yazmlar

Yazmlar is a term used to refer to written works or manuscripts produced in writing cultures. It encompasses a broad range of textual artifacts, including manuscripts, books, essays, letters, legal documents, inscriptions, and, in modern contexts, digital texts. The concept focuses on materials that preserve language, ideas, and information through written form.

Etymology and scope: The word blends the root yaz- meaning “to write” with a plural suffix, and is related to terms such as yazı (writing) and yazma (manuscript) in related languages. In scholarly usage, yazmlar serve as a designation for a corpus of texts considered together for analysis in philology, literary studies, and archival science.

Historical and modern roles: Traditionally, yazmlar function as primary sources for linguistics, history, religion, and culture. They record scripts, literature, administrative records, and correspondence. With the advent of printing and later digital technologies, the scope expanded to include printed books and electronic documents, while archival and digitization efforts aim to preserve yazmlar for future research.

Classification and study: Yazmlar can be classified by form (manuscript, printed book, article, inscription, digital file), by genre (poetry, prose, scholarly treatise, legal document), and by medium (papyrus or parchment, paper, magnetic or optical storage). Scholars study yazmlar through methods such as textual criticism, palaeography, codicology, and digital humanities to establish authorship, dating, and textual variants.

See also: Yazı, Yazma, Manuscript, Text, Archival science, Digital preservation.