What do Turkish and Korean have in common?Nothing, you’ll say, if you don’t know the whole story. At first glance, anyone would be tempted to claim that Turkish and Korean are worlds apart. Both literally and figuratively. However, despite their geographical distance and distinct cultural heritages, these two nations share someintriguing points of intersection. Could two languages coming from different language families be related?
Their potential connection has perplexed linguists and historians alike for many years. So, let’s see what this is all about and how two apparently different languages echo each other in syntax, structure, and soul.
Historical Roots and Origins of Turkish and Korean
Before exploring the intriguing points of intersection between Turkish and Korean, it’s important to look back at their historical roots.
The Turkish Language
The Turkish language (or “Türkçe” – as the Turkish people would say) is the most widely spoken Turkic language, with around 100 million native speakers worldwide. Turkish is a part of the Oghuz branch of the Turkic language family, along with Azerbaijani, Turkmen, and Qashqai.
The earliest proof of Turkish is the Orkhon script found in modern Mongolia. Erected in honor of a prince and his emperor brother, these inscriptions date back to the Turkic tribes in the 7th century CE. When these tribes began to move westward, their interactions with diverse people and cultures – including Mongols and Persians, shaped Turkish into a new language.
The process continued during the Selijuk and the Ottoman periods when Turkish became infused with a plethora of Persian and Arabic words, giving rise to Ottoman Turkish.
In the 20th century, though, a linguistic revolution followed when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk replaced the Arabic script with the Latin alphabet, aiming to modernize and simplify Turkish. This strategic move not only transformed the language but also contributed to a cultural renaissance.
Unlike Turkish, Korean’s roots are more enigmatic. That means we don’t know much about its ancient history. However, we can say the language started its long road to becoming the Korean language we know today in ancient times, under the rule of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla.
Later, the evolution of the Korean language was significantly influenced by historical interactions with neighboring China and Japan. During the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, Chinese characters were integrated into the Korean writing system, adding multiple layers of complexity to its structure and vocabulary.
However, the same as Turkish, Korean had a pivotal moment in its development that changed everything for the future of the language. In the 15th century, to help more common people become literate, King Sejong the Great commissioned the creation of Hangul, the new Korean alphabet . Although it was met with opposition, the new alphabet led over time to increased literacy rates and a cohesive national linguistic identity.
In modern times, K-pop and K-dramas from South Korea have further disseminated the Korean language and culture worldwide.