Reconstruction:Proto-Turkic/bēg

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

Etymology

There are different theories about the further etymology of the word.

According to one theory the word may ultimately come from Middle Chinese 百 (MC paek, “hundred”),^[1] 佰 (MC paek, “the head of a hundred men”),^[2] or 伯 (MC paek, “eldest brother, father's older brother > count”) ~ 霸 (MC paek, “hegemon”).
Another theory states that the word may have its origins in Northeastern Iranian,^[3] specifically Sogdian 𐼱𐼲 (βɣ /⁠βaɣ⁠/, “lord, master”), from Proto-Iranian *bagáh (“god”).^[4]

However, German Turkologist Gerhard Doerfer assessed the derivation from an Iranian language as quite uncertain and pointed out that the word may be genuinely Turkic.^[5]^[6]

Probably a similar Turkic form gave rise to Late Proto-Slavic *bãnъ (“ruler”).^[7]

Noun

*bēg

lord

Derived terms

*bēgen-

Descendants

Oghur:
- Volga Bulgar: باك (bʾk /⁠bäk⁠/)
  - Chuvash: пӑй (păj)
Common Turkic:
- → Classical Persian: بیگ (bēg) (see there for further descendants)

Oghuz:
- Proto-Oghuz:
  - West Oghuz:
    - Old Anatolian Turkish: بك (beg)
      - Azerbaijani: bəy
      - Gagauz: bey
      - Ottoman Turkish: بك (bey) (see there for further descendants)
        Turkish: bey
  - East Oghuz:
    - Turkmen: beg, biý
- Karluk:
  - Karakhanid: باك (bēg)
    - Chagatai: بیگ (byg /⁠beg⁠/), بی (by /⁠biy⁠/)
      - Uzbek: bek, biy
      - Uyghur: بەگ (beg)
- Kipchak:
  - Kipchak-Bulgar:
    - Bashkir: бей (bey), бәк (bək), бик (bik)
    - Tatar: бәк (bäk)
  - Kipchak-Nogai:
    - Kazakh: бек (bek), би (bi)
    - Nogai: бий (biy)
  - Kyrgyz-Kipchak:
    - Kyrgyz: бек (bek), бий (biy)
    - Southern Altai: бек (bek), бий (biy)
Siberian Turkic:
- South Siberian Turkic:
  - Old Turkic:
    - Orkhon Turkic: 𐰋𐰏 (b²g /⁠bäg⁠/)
    - Old Uyghur: 𐽼𐽰𐽷 (pʾk /⁠bäg⁠/)
  - Northern Altai: пег (peg), пий (piy)

References

Clauson, Gerard (1972), “be:g”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 322

^ “bey.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc.‎^[1], 22 March 2008 (last accessed)
^ Clauson, Gerard (1972), “be:g”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 322
^ Jamshid Ibrahim. Kulturgeschichtliche Wortforschung: persisches Lehngut in europäischen Sprachen. Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, 1991, p. 58.
^ Carter Vaughn Findley, Turks in World History, Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 45: "... Many elements of Non-Turkic origin also became part of Türk statecraft [...] for example, as in the case of khatun [...] and beg [...] both terms being of Sogdian origin and ever since in common use in Turkish. ..."
^ “Baga”, in Encyclopædia Iranica, 22 August 2011 (last accessed)
^ “Beg”, in Encyclopædia Iranica, 7 May 2011 (last accessed)
^ Matasović, Ranko; Jojić, Ljiljana; Anić, Vladimir; Pranjković, Ivo; Goldstein, Ivo; Goldstein, Slavko, eds. (2004), Hrvatski enciklopedijski rječnik (in Croatian), vol. 2 (2nd ed.). P. 55.

[1] “bey.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc.‎^[1], 22 March 2008 (last accessed)

[2] Clauson, Gerard (1972), “be:g”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 322

[3] Jamshid Ibrahim. Kulturgeschichtliche Wortforschung: persisches Lehngut in europäischen Sprachen. Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, 1991, p. 58.

[4] Carter Vaughn Findley, Turks in World History, Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 45: "... Many elements of Non-Turkic origin also became part of Türk statecraft [...] for example, as in the case of khatun [...] and beg [...] both terms being of Sogdian origin and ever since in common use in Turkish. ..."

[5] “Baga”, in Encyclopædia Iranica, 22 August 2011 (last accessed)

[6] “Beg”, in Encyclopædia Iranica, 7 May 2011 (last accessed)

[7] Matasović, Ranko; Jojić, Ljiljana; Anić, Vladimir; Pranjković, Ivo; Goldstein, Ivo; Goldstein, Slavko, eds. (2004), Hrvatski enciklopedijski rječnik (in Croatian), vol. 2 (2nd ed.). P. 55.

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