Turkey, known officially as the Republic of Türkiye, is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe With over 84 million inhabitants, it is one of the largest countries in Europe and Western Asia
As such a large and historic nation, Turkey has a diversity of names used to describe its people and culture. In this article we’ll explore the proper and most commonly used terms for Turkish people and things relating to Turkey.
Turk
The most common demonym used for people from Turkey is simply “Turk”. This is an ethnicity and nationality term that can be used as both a singular and plural noun. For example:
- He is a Turk from Istanbul.
- There were many Turks in the bazaar.
Turk refers broadly to an ethnic Turkic person from Turkey, or a Turkish citizen regardless of ethnicity. It does not denote a specific regional or religious identity
Turkish
“Turkish” is a common adjective used to describe people and things from Turkey. For example:
- She speaks Turkish fluently.
- I love Turkish delight candy.
- He follows Turkish culture and traditions.
Turkic
Turkic refers to the larger ethno-linguistic group and language family that extends across much of Central Asia, parts of Eastern Europe, and some areas in Western China. People described as Turkic share cultural ties and linguistic origins, but are not necessarily from the modern country of Turkey.
Anatolian
Anatolian refers to something related to the Anatolian peninsula, which contains the majority of modern Turkey. It has historical and geographical connotations. For example:
- The Anatolian coast has beautiful beaches.
- He studied the ancient Anatolian civilizations.
Istanbulite
Istanbulite is a term for a person from Istanbul, the largest city and cultural capital of Turkey. This demonym denotes a regional identity, not a nationality.
Misconceptions
Some people mistakenly use the term “Turkic” to describe Turkish people or things. But as explained above, Turkic refers to a larger ethno-cultural group across Central Asia.
Others may use outdated terms like “Ottoman” or “Byzantine” to describe Turks and Turkey. Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, these terms are obsolete and inaccurate.
So next time you meet someone from Turkey, you can confidently refer to them as Turkish or a Turk! Though no matter what term is used, the vibrant culture of Turkey shines through.
Türkiye is the latest country to attempt a rebrand. What motivated the move?
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Turks have called their country Türkiye since the country declared its independence in 1923.
Türkiye wants its name back.
Nearly 100 years after becoming an independent republic, the country more widely known globally by its Western name, Turkey, is moving to reclaim its rightful identity on the global stage.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month announced an official rebranding, saying “The phrase Türkiye represents and expresses the culture, civilization and values of the nation in the best way.”
He also instructed that all goods made in the country be labeled as “Made in Türkiye,” something many brands have been doing since the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly called on its members to make the change in 2000.
Some media outlets reported that the name change, which Erdogan said would be used in all formal communications and has been adopted across its government websites, is being made to simply distance itself from the bird that graces American Thanksgiving tables and the even less glamorous dictionary and slang definitions of “turkey” as “something that fails badly” or a “dud” or “fool.”
Locally, it seems the Turks don’t really care. Turks have called their country Türkiye (which is pronounced almost the same as Turkey but with a soft “e” on the end) since the country declared its independence in 1923 after the Ottoman Empire was dismantled following its defeat in World War I. But Turkey stuck in English translations, even within the country itself.
While some government officials applauded Erdogan’s announcement on social media, others made jokes, painting it more as a symbolic—yet ineffective—distraction as Erdogan preps for the 2023 elections amid a widespread political and economic crisis.
Ata Benli, a popular social media personality, joked that “the move would bring the lira back down to 5 to the dollar.” The Turkish lira slid almost 8 percent against the dollar last month and currently stands at 13.8 to the dollar. Others joked that it was the only recent move by Erdogan that wouldn’t help the falling exchange rate.
The Turkey Whisperer || ViralHog
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