Reconstruction:Proto-Turkic/kagan

This Proto-Turkic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Turkic

Alternative reconstructions

  • *kāgān, *xāgān (per Bailey 1985)

Reconstruction notes

  • Nişanyan points out the uncertainty of the initial consonant in the attestations of Old Turkic, which have been read as either /x-/[1][2] or /q-/[3][4] by different sources.[5] It is listed here with an initial *k- out of convention.
  • According to Clauson, the relationship with the synonymous xān, which appears in a lot of Turkic languages, is obscure.[2] Bailey proposes two different etymologies for the two words. However, most sources consider the word xān either a contraction or a cognate, with some connecting the two words through intermediaries. They are given here as directly inherited alternative forms to avoid technicalities.

Etymology

Of uncertain origin.[1][4] Cognate with Mongolian ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ (qaɣan)[3], which, according to Clauson, may be a loanword in Mongolic from Turkic.[2]

Bailey an Dybo suggest an Iranian origin. Bailey derives from an archaic *γ(w)ā-γā which he compares with Avestan 𐬵𐬎𐬎𐬋𐬌𐬱𐬙𐬀 (huuōišta, “greatest”), Sogdian 𐼲𐼴𐽁𐽂𐽀 (ɣwštr, “supreme”)[6] Dybo derives the word from Middle Iranian and reconstructs *hwa-kama- (“autokrator”), from Proto-Iranian *hwa- (“self”) + *kama- (“to wish”), and compares Sogdian 𐼲𐼴𐽂𐼸𐼰𐼺𐼰 (ɣwtkʾmʾ)[7]

Vovin and Vajda-Werner suggest a Yenisean origin, from Proto-Yeniseian *qeˀ-qan (“khagan, ruler”, literally “big-king”). If so, cognate with Ket ӄань (qānʲ, “king”).[8][9]

More at Khagan.

Noun

*kagan

  1. male ruler, khan, khagan, king
    Coordinate term: *xātun

Descendants

  • Proto-Common Turkic:
  • Oghuz:
    • Old Anatolian Turkish: خان (ḫān), قاقن (qaqan)
    • Turkmen: han
  • Kipchak:
    • Kipchak-Cuman:
      • Mamluk-Kipchak: قان (/⁠qān⁠/)
      • Armeno-Kipchak: խան (xan)
      • Crimean Tatar: han
    • Kipchak-Nogai:
    • Kyrgyz-Kipchak:
  • Karluk:
  • Siberian Turkic:
    • Old Turkic: 𐰴𐰍𐰣 (qǧn¹ /⁠xaġan, qaġan⁠/), 𐰴𐰣 (qn¹ /⁠qan⁠/) (Yenisei Kyrgyz)
    • Old Uyghur: 𐽲𐽰𐽺 (qʾn /⁠ḥan, ḳan⁠/), 𐽲𐽰𐽲𐽰𐽺 (qʾqʾn /⁠ḳaġan, ḥaġan, ḥaḳan⁠/)
      • →? Classical Mongolian: ᠬᠠᠨ (qan)
      • Western Yugur: xan (/⁠qʰan⁠/, “Khan, ruler”) (historical)
    • North Siberian Turkic:
  • → Middle Persian: [Book Pahlavi needed] (hʾkʾn' /⁠xāgān⁠/)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tietze, Andreas (2002, 2009) “han”, in Tarihi ve Etimolojik Türkiye Türkçesi Lügati [Historical and Etymological Dictionary of Turkish] (in Turkish), volume III, Istanbul, Vienna, page 280
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Clauson, Gerard (1972) “xağan”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 611
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Räsänen, Martti (1969) “kaγan”, in Versuch eines etymologischen Wörterbuchs der Türksprachen (in German), Helsinki: Suomalais-ugrilainen seura, page 219
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ayverdi, İlhan (2010) “kağan”, in Misalli Büyük Türkçe Sözlük, a reviewed and expanded single-volume edition, Istanbul: Kubbealtı Neşriyatı
  5. ^ Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “kağan”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
  6. ^ Bailey, Harold Walter (1985) Etymology of Xiongnu Names‎[1], pages 34-35
  7. ^ Dybo, Anna (2014) “Early contacts of Turks and problems of Proto-Turkic reconstruction”, in Tatarica‎[2], volume 2, page 9
  8. ^ Vovin, Alexander (2007) “Once again on the title qaγan”, in Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia, number 12, page 184 of 177-184
  9. ^ Vajda, Edward, Werner, Heinrich (2022) “*qan (5)”, in Comparative-Historical Yeniseian Dictionary (Languages of the World/Dictionaries; 79, 80), Muenchen: LINCOM GmbH, →ISBN, page 633
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