Tevfik Esenç
Encyclopedia
Tevfik Esenç was a Circassian exile in Turkey
and the last known fully competent speaker of the Ubykh language
.
Esenç was raised by his Ubykh-speaking grandparents for a time in the village of Hacı Osman
in Turkey, and he served a term as the muhtar (mayor) of that village, before receiving a post in the civil service
of Istanbul
. There, he was able to do a great deal of work with the French
linguist
Georges Dumézil
to help record his language.
Having an excellent memory, and understanding quickly the goals of Dumézil and the other linguists who came to visit him, he was the primary source of not only the Ubykh language, but also of the mythology
, culture
and customs of the Ubykh people
. He spoke not only Ubykh, but also the Hakuchi
dialect of Adyghe
, allowing some comparative work to be done between these two members of the Northwest Caucasian
family. He was also a fluent speaker of Turkish. He was a purist, and his idiolect
of Ubykh was considered by Dumézil as the closest thing to a standard "literary" Ubykh language that existed.
Esenç died in 1992 at the age of 88. The inscription that he wanted on his gravestone read as follows:
This is the grave of Tevfik Esenç. He was the last person able to speak the language they called Ubykh.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and the last known fully competent speaker of the Ubykh language
Ubykh language
Ubykh or Ubyx is an extinct language of the Northwestern Caucasian group, spoken by the Ubykh people...
.
Esenç was raised by his Ubykh-speaking grandparents for a time in the village of Hacı Osman
Haci Osman
Hacı Osman köyü is a small village in Manyas district of Balıkesir Province, Turkey.It had a population of 134, according to a 2000 census.This village was a farming community, not unlike many others in the world...
in Turkey, and he served a term as the muhtar (mayor) of that village, before receiving a post in the civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. There, he was able to do a great deal of work with the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
Georges Dumézil
Georges Dumézil
Georges Dumézil was a French comparative philologist best known for his analysis of sovereignty and power in Proto-Indo-European religion and society...
to help record his language.
Having an excellent memory, and understanding quickly the goals of Dumézil and the other linguists who came to visit him, he was the primary source of not only the Ubykh language, but also of the mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and customs of the Ubykh people
Ubykh people
The Ubykh are a group who spoke the Northwest Caucasian Ubykh language, until other local languages displaced it and its last speaker died in 1992....
. He spoke not only Ubykh, but also the Hakuchi
Hakuchi Adyghe
Hakuchi Adyghe is a subdialect of the Shapsugh dialect of Adyghe spoken in Turkey.The dialect is phonologically peculiar when compared to the other Adyghe dialects...
dialect of Adyghe
Adyghe language
Adyghe language , also known as West Circassian , is one of the two official languages of the Republic of Adygea in the Russian Federation, the other being Russian. It is spoken by various tribes of the Adyghe people: Abzekh, Adamey, Bzhedugh; Hatukuay, Kemirgoy, Makhosh; Natekuay, Shapsigh; Zhane,...
, allowing some comparative work to be done between these two members of the Northwest Caucasian
Northwest Caucasian languages
The Northwest Caucasian languages, also called Abkhazo-Adyghean, or sometimes Pontic as opposed to Caspian for the Northeast Caucasian languages, are a group of languages spoken in the Caucasus region, chiefly in Russia , the disputed territory of Abkhazia, and Turkey, with smaller communities...
family. He was also a fluent speaker of Turkish. He was a purist, and his idiolect
Idiolect
In linguistics, an idiolect is a variety of a language unique to an individual. It is manifested by patterns of vocabulary or idiom selection , grammar, or pronunciations that are unique to the individual. Every individual's language production is in some sense unique...
of Ubykh was considered by Dumézil as the closest thing to a standard "literary" Ubykh language that existed.
Esenç died in 1992 at the age of 88. The inscription that he wanted on his gravestone read as follows:
This is the grave of Tevfik Esenç. He was the last person able to speak the language they called Ubykh.
External links
- Sample Sound Files of Ubykh Language, from the Lacito ArchiveLacito ArchiveThe Lacito Archive provides free access to documents of connected, spontaneous speech, mostly in rare or endangered languages, recorded in their cultural context and transcribed in consultation with native speakers....
- YouTube: Tevfik Esenç narrating the story of the two travellers and the fish in Ubykh