Minorities in Turkey: Our longing is a country, where mother languages would be liberated

2020-02-19 11:17:29


	ISTANBUL- Various people living in Turkey, who have come to the point of "minority" status told the policies regarding their language right before the February 21-International Mother Language Day. "Our longing is a country, where the mother languages will be liberated." said Mikhail Vasiliadis, Editor-in-Chief of the Apoyevmatini newspaper, the first issue of which was published in 1925. 

	 

	On the "February 21 International Mother Language Day", which was declared by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2000, various minorities living in Turkey face the extinction of their mother languages as they also raise the struggle of education in mother language as well as the protection of their culture and their language.

	 

	As shown in the study of UNESCO's "Atlas of Endangered Languages" 18 languages ​​are in danger of extinction in Turkey. According to the Atlas; Mlahso and Ubıhça is completely exterminated in Turkey, where Hértevin Language and Aramaic are called as "highly endangered languages"; Gagauz, Ladino, which is spoken by Turkish Jewish and Syriac are called as "seriously endangered languages"; “Absolutely endangered languages” are listed as Abaza Language, Hamsheni Language, Laz Language , Pontus Greek and Armenian; Abkhazian, Adige, Kabar-Circassian languages ​​and Kurdish's Kirmanckî (Zazaki) dialect are among the “insecure languages” are listed among the "insecure languages". 

	 

	'THE EXTINSION OF MOTHER LANGUAGES IS 2-DIMENTIONAL'

	 

	Noting that the first reason of the extinction of languages is the change and transformation in the global world system, Hikmet Akçiçek, who have been conducting studies and research on  Hamsheni culture, stated that some languages ​​have disappeared in line with the economic and sociological changes of the capitalist system. Akçiçek noted that the second ground for he extinction of languages are the assimilation policies of nation-states. 

	 

	'LAWS IN TURKEY IS AN OBSTACLE FOR EDUCATION IN MOTHER LANGUAGE'

	 

	Akçiçek stated that unlike the other countries, the laws in Turkey restricts the survival right of any other language ​​other than Turkish. Akçiçek said, “For example, two official languages ​​are accepted in many countries and they are under constitutional guarantee. The recognition of this right in Turkey would only be possible only if democratic and liberal policies are able to be applied."

	 

	YAŞAR GÜVEN FROM JİNEPS: LANGUAGE IS MORE THAN MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 

	 

	Faced with extinction One of the Circassian language in Turkey. Yaşar Güven is a member of the Editorial Board of the JİNEPS Newspaper, which is published in Circassian-Turkish. Emphasizing that language is a carrier of a spesific culture and a significant part of personal development, Güven said: "People do not only form relationships with the other individuals, but also any other living creature through their mother language. Therefore, language is not just a means of communication, it is much more than tht. It is the carrier of the history and culture of a society ”

	 

	'NATION STATE MENTALITY EXTERMINATES LANGUAGES'

	 

	Saying “The efforts of nation-states to create a homogeneous structure with a uniform approach became the reason for serious pressure on different identities and languages.", Güven stated that many languages face or had already become the subject of extinction. 

	 

	Reminding the studies of UNESCO on Turkey, Güven pointed out the risk of extinction for the other languages of Carcassian people, who were forced to exile from Circassians after long years of independence and freedom war and that the newspaper JİNEPS takes on a task of a bridge as this bridge has an important mission to protect the Circassian language. 

	 

	Güven's statement continues as follows: “Our longing is a country where identities will be synchronized equally regardless of the number of populations and mother tongue would be liberated. Turkey that began to implement the Convention of the Rights of the Children in 1995, but with a reservation on the third article. This article is related to the mother language. These reservations should be removed." 

	 

	DIALOGUE WITH HRANT DINK

	 

	Despite his advancing age, Mihail Vasiliadis, the chief editor of Apoyevmatini published in Romaic, who have been publishing insistently a daily newspaper in the Romaic language with a 15-hour of daily work explained his reasons why, reminding a dialogue of his Agos newspaper's Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink, who was killed by an armed attack on January 19, 2007. Vasiliadis said, “When I came to check out the newspaper Apoyevmatini, the late Dink told me, ‘I publish the newspaper Agos in Turkish so that I can reach more readers. Both the Armenians who do not speak Armenian can read, and our friends among Turks can understand our problems. Why don't you publish a Turkish newspaper?' I said to Dink, “First, Romaic is not a language that can be lost. Second, since it is protected by the Lausanne Treaty, we can offer it as the language of education in our schools. But there is a huge community in Turkey who gives a great deal of effort to be able to talk their mother language. While they try to prevent the extinction of their mother tongue, I can not give up on my right to publish newspaper in mother language, which was gifted to us by Lausanne. Today, my view is in that direction, and for that reason, I persistently strive to publish this newspaper."

	 

	GEORGIAN LANGUAGE CENTER PRESIDENT YILMAZ: IT IS THE MONIST APPROACH THAT BRINGS LANGUAGES TO THE POINT OF EXTINCTION

	 

	İstanbul Georgian Language Center President Eşref Yılmaz stated that the nation-states imposes their monistic approach over the society and this monistic understanding is that, which brings languages to the point of extinction. 

	 

	Pointing out that various European countries have official education in more than one language, Yılmaz said that the way to the democratization of a country passes through the rights given to and the preservation of minorities.

	 

	MA/ Naci Kaya