Proposal for a New Reading of a Line in the Tunuquq Inscription

Abstract

This paper is written in order to reread the sequence of signs < WzcI > and < TSN > occurring in the sentence < WzcI : TSN : TWTmstgbIz >, in the 13th line of the Tunuquq Inscription. It is proposed that the sequence < WzcI >, which has been hitherto transcribed as *uzaci, *uzuci, *ozaci, *oz [i]ci, *ozca and *uzci may be transcribed as oz aci '(someone's) own (paternal) uncle'. As is known, the sign < S > represents both s and s which have been used beside back vowels in the Tunuquq Inscription. However, the sign < S > in the < TSN > sign group has been uniformly transcribed ass by all previous researchers (*tasin), and they attempted to interpret that lexeme either through the meanings 'stone' or 'outside'. The present paper proposes that the < TSN > sign group may also be read as atisin 'his nephew (+acc.)'. Furthermore, the meaning 'to capture' of the Old Turkic verb tut- is particularly emphasised in the interpretation of the mentioned sentence. Finally, the whole sentence is transcribed and interpreted as oz aci atisin tutmis tag biz 'We look as if (someone's) own uncle has captured his own nephew'.