Only a Turk Can Answer This!!

I can read in both scripts, though I can read much better in Latin script.

1. This was a political choice in order to get closer with the western world.

2. Arabic script was used for a very long time before the republican era, but the literacy rate was %5-6 in 1914. It was mostly used by the elite. The usage of the Arabic script is very detailed and the wrong usage was ridiculed. In the Arabic script, the words cannot be read as it is written you have to memorize the writing of the word. However in the Latin script, Turkish is read as it is written. Of course the Arabic script could be modified but there was a big reaction against any change in the traditional script.

3. Another difficulty was that Arabic letters are connected to each other and have different shapes at the beginnin, in the middle and at the end of the word. Also, in the traditional version, most of the vowels aren't written so there's the possibility of 8 vowels for each interval. Of course the Arabic script could be modified but و was used instead of o, �, u, �

  ا  was used instead of a and e; and ى was used instead of ý and i.

Also  او was used instead of o, �, u, �, av, ev at the beginning of the word

and اى was used instead of ay, ey, ý, i at the beginning of the word

Changing this traditional usage could also create problems.

4. The elit language was the Ottoman language dominated by Arabic and Persian words but the popular language was Turkish and this was the reason that literacy was confined to the elits.

5. You know that Arabic script include a lot of dots and hareke signs and if this script would be modified to Turkish (there were already modified consonants in the alphabet like چandژ ) there would be many detailed signs,too. A lot of dots, extra signs, etc... However, there was a campaign for the objective of increasing the literacy rate very fastly. So, the Latin script that has rare details was preferred.

But, in the final analysis the main reason was to be integrated with the western world....

?k ge ?......I agree with kotumeyil that the main reason for changing the alphabet was integration with the western world.......

I'm sorry I answered enough though I am not a Turk.I would like to ask u a question though why did u raise a question regarding Turks enough though u r not a Turk {atleast not a 100% one}.

Knowledge has no frontiers my brother don't try to cage it.

I also agree that the main fixture was towards the west. So the next question should be, why?

If we study the Nationalists at the time of the revolution (civil war/war of inedpendence) we could get a picture of their intentions. We have been priviledged to hear about the military aspects of the revolution previously discussed in AE. Now we are discussing one particular reform from this same revolution.

The question is, Why the West?

The West was an ideal for science, philosophy, and industrialization. The later Ottomans and early Nationalists used their autocratic power to move their sphere of influence closer to western values. The 'flock' of people tend to either learn about reforms and practice them when available or tend to stay conservative and not deviate from the safe and sound world of tradition. The reformists wanted a rational mentality to judge progress and the traditionalists denounced such growth and influence as a sign of copying western ways. Hence, society was seen as alienating themselves from their ancestors.

The impedus from the reformists camp of the Nationalists eventually created a situation where language would partake in westernization (modernization). The thrust of this movement centered around the desire to create faster participation into modern society. The reformers all remembered a time where stagnation and weakness toppled a dynasty that invited enemies at the gates. Part of the collateral damage was the on the shoulders of the traditionalists. The 'East' was a sign of the past. The conservative strings attached were seen as shackles that inhibited the growth of the people. 'Things western' may have been given too much credit by the leaders at that time, but the reformation was already in action. It did not totally succeed. We still have the same reformist (liberal) versus traditionalist (conservatives) debates continuing.

It did not totally succeed. We still have the same reformist (liberal) versus traditionalist (conservatives) debates continuing.

And will continue forever. I think Ataturk followed others, and Their biggest mistake was, They think to gain European force, we should become European.(This idea didnt changed much)

So we destroyed our culture.

The culture evolved.

It should be, but we cant say Ataturk revolution is an evolving. It banned and forced ottoman culture to diminish.

I am not saying we should live like ottomans, It should be another forced changing.

But we need a soft changing, It is already becoming, but need some govermental support.

All of our culture changed.

language, we know It is changed, our grandfather and us use different words, and alphabet changed. So we cannot say our langauge is same with ottomans.

history, Changed too. Infact half of our history is propoganda.

sports, changed, yes there is still yagl� p�nar but It is a rare event.

culture absolutely changed. Religion It is somewhat changed too.

No I am not saying we should return our glorified past, It was not much beauty, but we should built our link with our past. We need to cut it for Ataturk time, but now we should built it again. Specialy cultural link should be built. I dont want to be only a muslim European, we were ottomans, and now we are turk. What make us Turk is, our past, ottomans.

Something related to the subject, from today's radikal newspaper (in Turkish):

http://www.radikal.com.tr/haber.php?haberno=168292

The real question maybe why would Arabs care if Turks use Arabic or Latin script. If you can answer that question I bet you may get some answers to your original question

Well, not Turks of Anatolia though, they were just ignored and kept uneducated, but maybe Ottomans were some sort of dumb. They were using the alphabet of one of their subjects. And it wasnt even fitting our language, so Ottomans decided to make our language fit into that subject's alphabet!

We didnt. In fact we recreated it with Ataturk. Arabization did destroy it. Just like it did to the Persians, Sogdians or Libyans. Similar to what Greeks did to Romans, or the Byzanthine Empire did to Anatolians. Assimilation. But thanks God, noone could totally assimilate us...