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| Memmed Riza Heyat |
Turkologist M. Riza Heyat evaluates the state policy regarding the Turkish language in Iran
Turkologist Məhəmməd Rza Heyat discussed the opening of the “Istanbul Turkish Language and Literature” department at Urmia University and the efforts of officials in the South to create a different “standard language” from the writing languages used in Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan in an interview with Voice of America. The editor of Varlıq magazine and a lecturer at Ankara University from the South emphasized that “Istanbul Turkish” is a wrong and unscientific term, and the “Tabriz dialect” does not possess the characteristics of a standard language.
Although he considers the naming of the department as incorrect, he defends the opening of the department as a useful and important step. According to Iranian media, after Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran, Urmia University also started the “Istanbul Turkish Language and Literature” program in the 2015-2016 academic year, with 30 students being admitted in the first term.
The Southern scholar states that these departments were opened based on agreements between the governments of Turkey and Iran.
"Both departments, and perhaps others that will be opened in the future, are beneficial for us. These are opened based on bilateral agreements between the two states, and therefore, they are generally located within the foreign language faculties of universities. The term 'Istanbul Turkish Language and Literature' is used to indicate that Turkish is a foreign language," he explains.
Heyat states that the department at Tabatabai University has continued its activities despite many challenges in the past 13 years. After graduating, some of the students go to Turkey and Azerbaijan for graduate and doctoral studies, where they further develop their skills.
The Southern Turkologist emphasizes that the teaching of "Old Turkish, Common Turkish, and the historical sources of the Turkish language" as well as the fact that the Turkish used in Turkey serves as a common communication language in the Turkic World are crucial points, making the activity of these departments extremely important and beneficial. According to him, learning Turkey Turkish also helps one learn a large part of Azerbaijani Turkish.
He points out the special significance of having this department at Urmia University and mentions that the decision on which universities will open such departments is partly based on the wishes of the country, i.e., Turkey.
He adds that Turkey has also requested such departments be opened at universities in other cities, including Tabriz, Zanjan, and even Shiraz. However, it is uncertain when these requests will be implemented.
Compared to the departments of Persian language in Turkish universities, departments of Turkish language in Iran are fewer in number and operate in fewer universities. Məhəmməd Rza Heyat attributes this to the Iranian government's stance on the Turkish language.
"Persian is not considered a security issue for Turkey. In other words, it is not viewed as a security concern. They open departments in the languages they need, including Persian. However, Turkish has been considered a security issue in Iran for 90 years. The political aspect of the issue is dominant," he explains.
With the operation of these departments at Urmia and Allameh Tabatabai universities, Heyat hopes that this security-oriented approach to language will be eliminated: "Through these bilateral agreements and the opening of such departments, perhaps the language issue will no longer be seen as a security issue, that fear will disappear, and serious research in Turkology can be conducted."
A lecturer at Ankara University, specializing in Contemporary Turkish Dialects and Literature, also mentions that the term "Istanbul Turkish" used in naming a program in Turkish universities is academically and scientifically incorrect.
He states, "Turkey Turkish is a dialect of the general Turkish language... If a separate department were opened for each dialect, there would need to be 30 different departments in a single university. I have never seen anything like this in the world. It has no scientific explanation and may be politically interpreted; we see these dialects as separate independent languages, which implies that none of them are Turkish."
According to the Southern scholar, if the issue were not viewed politically, the operation of such departments could develop much better:
"If these departments were named 'Turkish Language and Literature,' both Azerbaijani and Turkish dialects could be taught there. In the future, other Turkic dialects could also be included. In this department, works such as Divanu Luğati-t-Türk or the Gokturk period could also be taught, and you cannot call these 'Turkey Turkish.'"
The Ankara University lecturer also explains how the Turkish language and literature departments function at Turkish universities:
"In Turkey, there are two different departments. One is the traditional Turkish Language and Literature department, where various periods of the Turkish language, historical dialects, and contemporary dialects are studied. The other department, opened after the collapse of the Soviet Union, is the Contemporary Turkish Dialects and Literature department. These also have various sub-disciplines."
The editor of Varlıq magazine also evaluates the statements of local authorities, particularly recent comments by employees of the Azerbaijan Culture and Art Foundation in Iran, who are attempting to create a "standard" language based on the dialect spoken in Tabriz.
He emphasizes that attempts to create a standard language for Turkish, a language with an ancient written history, are "nothing but an attempt to politicize and disrupt the matter."
"Creating such a new standard language might be appropriate for languages that do not have a written tradition, but raising such an issue with languages like Turkish and Arabic is, in my opinion, an attempt to politicize and disrupt the matter," he adds.
"Furthermore, the Tabriz dialect cannot become a standard language for several reasons. First, the Tabriz dialect has been distorted due to policies over the past 90 years. Second, as a dialect, it does not fully adhere to the rules of our Turkish language. In Turkey, when the Istanbul dialect is used, it is the most developed dialect. However, in Iran, speaking from a developed dialect today would be a comical thing after 90 years of assimilation," he concludes.
The Southern Turkologist states that all these attempts are part of a policy to deny the Turkish language and Turkish identity:
"The main issue here is the naming of our language; they do not accept us as Turks and our language as Turkish. However, they are helpless. Furthermore, they lose the trust of our people, who continue to call their language Turkish. When they say 'Azeri,' it is not accepted by any citizen."
He believes that the solution to these problems lies in studying the language, literature, and history without political considerations:
"Here, it is necessary to refer to the sources, to listen to what the people say, and to study our language, literature, and history without adding any political matters, even without involving Turkey or Northern Azerbaijan in the issue."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Güneydə ‘meyar dil’ - ‘Təbriz ağzı’ və ‘İstanbul Türkcəsi’ mövzuları