Languages from the Cradle - lullabies of Europe



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Turkish lullabies
Ninni is the general name in Turkish for lullabies, a type of folk music and literature with special words or phrases. They are sung chiefly by mothers to soothe their children or to put them to sleep as the mother rocks the baby either in a cradle or on her knees. Turkish lullabies, as in other languages, frequently express the feelings of the mother, in particular her sense of hope, fear, love, bitterness, loneliness, homesickness, and grief. At the same time, they occasionally incorporate a folk-tale, fable, or legend.

In Anatolia, especially in the old days, young girls and women during their first years of marriage did not have the chance to express their thoughts or display their personality openly to their family elders or in-laws. So lullabies were a way for the women to express their desires, dreams and problems. For the mother, the moments of singing the lullabies are simply a time of thinking aloud, a concentration of emotions. The mother expresses what comes into her mind as an extension of what she has experienced.

Turkish lullabies employ phrases such as ninni yavrum (oğlum, kızım…) ninni “go to sleep –my son, my daughter… go to sleep”. (The word ninni “lullaby” is itself often used throughout a lullaby as a refrain to induce sleep.) Besides this phrase, the most common exclamations to occur are Dandini dandini…, E,e,e,e,e,e… Hu, hu, hu,… E yavrum e,e,e,e,… “E, my child, e,e,e,…” and Uyu yavrum ninni “Sleep, my little child, go to sleep” and Uyusun da büyüsün… “let him/her sleep and grow up”. Sometimes these exclamations can serve as the main element of the lullaby.

Turkish lullabies can be classified into nine different sub-groups according to subject matter (Çelebioğlu, 1982: 20):

Religious, sacred or intellectual subjects
Legends and laments
Wishes or desires
Love and related subjects
Praise and satire
Complaints and sorrow
Separation and exile
Promises and pledges
Threats and horror

The lullabies selected have been interpreted according to the classification above.

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Disclaimer: The project Languages from the cradle has been funded with support from the European Commission. This document reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.