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Čẅlgl (~ Čẅlgil) in the Kül Tegin and Bilgä Kagan
Inscriptions
Yong-Sŏng Li
Seoul National University, South Korea
Orkhon Turkic is the oldest Turkic dialect whose written records have come
down to us. Many parts of the Kül Tegin and Bilgä Kagan inscriptions are almost
identical with each other. Although most parts of these inscriptions are well
understood, some parts like the letter group čẄlgl (or čẄlgIl) in the passage
YWGčI : sIGTčI : ẄŋrA : ẅkẄn (or kẄn) : TWGSKDA : bẄklI : čẄlgl (or
čẄlgIl) : TBGč : tẄpẄt : pR : pWRm (or pRpWRm) : ïKIRKz : ẄčwKWRIKN
: WTzTTR : ïKITñ : TTBI : BWnčA : BWDN : klpn : SIGTAms (or sIGTAmš) :
YWGLAms (or YWGLAmš) of KT E 4 and in BK E 5 are not so. This passage
has been interpreted differently by the researchers. All/most of the researchers
overlooked the following points:
(1) There were two Tabγač states in northern China in the early years of
the Turkic Khaganate;
(2) There is a plain rather than a steppe or desert in the Liao River basin
of Manchuria;
(3) The mark resembling a colon (:) is used to separate words and word
groups from each other.
The Turkic Khaganate (552 ~ 744) was established by the Ashina clan of the
Köktürks under the leadership of Bumïn Kagan (d. 552). Ištämi was a younger
brother of Bumïn Kagan. In 552 ~ 576, as a yabgu he was the ruler of the western
part of the Turkic Khaganate, the Western Turkic Khaganate. At that time, there
were two Tabγač states in northern China, i.e. the Northern Qi (北齊 Běi Qí; 550
~ 577; simply 齊 Qí) and the Northern Zhou (北周 Bĕi Zhōu; 556 ~ 581; simply
周 Zhōu). These two Tabγač states should have sent representatives to Ištämi
Kagan’s funeral. Therefore, čẄlgl (or čẄlgIl) and TBGč must correspond to
the Northern Qi and the Northern Zhou. All of the researchers overlooked this
point till now.
Most of the researchers wanted to relate čẄlgl (or čẄlgIl) to čöl ‘desert’ or
‘steppe’. However, there is a plain rather than a steppe or desert in the Liao
River basin of Manchuria. Therefore, it is almost impossible to relate čẄlgl (or
Inscriptions
Yong-Sŏng Li
Seoul National University, South Korea
Orkhon Turkic is the oldest Turkic dialect whose written records have come
down to us. Many parts of the Kül Tegin and Bilgä Kagan inscriptions are almost
identical with each other. Although most parts of these inscriptions are well
understood, some parts like the letter group čẄlgl (or čẄlgIl) in the passage
YWGčI : sIGTčI : ẄŋrA : ẅkẄn (or kẄn) : TWGSKDA : bẄklI : čẄlgl (or
čẄlgIl) : TBGč : tẄpẄt : pR : pWRm (or pRpWRm) : ïKIRKz : ẄčwKWRIKN
: WTzTTR : ïKITñ : TTBI : BWnčA : BWDN : klpn : SIGTAms (or sIGTAmš) :
YWGLAms (or YWGLAmš) of KT E 4 and in BK E 5 are not so. This passage
has been interpreted differently by the researchers. All/most of the researchers
overlooked the following points:
(1) There were two Tabγač states in northern China in the early years of
the Turkic Khaganate;
(2) There is a plain rather than a steppe or desert in the Liao River basin
of Manchuria;
(3) The mark resembling a colon (:) is used to separate words and word
groups from each other.
The Turkic Khaganate (552 ~ 744) was established by the Ashina clan of the
Köktürks under the leadership of Bumïn Kagan (d. 552). Ištämi was a younger
brother of Bumïn Kagan. In 552 ~ 576, as a yabgu he was the ruler of the western
part of the Turkic Khaganate, the Western Turkic Khaganate. At that time, there
were two Tabγač states in northern China, i.e. the Northern Qi (北齊 Běi Qí; 550
~ 577; simply 齊 Qí) and the Northern Zhou (北周 Bĕi Zhōu; 556 ~ 581; simply
周 Zhōu). These two Tabγač states should have sent representatives to Ištämi
Kagan’s funeral. Therefore, čẄlgl (or čẄlgIl) and TBGč must correspond to
the Northern Qi and the Northern Zhou. All of the researchers overlooked this
point till now.
Most of the researchers wanted to relate čẄlgl (or čẄlgIl) to čöl ‘desert’ or
‘steppe’. However, there is a plain rather than a steppe or desert in the Liao
River basin of Manchuria. Therefore, it is almost impossible to relate čẄlgl (or
