SOCIAL AND POLITICAL TERMS IN THE KUL TIGIN INSCRIPTION

Authors : Bakhtiyor Abdushukurov

Pages : 1-20

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Publication Date : 2025-12-19

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This article examines the formation, semantic features, and historical development of socio-political terms used in the Kul Tigin inscription. The study conducts a comparative analysis between the terminology of the Kul Tigin monument and socio-political lexical units found in ancient Turkic written monuments such as the Turfan texts, Altun Yaruk, Irq Bitig, Qutadghu Bilig, Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, Hibbat al-Haqāyiq, and Qisas al-Rabghuzi. The author thoroughly analyzes words reflecting social organization, state governance, social strata, economic relations, and cultural life – including balïq, äl, bodun, ordu, tamğa, törü, qağan, tarqat, alp, altun, čïğay, qul, küŋ, and arqïš – focusing on their historical meanings, phonetic evolution, and presence in modern Turkic languages. The research reveals the stages of development of these lexical units from their archaic forms to the modern literary language, semantic shifts, processes of archaisation, and replacement by loanwords. The findings demonstrate that the Kul Tigin inscription serves not only as a linguistic monument of the Old Turkic era but also as a valuable source for studying the socio-political worldview and cultural heritage of Turkic peoples.
Keywords : Eski Türk dili, runik yazıtlar, sözcük katmanı, Kül Tigin, Turfan metinleri

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