A Comparative Study about Turkmen Folk Literature Genre “Läle” and Turkish Folk Literature Genre “Mâni”

Abstract

As the Turks went through different historical processes and moved to other geographies, cultural similarities and differences emerged among the tribes. It is not known exactly when the differences emerged. These similarities and differences can be seen in every field, as well as in literature. There is not much differentiation in oral literary products, which is a branch of literature, in terms of form, but there are some differences in terms of content. In this context, when we look at Turkish communities in general, it is seen that the “mâni” genre, one of the anonymous folk literature genres, exists in almost all of them, under different names and in different forms. The oral culture of Turkmens has a rich and deep-rooted history. The equivalent of the mâni genre, which is one of the oldest genres of Turkish literature and still continues its development today, in Turkmen folk literature is “läle”. In the study, the similarities and differences between mâni and läle types is evaluated. As a matter of fact, the mâni genre is a genre that has continued its existence from past to present and it is one of the building blocks of oral culture. The most important feature that distinguishes läle from mâni is the way it is performed and sung by young girls. However, they are quite similar to each other in terms of subjects and shapes. The aim of the study is to reveal the richness of Turkish literature by identifying similar and different events between läle, one of the genres of Turkmen folk literature, and mâni, a genre of Turkish folk literature.