HAPAX IN RYLANDS MANUSCRIPT INTERLINEAR TRANSLATION OF QORAN INTO TURKIC

The subject of this paper covers the nonce words, in other words hapaxes (or hapax legomenons) encountered in Rylands manuscript. This is issue is also important for indicating the productivity and reliability in words derivation in terms of words presence of the Qoran translations. Turks demonstrate this diligence and endeavor not only in Qoran translations. The fact that they carry on the same diligence when they accept other religions is explained in many researches. They show the same diligence when they become Buddhists or when they accept Maniheism. Another interesting aspect of this diligence is that they do not show any hesitation in adopting the alphabet of the religion they accept. A nation, which consent so easily to the alphabet of the accepted religion, shows diligence on the words with which they translate their beliefs. Another significant point is that they show this diligence neither in arts nor in literature. In short, while behaving fairly apathetic in translating emotions, they can derive new words in order to protect their language while translating their beliefs. In my opinion, studying or pondering on the reasons of this fact fall in the field of sociologists and culture historians. After fixing such a small issue, now I would like to turn back to my topic. Especially the interlinear, word-by-word Qoran translations gain more importance in this issue. Including the first Persian Qoran translation, the Rylands manuscript has its own special place among the Qoran translations. The Arabic text is written in sülüs style and the Persian and Turkic translations are written in thin nesih style (Ata 2004, 221-230). I suppose, this translation attempt is at the same time the work of art which motivated Mahmud of Kašgar to write a dictionary such as Divanü Lügati’t-Türk. Mahmud of Kašgar, who saw that Turkic is by no means inferior to Arabic and Persian, should have produced his Divan after reading this work of art.