The Language of “Danube Protobulgarians” – Lezgic Parallels

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Pages: 48-77
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/GFYW3777

Abstract:

According to the leading theory concerning the origin and language affiliation of the Danube Bulgars, they were bearers of the -r/-l Turkic language whose close relatives are modern Chuvash and different extinct Turkic languages such as Hazar, Avar, and Hunnic. In two previous publications, the author of this article commented on a large number of discrepancies at the lexical, phonetic and morphological levels between the available material from the language of the Danube Bulgars and Turkic languages. On the basis of an analysis of historical sources, formation of plurality, the phonetic peculiarities of many Protobulgarian words preserved in the sources, morphological and lexical elements in the texts of the List of Bulgarian rulers, the short Protobulgarian inscriptions from Preslav and Silistra, and especially on the basis of analysis of clan and personal names of Protobulgarians, it was concluded that their language belonged to an entirely different language family – the Lezgic group of the Nakh-Dagestanian language family. This paper regards all composite Protobulgarian titles and the other word combinations preserved in the epigraphy and other sources. Their models of formation have direct parallels to the reconstructions of the Proto-Lezgic models of word formation. The text also revises many attempts at a Turkic etymologization of unclear lexemes from the available material, and emphasizes on their phonetic and sematic similarities to words from the basic lexical strata of Lezgic languages.

Keywords:

Protobulgarian; Lezgic languages; Turkic theory.

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