ABSTRACT
Introduction Turkic languages have been and are written with many different writing systems. Our discussion of these systems will be based on the following assumptions. A writing system consists of a set of graphie signs and a set of rules according to which the signs are used to represent sounds or combinations of sounds. The graphie signs mostly have a normalised form. All graphemes intended to represent this form will be called allographs. In alphabetic writing systems, agraphie sign with all its allographs will be called a letter. If the system consists of graphie signs which represent a consonant plus a vowel, we shall speak about a syllabic script. A script is hieroglyphic, if words are represented by icons or complex signs of which an icon is an organie part. As a rule, scripts of Semitic origin are alphabetic, whereas scripts of Indic origin are syllabic. The Chinese writing system is hieroglyphic. All writing systems have their constraints. Thus, if an old Turkic language has been written according to several different systems, the probability of a correct reconstruction of its sound system is greater. The ways of rendering Turkic words, names and titles may vary a good deal if they are written by non-Turks according to writing systems not used by the Turks themselves. The oldest monuments of Turkic are written according to such systems, e.g. the Chinese and Middle Greek systems. Though such transcriptions are highly important for reconstruction, we shall not deal with them here.
