Source Analysis of Turkism in the Balkan Languages

Abstract

The connection of Turkic tribes with the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula has a long history. With the conquest of the Ottoman Empire, the influence of the Turks on the countries living in the Balkan region increased, and this situation led to significant changes for the Balkan peoples. Words of Turkic origin in the Balkan languages became the basis for the study of Turkic influence in the Balkans. Researchers should first of all determine from which language Turkic vocabulary was introduced. The term “Orientalism” is widely used by linguists to define words and phrases from any Eastern language (Turkish, Arabic, Persian). First, since orientalism entered the Balkan languages through the Ottoman Turkish language, which was spoken by the majority of the inhabitants of the Ottoman Empire and its territories, many researchers used the term “Turkism” to denote the characteristics of the way of life of the eastern countries. When linguists of the XVIIIXIX centuries defined the term “Turkism”, they relied on a small number and insufficient information about the origin of Eastern words. The purpose of this study is to make a detailed description and detailed analysis of the words that have entered the Turkic language in the Balkan languages. The research focuses on Romanian, Serbian, and Albanian languages, where the most Turkic words can be found.