Abstract:

After the decrowning of Abdulhamid II. in the beginning of XX century which was the shortest period in the Ottoman history, there have been immense changes in Turkish culture and thought life. The liberty atmosphere emerged with the declaration of II. Constitutional Monarch in 1908 decreased the pressure on the intellectuals and media organs during a period of autocracy. Thus, there was an environment for the emergence of new and different ways of thinking. One of these and the most important one is the New Language movement created around Genç Kalemler (Young Writers) Magazine. New Language movements that aim to eliminate the dichotomy between written and spoken language in 1911 also brought various debates. New Language movement was triggered by Ömer Seyfettin. His letter to his friend Ali Canip spread the first seeds of the New Language. However, the frame was completed when Ziya Gökalp joined them. New Language supporters regarded simplification of the language by eliminating the foreign elements such as Arabic and Persian as a matter of identity. Due to this reason, New Language supports who experienced various writing battles chased grouping when they formed their identities and emphasised their own identities over the “other”. Especially arguments with Servet-i Fünun (Wealth of Science) and their attitudes towards Fecr-i Ati clearly reflect their desired identity, national language and national consciousness. In this study, in addition to reflecting their identity with strong arguments of New Language supporters, the purpose is to explain sociologic issues such as grouping and prejudice based on this movement and to concretise though the environment of that period.