The interactions between Circassian and Karachay-Malkar languages & literatures

Circassian and Karachay-Malkar are the languages of two neighboring nations. Numerous researches have been made about both of the two languages and they are still being done. However the number of the researches on the contacts between the languages and literatures are quite limited. In this study, we examine the language and literature interactions between the two languages with examples from different fields such as proverbs, idioms, vocabulary and oral literature. For this study, dictionaries, proverbs and idioms of both languages, anthologies of oral literature, and audio and visual sources have been scanned. In addition, research trips have been organized to many Circassian and Karachay-Malkar villages in the Caucasus and in Anatolia in order to observe the current state of language and literature interactions. These research trips have enabled us to collect the information about the geographical and social realities which paved way to the interactions. Besides our research on the language and literature interactions, the geographical and social realities we noted during our trips enable us to put forward some new contexts in which we can reread the change the national and social identities have undergone. Keywords: Circassian, Karachay – Malkar, Cultural Interaction, Comparative Literature, Comparative Linguistics