Language planning in Turkey: yesterday and today

Abstract

This article focuses on past and present language planning efforts in Turkey. The goal is twofold: to familiarize the reader with the most important language planning effort in Turkey, the Turkish Language Reform (1928-1980), and to discuss current language problems and recent Turkish language planning attempts on Turkish. This article is not to be seen as a comprehensive account of Turkish language reform. It would be impossible to fully discuss the historical, sociopolitical, cultural, and linguistic aspects and the outcomes of the reform in a single article. Given the range of material already available on the subject, it is neither necessary nor appropriate to attempt to do so. Notwithstanding, no discussion of the Turkish language can be complete without some explanation of the language reform that drastically changed and shaped the subsequent development of the language, as well as leading to some of the controversies and problems surrounding modern Turkish today. Therefore, the article begins with a brief outline of the underlying reasons, processes, agents, and outcomes of the Turkish Language Reform and directs the reader to extended references. Then, it focuses on linguistic debates and language planning attempts of recent years and, where possible, compares and contrasts these with the language planning efforts during the reform years. Finally, the article offers some suggestions toward more effective language planning in Turkey.