Linguist (b. 1898, Gaziantep –
d. 30 October 1993). He completed his primary and elementary education at Antep
Secondary School and Gaziantep Commercial High School (1916). Discontinuing his
education in medicine, he joined the National Armed Forces. He worked as a
teacher and officer for a time. He took part in the defense of Gaziantep and
worked as the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Halk Dili (1924). After he graduated from İstanbul University,
Faculty of Law in 1928, he worked as a prosecutor in Nizip (1928-31), a lawyer
in Gaziantep (1931-1955), as a Turkish teacher in Gaziantep High School
(1933-35) and Provincial Chairman of the Republican People’s Party in Gaziantep
(1931-36). He was the Gaziantep parliamentary deputy between 1935 and 1950. He
completed his duty as the General Secretary of the Turkish Language Association
in 1976.
He was known for his support for
the purification of the Turkish language and works on language and folklore.
His articles were published in the review Türk
Dili. His life was portrayed in a documentary movie. He was given the title
of honorary professorship by Gaziantep University in 1991. He won the Turkish
Authors Association Honorary Award in 1993 and the Ministry of Culture Superior
Services to Turkish Culture Award in 1993.
WORKS:
STUDY-RESEARCH: İmlâmıza,
Sarf ve Nahivimize Dair (On Our Spelling Grammar and Syntax, 1925), Gaziantep
Dilinin Tetkiki (Study on Gaziantep Language, 1933), Hasip Dürrî
(Hasip Dürri, 1933), Gaziantep’te Eti Eserleri (The Hittite Works in
Gaziantep, 1934), Öztürkçe Dersleri (Pure Turkish Language Courses,
1935), Gaziantep Ağzında Sentaks Araştırmaları (Syntax Research in the
Dialect of Gaziantep, 1936), Bir Dili Öğrenmek İçin En Lüzumlu Kelimeler
(The Most Necessary Words in Order to Learn a Language, 1936), Güneş Dil
Teorisi ve III. Türk Dil Kurultayı (The Sun Language Theory and the 3rd
Turkish Language Congress, 1937), Aydî Divanı (Divan* of Aydi, 1937),
Gaziantep Ağzında Atasözleri (Proverbs in the Dialect of Gaziantep, 1941), Hasırcıoğlu
Hafız Mehmet Ağa (Hasircioglu Lord Hafiz Mehmet, 1941), Gaziantep Ağzı
(The Dialect of Gaziantep, 3 volumes, 1945-46), Hasan Ayni ve Nazm-ül-Cevahir
(Hasan Ayni and Lines of Jewelry, 1959), Mütercim Asım (Translator
Asım, 1962), Dil Devriminin 30. Yılı (The 30th Anniversary of the
Language Revolution, collaborative work, 1962), Atatürk ve Dil Devrimi
(Atatürk and the Language Revolution, 1963), Dil Yanlışları (Mistakes in
Language, 1980), Yine Dil Yanlışları (Mistakes in Language Again, 1985).
DICTIONARY-COLLECTION:
Deyimler / Takım Sözler / Meşhur Sözler (Idioms
/ Compound Words / Famous Words, 1940), Örneklerle
Tarama Sözlüğü (Digest Dictionary with Examples, collaborative work, 1942),
Tanıklarıyla Tarama Sözlüğü (Digest
Dictionary with Witnesses, 4 volumes, with D. Dilçin, 1943-57), Söz Derleme Dergisi (Review of Word
Collocations, collaborative work, 1952-57), Anayasa
Sözlüğü (Dictionary of the Constitution, 1961), Derleme Sözlüğü (Compilation Dictionary, collaborative work,
1963-67), Tarama Sözlüğü (Review
Dictionary, collaborative work, 1963-77), Atasözleri
ve Deyimler (Proverbs and Idioms, 1965), Yeni Yazım Kılavuzu (The New Spelling Guide, 1970), Ana Yazım Kılavuzu (The Main Spelling
Guide, 1987), Atasözleri Sözlüğü (Dictionary
of Proverbs, 1971), Deyimler Sözlüğü (Dictionary
of Idioms, 1989).
ESSAY: Dil Üzerine Düşünceler Düzeltmeler (Thoughts on Language and
Corrections, 1962), Dil Devrimi Üzerine (On
the Revolution of Language, 1967), Gelişen
ve Özleşen Dilimiz (Our Developing and Purifying Language, 1968), Özleştirme Durdurulamaz (The
Purification Cannot Be Stopped, 1969), Dil
Gerçeği (The Reality of Language, 1982).
POETRY: İki Damla Gözyaşı (Two Teardrops, 1918).
OTHER: Halkevleri Konuşmaları (Speeches at the People’s Houses, 1938).
MEMOIR: Türkçe
Bir Hayat (A Life in Turkish, with the presentation by Emin Özdemir, 1999).
