Redhouse's Turkish dictionary : in two parts, English and Turkish, and Turkish and English. In which the Turkish words are represented in the Oriental character, as well as their correct pronunciation and accentuation shown in English letters / by J.W. Redhouse.

  • Redhouse, James W. (James William), Sir, 1811-1892.
Date:
1880
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Redhouse's Turkish dictionary : in two parts, English and Turkish, and Turkish and English. In which the Turkish words are represented in the Oriental character, as well as their correct pronunciation and accentuation shown in English letters / by J.W. Redhouse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    has become prevalent in writing, especially in official documents, sentence on sentence being strung together into one, until the reader is at a complete loss to catch the writer’s meaning. Another mistake the Turks have made is in adopting Arabic and Persian words ad libitum ; so that to understand their language it is absolutely necessary to be acquainted with nearly all the words in the other two, and something of their grammars. Thus in reality to comprehend written Turkish you have to acquire three languages, in great part, instead of one. This fact, no doubt, is one great reason why so few Europeans have succeeded in mastering Turkish; and a Turk must study his own language many years before he can either read or write it properly. There are almost always in Turkish three names for everything—the original Turkish, the Arabic, and the Persian—and thus the student has a triple vocabulary to acquire. Had Persian and Arabic words been taken only when there was no Turkish word to express what was required, Turkish would have become an extremely rich and powerful language; but words having been adopted indiscriminately has led to a redundancy which is only embarrassing both to the native and the foreigner, while thousands of abstract but most useful words are still non-existent in Turkish. Notwithstanding, therefore, the enormous number of words to be found in a Turkish dictionary, it is an extremely difficult thing to express one’s self in Turkish on any civilised subject, or to translate any ordinary European work into it. Great progress, however, has been made during the last twenty years in simplifying the Turkish style, and in coining words to express scientific ideas. Ali Pasha and Fuad Pasha took the initiative in this matter, and they have since had many worthy imitators, such as Ali* Suavi Efiendi, Kemal Bey, and Zia Bey. The Imperial Military and Naval Colleges have also been most useful laboratories for the production of new words, the necessity for which was found in instructing the students in European arts and sciences, and in translating French and English works for them. A great number of very useful books have been prepared by the professors of those excellent institutions, and although generally not original, they are very creditable, and have done much good in shaping and improving modern Turkish. Some enlightened and unprejudiced officials, such as Said Pasha, who was Minister of Marine in 1878, and formerly Governor of the Naval College, * Ali Suavi Effendi, a well-known Turkish savant and a very able writer, was the editor of a Turkish newspaper, called the “ Mukhbir” ( published some years ago in London, to which I myself contributed, which aimed at introducing not merely political reforms into Turkey, such as parliamentary government, financial control, &c., but also recommended and inaugurated a reform of Turkish composition, orthography, &o., and the introduction of a clear and simple style similar to that approved of in most European languages.