STIHOVANI RJEČNICI U OSMANSKOJ KULTURI
VERSED DICTIONARIES IN OTTOMAN CULTURE

Author(s): Kerima Filan
Subject(s): Studies of Literature, Lexis, Semantics, South Slavic Languages, 17th Century, The Ottoman Empire, Turkic languages, Sociology of Literature
Published by: Filozofski fakultet Univerziteta u Sarajevu
Keywords: Ottoman literary tradition; versed dictionaries; types of versed dictionaries; structure of versed dictionaries; Turkish-Bosnian versed dictionary;
Summary/Abstract: Versed dictionaries in the Ottoman literary tradition are smaller dictionaries, typically containing several hundred words of one language interpreted with semantic matches in another language. The words are arranged according to the metrical feet of Arabic metrics and principles of rhyming in a specific poetic form. The most numerous are those featuring lexicons of two or all three languages of Ottoman culture: Arabic, Persian and Turkish. Words are listed in a sequence so that those that are mutually interpreted in terms of meaning stand next to each other and only one meaning is given. The lexical material is divided into several units, or longer stanzas, each in a different poetic meter, with varying poetic forms.. They are intended for learning by heart with the aim of acquiring the basic lexicon of a second language and for getting to know the metrics and characteristics of poetry. The originality of versed dictionaries lies in the author’s choice of vocabulary and the poetic skill of composing verses with words from different languages. They represented basic literature at a lower level of language learning. They were used in both public and private education throughout the Ottoman period. The paper provides an overview of the tradition of writing versed dictionaries in the Ottoman period. It refers to Uskufi’s 17th-century Turkish-Bosnian verse dictionary Makbûl-i ʿÂrif as part of that tradition. The structure of versed dictionaries is described as their common characteristic exemplified by verses from various dictionaries, including Uskufi’s Turkish-Bosnian dictionary.

• Details
• Contents