Creation of Circassian written language in Russia and Turkey in the context of nation-building (XIX – early XX century)

Abstract

The subject of this research is the creation of Circassian written language in the Russian and Ottoman Empires. Based on the theory of the British scholar M. Billing, this article demonstrates that the process of creation of writing was an integral part of Circassian nation-building during the XIX – early XXI century in the conditions of the absence of own national state. The study leans on the historical, ethnographic and linguistic works of the Russian researchers of that time period, materials of the Circassian newspaper "Guaze" published in the Ottoman Empire at in the early XX century, and the research results of the Soviet, Russian, and foreign (including Turkish) scholars. The Circassian case was taken as an example for several reasons: Circassians are currently undergoing an active phase of nation-building; they live in their historical homeland (North Caucasus) and in diaspora (mainly Turkey); they feature competitive national projects, which allows tracing the dependence of linguistic processes on the national processes. It is established that the creation of writing has become an important phase of Circassian nation-building. In the conditions of interaction with the Russian and Ottoman society, Circassians started to develop their own written language; however, depending on their living conditions and sociopolitical situation, they chose different alphabets, which were perceived as cultural orientation. Writing was developed by Circassians for different languages: universal Adyghe or Kabardian in Russia, universal Adyghe, Adyghe-Abkhaz-Abaza, universal Caucasian, Ubykh in Turkey; different dialects were compiled accordingly. These first attempts of creating written language, which were largely of external nature in Russia, which laid the groundwork for the subsequent variative development of the development of Circassian nationalism that manifests in the command of native languages by the Circassians in Caucasus and diaspora, as well as in communication between Russian and Turkish Circassians.