Lessons 4–5 · 2 lessons · B. To‘xliyev, B. Karimov, K. Usmonova. Literature: textbook-collection for Grade 11 of secondary schools and for students of secondary specialised and vocational institutions, Parts 1–2. 1st edition. “O‘zbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi” State Scientific Publishing House, Tashkent, 2018
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Mahmud Koshg‘ariy
Textbook: Part 1, pp. 52–53
GoalDescribe Mahmud Koshg‘ariy’s life, era and scholarly achievements.
Mahmud Koshg‘ariy was born in Bolasog‘un in the 11th century, when the Karakhanid state was flourishing; his full name is Mahmud ibn Husayn ibn Muhammad. According to the textbook, his father came from the town of Barskon near Issyk-Kul. One of his first teachers was Husayn xalifa of Kashgar, and later he deepened his learning at schools and madrasas in Bukhara, Samarkand, Merv, Nishapur and Baghdad. He is known as the first linguist to work out the grammar of the Turkic language and to create the earliest Turkic-Arabic dictionary. By the author’s own words, he travelled for many years through the towns, villages and pastures of the Turkic peoples collecting words. Because his work also holds information on geography, botany, ethnography, folklore and history, he is called an encyclopaedic scholar.
Worked examples
Example: Koshg‘ariy explains the meaning of Turkic words in Arabic and cites folk verse and proverbs as illustrations. That is why the “Devon” is not only a dictionary but also a literary source.
Example: Koshg‘ariy gathered his material over many years by travelling among the places where Turkic tribes lived. This shows him to be a researcher who relies on collected evidence.
Class activity
On a map find Bolasog‘un, Kashgar, Bukhara, Samarkand, Merv, Nishapur and Baghdad and join them with a line to show the scholar’s path of study.
Practice
1
Where was Mahmud Koshg‘ariy born and under which state did he live?
He was born in Bolasog‘un and lived in the era of the 11th-century Karakhanid state.
2
In which cities did the scholar study?
In Bukhara, Samarkand, Merv, Nishapur and Baghdad.
3
If a linguist today wants to study dialects, which of Koshg‘ariy’s working methods could serve as a model?
The method of travelling to places and collecting words and samples from living speech.
4
Why is Koshg‘ariy called an encyclopaedic scholar?
Because his work holds, besides linguistics, information on geography, botany, zoology, ethnography, folklore and history.