Peyami Safa: On Language and Style

Abstract

In language life, especially in literary language life, the concepts of purification and enrichment play an important role. Sometimes these concepts, one of which is put against another, require proportional use and purification-equalization. In this respect, the ideas and observations which Peyami Safa told about language are of vital importance in the contemporary Turkish language policy. We find it important to investigate into Peyami Safa's literary language principles related to the following problems one by one:

- Words transferred from folk literature into literary language;

- Words taken from the inscriptions;

- Newly-produced words;

- Harms of using artificial words;

- Over-purification efforts;

- Style transparency and clearness;

- Enrichment of a language through its own means;

- Minimal use of borrowed words.