Tarih İçinde Yunanistan’da Türk Dili: Hun-Avar-Bulgar Dönemi
Günümüzde Oğuz Türkçesi değişkelerinin konuşulduğu Yunanistan’da geçmişte Türkçenin farklı lehçe gruplarına ait değişkelerin konuşulduğu bilinmektedir. Bugünkü manzaranın ortaya çıkması büyük oranda Osmanlı dönemi ile ilgilidir. Ancak Osmanlı dönemi öncesinde Hunlar, Avarlar, Ogurlar, Bulgarlar, Peçenekler, Kumanlar, Uzlar gibi Türk halkları Yunanistan’a gelip yerleşmişlerdir. Bu halklardan Hunlar, Avarlar, Ogurlar ve Bulgarlar, geriye kalan Türk halklarından farklı olarak Bulgar Türkçesi konuşmakta idi ve çeşitli dönemlerde Yunanistan’ı istila edip oraya yerleşmişlerdir. Bu halkların Yunanistan’a geliş tarzlarına göre dillerinin toplumluk etkileri de çeşitlilik göstermiştir. Bu dönemde Türkçe Yunanistan’da kimi zaman bir göçmen veya yerleşimci dili olurken kimi zaman ordu dili olmuştur. Kimi zaman sadece cemiyet dili olarak kalırken kimi zaman da yönetim dili hâline gelmiş, hatta Latince ve Yunanca gibi köklü dillere rağmen uluslararası iletişim ve diplomasi dili hâline gelmiştir. Elbette toplumluk etkinliği konuşurlarının toplum içerisindeki etkinliği ile doğrudan ilişkili idi. Bundan dolayı Türkçe; Hun, Avar, Ogur ve Bulgar dönemlerinde Yunanistan’da birbirinden çok farklı ama kimi zaman da birbiri ile ilişkili bir şekilde toplumluk yer edinmiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, elde var olan kısıtlı tarihî kayıtlardan hareketle Bulgar Türkçesi konuşan bu dört kavmin Yunanistan’ı istilaları esnasında ülkede Türkçenin edindiği toplumluk etki ve etkinliğini tespit etmektir.
The Turkic Language in Greece Throughout History: The HunicAvaric-Bulghar Period
Contemporary Greece is an environment where varieties of Oghuz Turkic are spoken. However, it is known that different Turkic varieties, other than contemporary ones, were spoken in the country in the past. The emergence of the present scenery is a substantial outcome of the Ottoman period. Nevertheless, Turkic groups like the Huns, Avars, Oghurs, Bulghars, Pechenegs, Cumans, and the Oghuz had arrived in Greece and settled there. The former four spoke Bulghar Turkic (Proto-Bulgarian), as distinct from the rest, and had invaded and settled in Greece at different periods. The social influence of their languages varied in accordance with the manner they arrived in Greece. In this period, Turkic sometimes had served as an immigrant or a settler language, whereas sometimes it was used as the language of soldiery. Occasionally, it was solely used as a community language, whereas sometimes it was used as the language of the administration. As a matter of fact, it even had been used as a lingua franca, despite deep-seated languages like Latin and Greek. Naturally, the social strength of the language was directly related to the social status of its speakers. Therefore, Turkic had gained various social statuses in Greece during the Hunnic, Avaric, Oghur, and Bulghar periods. However, these statuses were sometimes influenced by each other. This work aims to establish the social influence and strength of Turkic in Greece during the invasion of these four Bulghar Turkic-speaking groups with reference to limited historical records on hand.
There is no doubt that Turkic groups like the Huns, Avars, Oghurs, and Bulghars, who surged into the Balkans between the 4th and 10th centuries initially carrying out raids but then settling into the Balkans in general and Greece in particular, had brought their language with them. The languages of all four groups were varieties belonging to Turkic languages, which are universally called (Old) Bulghar Turkic, Hun-Bulghar Turkic, or Old Western Turkic. Therefore, they either provided a basis for or consolidated with each other. In this period, Turkic entered Greece in various forms. It was sometimes used as the language of the invader, sometimes as the language of refugees or settlers, and sometimes it merely remained as a community language, whereas sometimes it had become the language of the administration. In parallel with the military and political powers of the Hunnic state, Turkic became the language of international communication and diplomacy, surpassing Latin and Greek during the Hunnic period. Historical records provide evidence that the Turkic language survived in Greece as a language of refugees and soldiery after the collapse and disintegration of the Hunnic state. Despite the small amount of data on hand when compared to the Hunnic period, it could be assumed that the Turkic language had a firmer status during the Avaric period, as the Avar dominance in Greece had lasted longer and was more entrenched than that of the Huns. The Peloponnese, in particular, had remained in the hands of the Avars for a very long period. Historical records provide information that the institutions of the Byzantine civilization and culture were erased from the surface of the peninsula, and “barbarism” ruled for more than two centuries. The Avaric names of places among the Greek and Balkanic toponymy could be considered as evidence that a more influential Turkic element existed during the Avar period than that of the Hunnic period. Clearly, a more influential population meant a more influential language. Most probably, the Avars had encountered Hunnic residues in Greece, who had spoken a language similar to theirs, and absorbed them, strengthening their linguistic basis. Additionally, some Oghur groups arrived and settled in Greece shortly before the Avars and after the collapse of the Hunnic state. On the other hand a number of Oghur and Bulghar groups entered and settled in Greece together with the Avars. All of these factors must had consolidated Turkic as a community language, which was already serving as the language of the administration during the Avar period. It is a widespread view that the Avars were absorbed by the Slavonic groups. However, there is evidence that this did not happen, at least in some regions. There is a great possibility that in some regions of Greece, the Avars were incorporated into the Bulghar state, which domineered the whole of the Balkans after them, without losing their language. Layers of Turkic peoples, who had poured into the Balkans in general and Greece in particular, entrenched and enrooted the Turkic language in the region. However, the Bulghars inherited the mission of dominating and ruling all of the Slavonic peoples from the Avars, and this mission eventually paved the way to the disappearance of a Turkic community, which evolved over five to six centuries. The Turkic language disappeared together, perhaps before the people, as they were outnumbered by the Slavs and absorbed by them. The Turkic groups of the Hunnic–Avaric–Bulghar period in Greece were initially Slavicized and later Grecified to a great extent after Byzantine rule was reestablished in Greece.
