Tevfik Esenç | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Tevfik Esenç, aged 57 | |
| Born | 1904 (1904) |
| Died | (aged 88) |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Known for | being the last native speaker ofUbykh |
| Movement | Circassian nationalism |
Tevfik Esenç (Turkish pronunciation:[tevˈficesɛnt͡ʃ]; 1904 – 7 October 1992) was a Turkish citizen ofUbykh origin, known for being the last speaker of theUbykh language.[1][2] He was fluent in Ubykh,Adyghe andTurkish.[3] After his death in 1992, the Ubykh language went extinct despite the efforts and work of numerous linguists to revive it. Nevertheless, Esenç is single-handedly responsible for the world's current knowledge of Ubykh language and culture being as extensive and detailed as it is.
Esenç was raised by his Ubykh-speaking grandparents for a time in the village ofHacıosman (Ubykh:Lek'uaşüa /lɜkʷʼɐ́ɕʷɜ/;Adyghe:Hundjahabl) in Turkey, and he served a term as themuhtar (mayor) of that village, before receiving a post in thecivil service ofIstanbul. There, he was able to do a great deal of work with theFrenchlinguistGeorges Dumézil and his associateGeorges Charachidzé to help record his language,[2] although not all the writings of Charachidzé (1930–2010) have been published. Others who met Esenç and produced work on Ubykh are: the NorwegianHans Vogt (1903–86);[4] the BritishGeorge Hewitt, who made recordings with Esenç in Istanbul;[5] the AbkhazianViacheslav Chirikba, who has written on Ubykh settlements andUbykh surnames; and the Turkish linguistA. Sumru Özsoy.
Having an excellent memory and understanding quickly the goals of Dumézil and the other linguists who came to visit him, he was a primary source of not only the Ubykh language, but also of themythology,culture history, and customs of theUbykh people. He spoke Turkish and Ubykh, and also a dialect ofAdyghe (West Circassian), allowing some comparative work to be done between these two members of theNorthwest Caucasian family. A purist, hisidiolect of Ubykh was considered by Dumézil as the closest thing to a standard "literary" Ubykh language that existed.[2]
He finished his work for Ubykh with the following speech to his long-time collaboratorGeorges Charachidzé:[3]
Professor Charachidzé, my great friend...
Please forgive me if I made any mistakes.From now on, you are the Ubykh language. I told everything I know to you. Teach it to the world.May God give you all blessings and beauty!
This is where Ubykh comes to an end.
— Tevfik Esenç, his finishing address in the last Ubykh audio recording
Esenç died in the night of 7 October 1992, at the age of 88; he was buried in the village cemetery of Hacıosman, his birthplace, alongside his wife Emine. He was survived by three sons and two daughters.
In 1994, A. Sumru Özsoy organized an international conference, namely Conference on Northwest Caucasian Linguistics, atBoğaziçi University in memory of Dumézil and Esenç.[6]
