Linguist (b. 17 April 1899, Gence,
Azerbaijan – d. 6 January 1975, İstanbul). He also used the pen names A. Uran,
A. Caferoğlu, Dr. Cafer Ahmedoğlu, Dr. Ahmet Muhtar and Dr. Ahmet Salmaslı. He
attended secondary school in Semerkant (1908) and graduated from high school in
Gence (1916). He studied for three years at Kiev Higher School of Commerce and
then he returned to Azerbaijan and joined to the independence movement. He
continued for a short while at Baku University, Department of Turkish Language.
In 1920, after the invasion by the Soviet Army, he came to İstanbul. He
continued his studies at İstanbul University, Faculty of Literature and
graduated from there in 1924.
After one year, he was appointed to the
Institute of Turkology as an assistant. He went to Germany with a bursary from
the West German Government and did his PhD degree in this country (1929). His
thesis was Gence Ağzında Yetmiş
Azerbaycan Türküsü (70 Songs of
Azerbaijan in the Dialect of Gence). After he returned to Turkey, he was
appointed to İstanbul University Faculty of Literature as associate professor
of the Turkish language. He became a professor in 1938 and then he became the
Head of the Turkish Language and History Department (1946). Beginning from its
foundation, he was one of the active members of the executive committee of the
Turkish Language Association. He retired in 1973.
His various articles were published in
the reviews İ. Ü. Edebiyat Fakültesi Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı, and in
Azerbaijan Yurt Bilgisi (editor). He
became known for his studies about the history of the Turkish language,
dialects and the literature of Azerbaijan both in Turkey and abroad. He was
given an honorary doctorate by Ukraine University and was awarded by the
Spanish Government with the Alfonso X el Sabio Medal.
WORKS:
Kitabul İdrak li Lisan-il İdrak (Book of Intellect and Language of the Intellect, Abu Hayyan, 1931), Azeri Edebiyatında İstiklâl Mücadelesi (The Independence Struggle in Azerbaijan Literature, 1932), Türk Lisanı Tarihi Dersleri Tatbikat Nümuneleri (Example Lectures of Turkish Language History, 1932), Uygur Sözlüğü (Dictionary of Uighur, 3 volumes, 1934-38), İlk Türk Dilcisi Kaşgarlı Mahmud (Kaşgarlı Mahmut, the First Turkish Linguist, 1938), Azeri Türk Hayatında Bâtıl İtikatlar (Firm Beliefs in the Lives of the Azerbaijan Turks, 1938), Anadolu Dialektolojisi Üzerine Malzeme (Materials on Anatolian Dialectology, 2 volumes, 1940-41), Doğu İllerimiz Ağızlarından Derlemeler (Collections from Eastern Regional Dialects, 1951), Türk Dili Tarihi (The History of the Turkish Language, 2 volumes, 1958, 1964), Türk Kavimleri (Turkish Tribes, 1983).
REFERENCE: Türkiye Ansiklopedisi (c. 2, s. 428, 1974), Gülen Bilgiç / Kaybettiklerimiz: Prof. Dr. Ahmet Caferoğlu, 17 Nisan 1899 - 6 Ocak 1975" (1975), Atilla Özkırımlı / Türk Edebiyatı Ansiklopedisi (c. 1, s. 258-259, 1982), Büyük Larousse (c. 4, s. 2116-2117, 1986), Ana Britannica (C. 5, s. 237, 1987), İhsan Işık / Yazarlar Sözlüğü (1990, 1998) - Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2001, 2004) – Encyclopedia of Turkish Authors (2005) - 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 Fikri Sertkaya / “Caferoğlu, Ahmet” (TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, c. 7, 1993), Şükran Kurdakul / Şairler ve Yazarlar Sözlüğü (gen. 6. bas. 1999), TBE Ansiklopedisi (2001), Mehmet Nuri Yardım / Edebiyatımızın Güleryüzü (2002).