Abstract:

The text written by Petar Kovachev Tsarski (Peter Fabri Imperialli) in 1773 and present in the Bulgarian national library “St. Cyril and Methodius”, is the oldest written manuscript of the Bulgarian Catholic (Paulician) literature. The writer has translated the work from the Italian to the Bulgarian language and used Latin letters. The first part of the work, comprised from two main parts, is formed from Catholic teachıngs and prayers and the second part consists of comments regarding the Gospels. The most prominent characteristic of the work is the intensive use of the Turkish elements in it. The writer, who used a plain language, has used Turkish words in order to appeal to the Bulgarian Catholic society. This state of the affairs gives us important hints about the presence and the functioning of the Turkish language on the Bulgarian ground in the XVIII century. Especially in the second part of the manuscript, the writer, who explains the life of Jesus, has given weight to the Turkish words in order this topic to be understood in better way. Tsarski, who knew the presence and the strength of the thousands of Turkish words accepted in the Bulgarian folk language, in order to reach the wider public and be understood, deliberately used Turkish words. Except that, when he explained Bulgarian words, he used Turkish words. Approximately 700 Turkish words have been determined in the work. Besides the Turkish words, different Turkish gramatical forms can also be seen. Among them, what especially draws the attention is the use of the Turkish verbs. The use of the Latin letters and the indication of the Turkish cardinal vowels “ö” and “ü” is extremely important from the aspect of the Turkish phonetics of the 18. Century. İn the text, the author will give information about the Turkish elements present in the Bulgarian Catholic (Paulitian) texts and the importance of the Turkish language from the aspect of its period of use.

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