Khwarezmian: Mapping the Kipchak component of pre-chagatai Turkic

Abstract

In the present paper I aimed to identify and separate the Kipchak (Northwestern Turkic) elements in the 13th-14th-century Khwarezmian Turkic literary language, primarily drawing on the linguistic material of Gulista¯n bi'l-Turki¯ and Nahju'l-Fara¯di¯s. By comparing the grammars of several Khwarezmian Turkic writings and analysing the complete vocabulary of the above two works, the relationship between Khwarezmian Turkic and the Kipchak languages becomes more transparent than hitherto thought of. The results may contribute to better understanding the heterogeneous views concerning Khwarezmian Turkic that appeared during the last one hundred years.