Abstract
The Commentary Written by Şehrî Mustafa Şevket to Ebussuûd Efendi’s Galatât-ı Avâm
In this study, the commentary written by Şehrî Mustafa Şevket (d. 1291/1874) for the work titled Galatât-ı Avâm, which is a short treatise written in Turkish by Ebussuûd Efendi (d. 982/1574), is discussed. First, the biography of the commentator, who died at the age of 38 and whose life is not detailed in academic studies, is written. Then, the explanations in the treatise written by Mustafa Şevket, who has extensive knowledge of the Arabic language and Islamic sciences, are examined and his views on the concept of galat are evaluated. Mustafa Şevket expounds the reasons for some of the misused words with grammatical rules. Therefore he also briefly explains a significant part in this commentary. Thus, his work is understood by people with good knowledge of Arabic morphology rather than the general public. On the other hand, he mentions the Turkish meanings of Arabic words when deemed necessary and expresses his objections at points where he is disagree with Ebussuud Efendi. Mustafa Şevket, who also takes into account the alternative accentuation in the lexicons he referenced throughout his commentary, acceptes the different pronunciation of galats. He partly adoptes the view that words can acquire different meanings depending on the time and place.
Keywords
Şehrî Mustafa Şevket, Ebussuûd Efendi, galat (misconstruction/mumpsimus), commentary.