MEDIEVAL LEGAL COLLECTION «TÖRE BITIGI» – THE STATE LAW OF THE TURKS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48371/PHILS.2026.2.81.007Keywords:
Tore Bitigi, contemporary linguistics, Zheti Zhargy, medieval law, phraseologism, Armenian-Kipchak language, Kassym Khan’s Qasqa Zholy, Esim Khan’s Eski Zholy, Kipchak language, legal discourse, legal conceptsAbstract
In contemporary linguistics, the study of legal texts, legal discourse, and the linguistics of legislation remains a highly relevant field. Analyzing the sources of national legal terminology based on historical written monuments reveals the relationship between legal language and legal norms. In this context, examining legal concepts in the medieval Armenian-Kipchak monument Tore Bitigi is crucial for understanding the formation of legal consciousness and cognitive frameworks of Turkic peoples.
This study aims to provide a linguistic analysis of legal terms and concepts in Tore Bitigi, trace the evolution of legal traditions among Turkic people and their system of national legislative thought, and demonstrate the historical foundations of modern Kazakh legal terminology.
The relevance of the research lies in its ability to uncover historical foundations of national legal linguistics and contribute theoretically and practically to contemporary issues in legal terminology development.
A comprehensive methodology was applied, including selection and analysis of primary materials, formulation of theoretical conclusions based on empirical evidence, and historical-comparative, generalizing, and descriptive methods.
The scientific significance of the study includes several key findings: medieval legal texts in Armenian-Kipchak were comprehensively examined from the perspective of legal linguistics for the first time; features of conveying legal terms and fixed expressions were identified; the continuity of legal traditions among Turkic peoples and the evolution of national legislative thought were demonstrated; and the historical foundations of modern Kazakh legal terminology were established.
The study identified the structure and content of Tore Bitigi, semantic characteristics of legal concepts, and the state-legal significance of the term töre, tracing its origin to the ancient Turkic era and its semantic connection with jargy and buyryq. It systematized data on administrative systems, legal relations, and political structures of medieval Turkic societies, highlighting the contemporary relevance of shared legal heritage for national legal linguistics.
