Classification of Turkic (and via Turkic) Loanwords in the Polish Vocabulary

Interlingual borrowing is the process by which a language borrows words or structures from another language. This process occurs as a result of various interactions such as cultural, commercial, technological, literary, scientific, and historical. Any language can borrow words or terms from another language to refer to a new object, idea, or cultural element. This contributes to enriching the vocabulary of a language, increases its diversity, and expanding its possibilities of expression. The evolution of language and such lexical exchanges reveal the dynamic nature of languages and the importance of cultural communication. The Polish language has also borrowed many words of Turkish origin as a result of interactions with Turks or Turkish communities throughout history. The presence of these words of Turkish origin is a result of long-term political, military, and commercial relations with Turkish-speaking communities, especially the Tatars and the Ottoman Empire. For this reason, this paper focuses on the classification of words of Turkish origin in Polish and loanwords that passed through Turkish and their impact on Polish culture and language. At the same time, taking into account Poland’s historical relations with Turkish culture and languages, this study also analyzes how and in which periods words originating from Turkish languages were included in Polish and the differences in meaning and usage of these words have undergone. These borrowings enriched the Polish vocabulary by reflecting a different cultural heritage and linguistic expressions. This paper reveals the evolution of these borrowings from Proto-Turkic to modern times by classifying them according to their usage and highlighting their semantic and phonetic adaptations in Polish.