Statesman and writer (b. 1904, Drama /
Greece – d. 3 March 1989, İstanbul). He also used Dermend as a pen name. He
graduated from İstanbul High School for Boys (1926) and Istanbul University,
Faculty of Arts (1930). He worked as a teacher at Ankara Gazi Institute of
Education for a while and then he received his doctorate degree on the old
Ottoman language in Germany (1932-36). When he returned to Turkey, he was
appointed as associate professor of Turkish language at Ankara University, Faculty
of Language, History and Geography. In 1943, he was elected parliamentary
deputy for Bingöl at the National Assembly. Between 1948 and 60 he worked as
the Minister of National Education.
From 1955 to 1959 he lectured on
Comparative Turkish Languages in London. From 1961 to 1968, he served in the
Republican Senate as the Senator of Edirne. After being discharged from the
Republican People’s Party, he became a member of the New Turkey Party and was
general director of the party for a while. He was a director at the Turkish
Language Institute (1960-63) and at the Public Houses (1963-66) for a while. In
1971 he left political life, and concentrated on scientific studies. In 1985,
he received the Grand Service Award from the Writers Union of Turkey together with
Bekir Sıtkı Sezgin.
MAIN
WORKS:
Süheyl ü Nevbahar (Süheyl and Nevbahar, Leipzig, 1938), Anahatlarıyla Türk Grameri (Turkish Grammar Fundamentals, 1940, 1979), Dil Bahisleri (Issues of Language, vol. 1.: 1941, vol. 2: 1942), Devlet Dili Türkçe Üzerine (About the Language of the Turkish State, 1945), Türk Grameri I (Turkish Grammar I, 1951), Ses Bilgisi (Knowledge of Sound, 1959), Çocuk Katliamı (Massacre of Children, 1965), Türkçe'nin Grameri (The Grammar of Turkish, 1974), Kendimize Geleceğiz (We Will Recover Ourselves, 1985).
REFERENCE: Milliyet Büyük Larousse Sözlük ve Ansiklopedisi (cilt 3, s. 1293, 1986), Atilla Özkırımlı / Türk Edebiyatı Ansiklopedisi (c.1, s. 188, 4. bas., İstanbul 1987), M. Ertuğrul Düzdağ / Nâhoş Sadalar (Zaman, 25.8.1989), İhsan Işık / Yazarlar Sözlüğü (1990, 1998) - Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2001, 2004) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007) – Ünlü Bilim Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013), Osman F. Sertkaya / TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (c. 5, 1992), Şükran Kurdakul / Şairler ve Yazarlar Sözlüğü (gen. 6. bas. 1999), İhsan Işık / TEKAA (2006), Remzi Demir - Doğan Atılgan / Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi ve Türkiye’de Beşerî Bilimlerin Yeniden İnşası - Elli Portre (2008).
