Language of Alevi-Bektashi cems (Analysis-text)

This study examines the linguistic data within Cem, the Alevi-Bektashi belief system's form of worship, with a specific focus on form and structure. Additionally, it aims to clarify the elements that constitute the conceptual dimension of the belief system as evidenced in the Cem records. The syncretic structure of the Alevi-Bektashi belief system and the "secret language" woven with symbols necessitated a comprehensive analysis as part of this study. The examination of the semantic uni-verse of Cems has entailed a discussion of linguistic data and the deep structural semantic dimension. Language, as a persistent carrier of culture, has found a text- and context-centred mode of expression within the Alevi-Bektashi belief system. This syncretic faith, which amalgamates pre-Islamic Turkish traditions, Islamic el-ements, and Turkish Sufi practices, has gained prominence across a wide geograph-ical area extending from Egypt to the Balkans, in regions where Turkish cultural influence persists. Today, mentors and followers from different sects who follow the same path in various regions continue to engage in Cem worship in Turkish. Language, serving as a unifying force in maintaining the collective structure, has thus been the subject of examination in this study in terms of both its structural and semantic dimensions. Key words: Alevi-Bektashi,Cem, Ritual, Dialectologie.