of words is interpreted as a typical feature of 19th-century orthographic norms. Furthermore, the identification of over 50 dialectisms and the mixture of colloquial and bookish language elements reflect the complex linguistic situation of the time.

This textbook stands out for its identification of the common lexical core of the Turkic languages while also highlighting national linguistic features. The ideographic systematization and marker-based approach have methodological significance for historical lexicography and the development of comparative lexical cartography. The study provides a valuable source of data for historical lexicology and Turkology.