Crimean Turkish Karaim and the Old North-western Turkic tradition of the Karaites

Jankowski, Henryk (2015) Crimean Turkish Karaim and the Old North-western Turkic tradition of the Karaites. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 68 (2). pp. 199-214. ISSN 0001-6446

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the language of Karaite literature, mostly translations from Hebrew, developing in the 18th–19th centuries in the Crimea. Linguistic features of most works of this literature are typical of Crimean Turkish with many North-western Turkic or Kipchak properties. Among the most important authors and translators there were such distinguished intellectuals and spiritual leaders as Abraham Firkovich, Joseph Solomon Łucki, Abraham Łucki, Mordecai Qazaz, and Eliyahu Qazaz. Because of the mixed character of this language and the lack of strict standards, its definition and attribution is still debated. Until all works will be examined, it seems reasonable to speak of the individual language preferences of some leaders who created and practised it, rather than of the literary language of Crimean Karaites in general.

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