A Study on the Names of People that are Utilized with the word "Tigin" in the Compendium of Turkish Language

Abstract

In Compendium of Turkish Language written by Mahmoud Kashghari where the author does not restrict the book to word lists alone; rather, he also draws attention to social language, especially the way people were known and identified through personal, nicknames, and honorifics. In this framework, the presence of names that include the element “Tigin” becomes an important object of study for understanding Turkic naming traditions. “Tigin” functions as a recognizable component that appears in a variety of person-designations, suggesting that it may have carried a particular social meaning, status, or communicative function in historical contexts. In light of this observation, the present research focuses on individuals whose names are combined with the word “Tigin”. After extracting relevant name forms from the textual material, the study analyzes these examples through several perspectives. First, the research considers linguistic behavior, examining how the element “Tigin” attaches to different name roots and how it behaves across variants. Second, it explores onomastic patterns, aiming to clarify whether “Tigin” appears more frequently with certain types of name bases. Third, the study addresses historical and cultural implications, since Turkic societies often expressed hierarchy and identity through naming practices. Finally, the analysis evaluates semantic interpretation, asking what connotations or roles “Tigin” may have conveyed to speakers at the time.