The Turkish Alphabet Revolution and its importance

The Cyprus International University (CIU), Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Turkish Language and Literature Department Chair, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gürkan Gümüşatam, stated that on 3rd November 1928, the implementation of a writing system consisting of 29 letters based on the Latin Alphabet, and taking into account the Turkish phoneme system began, and went on to say “the letter revolution brought about the language revolution after it, as it was attempted to eradicate any foreign elements from the Turkish written and spoken language.”

Stating that these efforts helped in eliminating the disconnection between the public and literature, Gümüşatam noted that the Letter Revolution had an important function in the fabric of the culture, consisting of relations between society, education, language and literature.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gümüşatam stated that in 1928, Atatürk emphasized that the learning and teaching of the new letters was a duty of patriotism, adding that according to many researchers, the most effective among Atatürk's revolutions, the one with the longest preparation period, and the most discussed; was the letter revolution.

Reminding that innovation in language is one of the results of the Alphabet revolution, Gümüşatam said, “The increase in the rate of literacy with the revolution paved the way for literary works and artists to reach larger masses; and this process continued with the language revolution.”

Gümüşatam pointed out that language has a great effect and importance in raising a nation's consciousness and said, “Language is the most important power that provides the opportunity of agreement, which is necessary for a society in consciously adapting to changing conditions. The most important effect that the letter revolution had on the Turkish language is that it prepared the ground for the language revolution”

Stating that the Literary Revolution is an important situation affecting many areas of life, Gümüşatam noted that the simplification in language that followed this revolution enabled the fusion of national literature with folk literature.

Gümüşatam also stated that the revolution had a great impact in developing journalism; "Turkish literature, like all institutions after the declaration of the Republic, also gained a new spirit, and laid the foundation of modern literature in Turkey. Thus, the opportunities to reach the level of world literatures have accelerated and Turkish literature has started to become the common voice of the Turkish people” he concluded.