T1G2 in the Ongi Inscription

Li, Yong-Sŏng (2024) T1G2 in the Ongi Inscription. ACTA ORIENTALIA ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARUM HUNGARICAE, 77 (3). pp. 399-414. ISSN 0001-6446

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Abstract

The word T¹G² occurs three times in the Ongi Inscription. The sentences containing T¹G² have been interpreted in a variety of ways, with no single reading thus far being deemed satisfactory. A notable aspect of the Old Turkic script is the presence of two distinct characters for the majority of consonant sounds, one representing a back-vocalic and the other a frontvocalic sign. Given that T¹G² occurs on three occasions, it is plausible that the individual(s) responsible for inscribing the text may have deliberately employed this format. The author hypothesizes that T¹G² in question represents the Turkic rendering of the Chinese character dí 敵, which translates to “enemy; hostile.”

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