Lars Johanson

Evidentials : Turkic, Iranian and neighbouring languages

The series is a platform for contributions of all kinds to this rapidly developing field. General problems are studied from the perspective of individual languages, language families, language groups, or language samples. Conclusions are the result of a deepened study of empirical data. Special emphasis is given to little-known languages, whose analysis may shed new light on long-standing problems in general linguistics.

Dialect contact in Northern Cyprus

Abstract The interest in the study of Turkic contacts with other languages is currently increasing. Recent investigations have shown that language contacts have played an important role in the development of the Turkic languages. On the other hand, developments due to encounters of different variants of Turkic have played similar roles, although they have not attracted much attention so far. The most common reasons for Turkic-Turkic contacts have been migrations, through which various varieties have come to influence each other. One of the most intensive contact regions is Anatolia. Cypriot Turkish, generally described as an extension of Anatolian Turkish, offers a good basis for investigating inner-Turkish contact processes. The local dialect is naturally confined to the island, and its contact with external cultural centers has been rather restricted. The dialect has thus developed without a strong influence from Standard Turkish. As a result, a Cypriot Turkish dialect with specific characteristic properties has emerged. Due to migrations from Anatolia, Cypriot Turkish has, however, also been confronted with external varieties, which has led to mutual influence. Various intensive stages of this influence have been observed since 1974. Because of immigrants and university students from Turkey, Standard Turkish, Anatolian dialects and Cyprus Turkish dialects have come into close contact with each other. The present contribution will focus on some linguistic changes that have occurred due to this development. In the framework of the code copying model (see, e.g., Johanson 1992, 2002b), we will deal with the question of which typical features of Cypriot Turkish are used by groups that have arrived after 1974. We will also try to answer the question whether the typical features of Cypriot Turkish (see Demir 2002) have changed under the impact of incoming varieties. The features studied include the absence of the evidential suffix, the preference for the old present tense form over the new one in -iyor, vowel shortening, etc. The contribution is essentially based on our own collections of materials.

On the Roles of Turkic in the Caucasus Area

In this chapter I shall discuss briefly the roles of the Turkic varieties in the Caucasus area in order to illustrate some processes in historical contact linguistics. The term ‘Turkic’ will be used for ‘Turkic-speaking’, without any genetic or cultural implications. The general term ‘code’ refers to a language or a variety of a language. The following kinds of Turkic are found in the area today: Azeri or Azerbaijanian (azeerbayĵanĵa) is mainly spoken in the Republic of Azerbaijan and in Iran, by at least 20 million people, and there is a sizeable Azeri-speaking population in the south-eastern part of Georgia. Scattered speaker groups are found in Armenia, Daghestan and Nakhichevan. The linguistic borderline between Azeri and Turkish runs through East Anatolia. For Azeri dialects, see Caferglu and Doerfer (1959: 281). Kumyk (qumugca) is spoken by about 280,000 people north of the Azeri area, in the lowlands on the north-easternmost fringe of Daghestan. The area extends from Derbend in the south to Achi-Su in the north, close to the lower course of the Terek river. In the south, the area is confined to a narrow strip; the middle part is interrupted by a Dargi-speaking zone. Dialects include Boinaq, Khasavyurt and Khaidaq (Benzing, 1959: 392).

Turkmenistan: Language Situation

Turkmenistan, located in the Transcaspian region, has more than 4.8 million inhabitants, of which 85% are Turkmen, 5% Uzbeks, and 4% Russians. Its official national language is Turkmen, spoken by about 72%. Russian is spoken by 12%. In the post-Soviet period, the functions of Turkmen have been broadened and consolidated. Though the language policy aims at limiting the influence of Russian, this language has maintained much of its importance in public communication.

Kyrgyzstan: Language Situation

Kyrgyzstan is a Central Asian country that achieved independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Its main linguistic groups are speakers of Kirghiz, Uzbek, and Russian; its official languages are Kirghiz and Russian. In the first years of independence, numerous non-Kirghiz speakers, particularly Russians, left the republic, whereas the Kirghiz-speaking population increased. Though Russian still dominates public life, the efforts to protect and promote Kirghiz have been successful. The Kirghiz generally maintain a high degree of mastery of their language. The part of the Ferghana Valley that belongs to Kyrgyzstan has a predominantly Uzbek population.