What is it about?
This academic article explores the linguistic contacts between the Hurro-Urartian and Turkic language families. It proposes that numerous words in Turkic, including many from the basic vocabulary, are actually loanwords from Hurro-Urartian. The author presents 31 potential lexical borrowings and some morphological similarities to support this claim.
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Why is it important?
This study is important because it presents the first extensive lexical evidence for direct, intense, and relatively late linguistic contact between the Hurro-Urartian and Turkic language families. It proposes that a significant number of words in the Turkic basic vocabulary are loanwords from Hurro-Urartian, challenging previous scholarship, which had focused on typological similarities but largely avoided lexical comparisons. The findings suggest a previously unconsidered historical scenario of direct contact between these peoples around the turn of the Common Era.
Perspectives
It has taken me too long to write this paper. I had to familiarise myself with the Hurrian and Urartian languages, as well as their academic bibliographies. This was an exciting new area of study for me. Therefore, this study holds great significance for me.
Dr. Orcun Unal
Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Hurro-Urarteo-Turcica: Linguistic Contacts between the Hurro-Urartian and Turkic Languages, Acta Orientalia, July 2025, Akademiai Kiado,
DOI: 10.1556/062.2025.00427.
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