A Historical Overview of the Languages Spoken in the Lake Van Basin from Antiquity to the Present and Their Implications for Language Education

Authors : Mehmet Veysi Babayiğit, İhsan Pilatin

Pages : 160-171

Doi:10.53568/yyusbed.1671633

View : 54 | Download : 702

Publication Date : 2025-10-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study aims to analyse the historical development of the languages spoken in the Lake Van Basin from antiquity to the present day and to evaluate the reflections of this multilingual structure on contemporary language education policies and practices. In the research, historical document analysis method was used; qualitative data were collected in line with archaeological finds, inscriptions, historical texts, ethnographic reports and contemporary academic studies. The data obtained were analysed with the descriptive analysis technique and it was revealed how the languages transformed in the context of sovereignty relations, migration movements, religious transformations and cultural interactions in the region. In the study, the concepts of language change, multilingualism and cultural interaction are discussed as the theoretical framework. The findings show that there is a wide range of languages ranging from Urartian, Old Armenian, Syriac, Arabic, Persian and Ottoman Turkish to contemporary Turkish, Kurdish and Zazaki. This historical multilingualism has played an important role in the formation of the cultural structure and social diversity of the region. The findings show that the region has a rich heritage in terms of language education and that this multilingualism contributes to modern language education. As a result, it has been observed that linguistic diversity has a multi-layered structure in the historical context; this situation is considered to allow a more holistic analysis of language-identity-culture interaction through long-term historical processes.
Keywords : Van Gölü Havzası, Dil Eğitimi, Çokdillilik, Tarihi Diller, Kültürel Etkileşim

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