Distinct linguistic characteristics of Trakya Türkçesi: A cultural treasure

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a linguistic analysis of a Turkish dialect spoken in Thrace (Trakya). The Trakya region, which is located at the very end of Southeast Europe, is shared by Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey; the part of the region in Bulgaria is known as Northern Trakya, the section in Greece is regarded as Western Trakya and the area in Turkey is considered Eastern Trakya. The Turkish dialects spoken in each section of the region share similarities. However, this paper focuses on the Turkish dialect spoken in Eastern Trakya. The dialect, Trakya Türkçesi or Trakyaca as it is known in Turkey, has distinct linguistic features. In order to explore this, I will refer to a segment of a YouTube video by a storyteller, who is from Eastern Trakya, present instances of distinct phonological, morphological and syntactic characteristics. Then, I will compare his language use against the standard Turkish variety (also known as Istanbul Turkish).