Language Policies and Minority Language Maintenance: The Case of Circassian in Turkey [Dil Politikaları ve Azınlık Dillerinin Korunması: Türkiye'deki Çerkesçe Örneği]

Year 2024, , 107 - 136, 31.05.2024

Emre Pshigusa

https://doi.org/10.21488/jocas.1312477

Abstract

Guided by language maintenance and shift (Fishman, 1991) as a theoretical construct, this study explored the sociolinguistic situation and the maintenance of Circassian, a Northwest Caucasian language, spoken in Turkey since the Ottoman Era. To explore the impacts of official language ideologies and policies on the maintenance of Circassian, five participants from different age groups and regions of Turkey were interviewed using linguistic life story interviews (Atkinson 1998). As part of its socio-historical focus, the study first highlights some of the Circassian initiatives that played an important role in maintaining the language during the Ottoman Era and addresses the changes in language ideologies and policies after the declaration of the Turkish Republic. Similar to other ethnolinguistic minorities' experiences in Turkey (Aslan, 2007; Seloni & Sarfati, 2013), the life story interviews revealed the impacts of assimilationist language policies in educational and social settings. Findings also revealed the long-lasting impact of the Citizen Speak Turkish policy (1928-1945) on the maintenance of Circassian and its negative impact on the generational transfer which has not been explored by former research. The findings have implications for language policymakers, Circassian NGOs, and Circassian speakers in Turkey to maintain and transfer the language to future generations.

Keywords

Circassian, Language Maintenance, Heritage Language, Language ideologies, Language policies

Dil Politikaları ve Azınlık Dillerinin Korunması: Türkiye'deki Çerkesçe Örneği

Abstract

Anadilin korunması ve baskın dillerle değişimi teorisi (Fishman, 1991) rehberliğinde yapılan bu çalışma, Türkiye'de Osmanlı döneminden beri konuşulan bir Kuzeybatı Kafkas dili olan Çerkesçenin sosyolinguistik durumunu ve korunması konusunu araştırmıştır. Resmi dil ideolojilerinin ve politikalarının Çerkesçenin korunması üzerindeki etkilerini araştırmak için, Türkiye'nin farklı bölgelerinden ve yaş gruplarından beş katılımcıyla dilsel yaşam öyküsü görüşmeleri kullanılarak mülakatlar yapılmıştır (Atkinson 1998). Sosyo-tarihsel odağının bir parçası olarak, çalışma öncelikle Osmanlı döneminde dilin korunmasında önemli rol oynayan bazı Çerkes girişimlerine ışık tutmakta ve Türkiye Cumhuriyeti'nin ilanından sonra dil ideolojileri ve politikalarındaki değişiklikleri ele almaktadır. Türkiye'deki diğer etnolinguistik azınlıkların deneyimlerine benzer şekilde (Aslan, 2007; Seloni & Sarfati, 2013), hayat hikayesi görüşmeleri asimilasyonist dil politikalarının eğitim ve sosyal ortamlardaki etkilerini ortaya çıkarmıştır. Bulgular aynı zamanda daha önceki akademik calışmalarda araştırılmamış olan "Vatandaş Türkçe Konuş" politikasının (1928-1945) Çerkes dilinin korunması üzerindeki uzun süreli etkisini ve nesiller arası dil aktarımı üzerindeki olumsuz etkisini ortaya koymaktadır. Bulgular, Çerkesçenin korunması ve gelecek nesillere aktarılması için Türkiye'deki dil politika yapıcıları, Çerkes STK'ları ve Çerkesçe konuşanlar için çıkarımlar sunmaktadır.

Keywords

Çerkesce, dil korunumu, miras dil, dil ideolojileri, dil politikaları

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