The Reflections of the Alphabet Reform in Turkish and World Press

Abstract

The Alphabet Revolution extended beyond a superficial change in writing styles. It is not only a step taken to prepare the general public to literacy, but also to free them from the Arab culture in order to make the Turkish people modern individuals of the Republic. The new letters were introduced in the Dolmabahçe Palace depending on the Law passed on December 1st 1928 in teh GNA. The Turkish Press undertook a great responsibility to introduce the new letters to the public. There emerged an ample debate about the difficulties of the Reform in the Press, and through this debate, the Press acted as a school in teaching the new alphabet. In this early period, the newspaper "Cumhuriyet" was an important advocate of the Alphabet Revolution. The application of the new letters had repercussions throught the world, the new Turkish reform was greatly appreciated in the world press. The National Geographic Magazine introduced the Alphabet Revolution in 1929 with a special issue, and the Italian Messaggeri wrote that this revolution was the Turkish Renaissance. Key Words: Alphabet Revolution , Falih Rıfkı Atay, Yunus Nadi, Cumhuriyet newspaper, the alphabet reform in the world press.