Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) hosted a conference entitled "Our Language is Our Identity" organized under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and held by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Turkish Language Association (TDK) and the International Association of Culture, Language and Literature (UKDE).
The conference was held in the conference hall of OMU Distance Education Center (UZEM) with the participation of Assoc. Prof. Mahir Kalfa, Academician in the Department of Turkish Language Training of the Faculty of Education at Hacettepe University Faculty, Deputy Rector Prof. Mehmet Ali Cengiz, Ömer Pamuk, Deputy Director of Samsun Tourism and Culture Department, Experts from Turkish Language Association, UKDE Representatives, academic and administrative staff and numerous students. Before the conference, introductory film on 2017 Turkish Language Year was also shared with participants.
The opening speech of the conference was made by Ömer Pamuk, Deputy Director of Tourism and Culture Department, and he emphasized the importance of the Turkish language. He also said, " The year 2017 was declared as Turkish Language Year with a decision taken under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in order to draw attention to the problems and their solutions as a result of the changes observed in the last few centuries in Turkish language, which is one of the most significant languages in the world and which has a deeply rooted history covering thousands of years. "
In this context, Deputy Director Pamuk underlined that numerous activities on science, culture and arts were organized together with other stakeholders under the leadership of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the Turkish Language Association in 2017, which was announced to be Turkish Language Year, and he remarked: "the conferences entitled "Our Language is Our Identity" are held in 7 regions of Turkey and at 14 universities in order to create an awareness on the issue".
Then Deputy Rector Prof. Mehmet Ali Cengiz made a speech, and he stated that they were very happy to host such a meaningful and valuable activity. He also expressed "Our geography comprises a wide area and our culture is a vast and archaic culture. Therefore, we should know the richness of our language, and we should be sensitive in this issue. I would like to thank everyone . "
After the opening speeches, Assoc. Prof. Mahir Kalfa made etymological analyses on certain words and he explained the meanings and origins of the words to the audience. He also emphasized that the researches in the field of Turkish Language should master different languages in order to have a say in the field of etymology.
Assoc. Prof. Kalfa reminded that temporary and fashionable words and phrases are used in different circles in different periods, and he emphasized that Turkish was a strong language. Assoc. Prof. Kalfa remarked: "some words and phrases are entered into our language with the influence of the series on television. There was a series called 'Avrupa Yakası'. There was a lady saying "Oha filan oldum yani" (to express her surprise). But if you use the same expression today, people will laugh at you. As it is seen, these expressions are temporary, they are fashion. Nothing will happen to Turkish because it is one of the strongest languages in the world. The verbs in the Turkish Language are quite strong. Other words seem to go away from time to time, but nothing will happen as long as the verbs of a language remain intact.
Assoc. Prof. Kalfa also pointed out that parents should be careful while naming their children. Kalfa explained this situation with some specific names: "For example, 'Gülden' means flower vase. Parents give this name to their children. Therefore, we need to be very careful while naming our children. In the same way, there is no need to select names that will influence our children's future. Maybe the child will not choose the same path. Then what are you going to do? In short, people should not choose names without knowing their meanings."
Assoc. Prof. Mahir Kalfa concluded his words by thanking the participants. He also presented his gratitude to Ondokuz Mayıs University and the Directorate of Tourism and Culture that hosted him in Samsun .
After the conference, Deputy Rector Prof. Mehmet Ali Cengiz presented the sapling certificate to the guest academician Mahir Kalfa. Kalfa also received a gift from Ömer Pamuk, Deputy Director of Tourism and Culture Department.
Story: Sinan Akdoğan
Photography: Gökhan Çetin
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