Turkey reformed its language by dropping Arabic script
In 1928, Turkey boldly switched from the Arabic script to a Latin alphabet, transforming literacy, fostering national unity, and symbolizing a break from its Ottoman past.
In 1928, Turkey dramatically switched from the Arabic script to a Latin-based alphabet. Led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, this reform was key to modernizing the young nation after the Ottoman Empire's fall. The old Arabic script was phonetically challenging for Turkish, a language with unique sounds. A new 29-letter Latin alphabet, including special characters like 'ç' and 'ü', was created to better represent Turkish phonetics. This change boosted literacy rates from 9% to 20% in just eight years, empowering a generation and fostering national unity. Atatürk even personally taught the new alphabet nationwide, ensuring its rapid adoption.