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Definition of Turkish Family Structure and Kinship Networks (A Sociolinguistic Approach) ×
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EPISTÉMÈ Vol.29 pp.3-29
Definition of Turkish Family Structure and Kinship Networks (A Sociolinguistic Approach)
Key Words : Turkish society,family structure,kinship terms,sociolinguistics.
Abstract
The Turkish family structure is the most basic and smallest social sign of Turkish society. Within the network of relationships that starts in the nuclear family and constitutes the larger structure of society, family, and kinship networks allow inferences to be made about the society as a whole. The development of family and kinship networks in Turkish society is also reflected in the linguistic vocabulary. There are many words that define these relationships. The vocabulary constitutes concrete signs of family relations in social life on the basis of the language-society relationship. Words, which are the most concrete signs of language, have taken on an important function in the creation and transmission of the perception that is the source of the Turkish family structure. In determining and analyzing this perception, it is also possible to make a reverse reading through these words. The subject of this study is how the vocabulary and definitions related to the family structure and kinship networks of Turkish society can be interpreted from a sociolinguistic perspective. The sample of the study consists of the vocabulary and definitions of kinship networks in the Güncel Türkçe Sözlük [The Current Turkish Dictionary], which is the standard dictionary of Türkiye Turkish. On the basis of this vocabulary, indicating kinship networks, the Turkish family structure has been first be revealed at a scriptural level. Then, the semantic values of the vocabulary indicating kinship networks according to family structure, gender, generation and age, blood and marriage, types of language, and language contacts have been determined. The social roles attributed to the individual according to this signification have been evaluated by taking into account the theories and methods of sociolinguistics. The aim of this study is to define the Turkish family structure and to analyze the perception of family in Turkish society by considering language-society relations.