Turkey, or Türkiye as it is now known, has been making headlines recently over its request for the English spelling of its name to be changed worldwide But what’s behind this change, and are Turkiye and Turkey actually the same place?
A Rose By Any Other Name
Turkiye and Turkey do indeed refer to the same country The Turkish people have called their nation Türkiye since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 The name “Turkey” was applied by Westerners centuries earlier and derives from the name for the guinea fowl, which was imported to Europe via Turkish merchants.
So Turkey has always just been an exonym – the name given to a place by outsiders. The change to Turkiye brings the English name in line with what Turkish citizens themselves use. It’s less a name change than a spelling correction.
Why The Change Now?
The Turkiye rebrand seems to be part of a wider policy by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to strengthen Turkish nationalism and put clear water between the modern Turkish state and its Ottoman history.
Erdogan’s government claims the name change avoids confusion with the bird turkey. But many commentators believe burnishing Erdogan’s nationalistic credentials is the real aim, diverting attention from Turkey’s economic woes.
Wider Trends
Turkey’s – sorry, Turkiye’s – move is far from unique. Decolonization saw many exonyms replaced across Asia and Africa. Burma becoming Myanmar in 1989 is a classic example, shaking off the name attached by British colonizers.
In the Internet age, branding and language politics go hand in hand. Côte d’Ivoire requested it be known as Ivory Coast no more in 2016. And Macedonia settling its naming dispute with Greece by becoming North Macedonia in 2019 resolved a major identity issue.
What Changes?
For most of us, using Turkiye rather than Turkey will take some getting used to. The country will still be represented by TUR at the Olympics and the .tr domain remains the same. Tourism brands like Turkish Airlines face an uphill struggle transitioning to a new global identity.
Diplomats and state officials are the only ones currently required to use Turkiye. Erdogan may struggle to get ordinary citizens worldwide to adopt the change. But however superficial, these rebrands matter to national identity. Turkiye sees regaining control of what it’s called as a matter of national pride.
Turkish people have called their country Türkiye for many years, and their government would like the rest of the world to catch up.
News audiences are noticing something different about the way some newsreaders are pronouncing the name of this country. Source: Getty / Darrell Gulin
- Turkey has been spelled and pronounced Türkiye (Tur-kee-yeah) in Turkish since the country became a republic in 1923.
- The country began a push for the rest of the world to adopt the same spelling and pronunciation in 2021.
- Last year, the country became known as Türkiye to the United Nations.
