Türk Dili

Türk Dili is a monthly journal dedicated to the Turkish language and literature, published by the Türk Dil Kurumu (Turkish Language Association) since October 1951. It is one of Turkey's longest-running and most authoritative periodicals in its field, featuring essays, poetry, short stories, criticism, scholarly and popular articles on current issues of Turkish language and literature, as well as translations. The journal is published in Ankara and is owned by the Türk Dil Kurumu, a state institution. Its content spans literary genres and linguistic debates, making it a key platform for Turkish intellectual and cultural life. Over the decades, it has maintained a consistent monthly publication schedule, with occasional special issues and sections dedicated to prominent literary figures. The journal's editorial leadership has historically been tied to the presidency of the Türk Dil Kurumu; as of 2025, the owner and general publication director is Osman Mert, with Harun Şahin as responsible editorial manager and Uğur Mantu as editor. Since 2012, all issues have been made available online, and earlier issues from 1951 to 2011 have been digitized, providing open access to a vast archive of over 20,000 texts. The journal continues to be a vital reference for researchers, students, and enthusiasts of Turkish language and literature.

The journal Türk Dili traces its origins to a decision made at the First Turkish Language Congress on 5 October 1932, where it was resolved to publish a journal. On 3 January 1933, the General Assembly of the Turkish Language Association decided to name it Türk Dili. This early journal, considered the ancestor of the current Türk Dili and the Belleten journal (which began in 1952), published thirty-three issues between 1933 and 1938 before a two-year hiatus. It resumed in January 1940 under the name Türk Dili with the subtitle "Türkçe-Fransızca Belleten" (Turkish-French Bulletin). Publication was suspended again in late 1943, and in June 1945 it restarted as Türk Dili Belleten. At the Turkish Language Congress in November 1945, a proposal to launch a new journal was accepted but not acted upon until the next congress. In 1949, the topic was revisited, and Feridun Ankara proposed creating a journal to promote new words and terms in stories, novels, and newspapers. After debates at the 6th Congress, the decision was made to publish a new journal. Thus, the journal that had published sixty-eight issues between April 1933 and January 1950 was replaced by two separate publications: Türk Dili, which began in October 1951, and Türk Dili Araştırmaları Yıllığı-Belleten, first issued in 1953. The concession (imtiyaz) of Türk Dili was undertaken by the institution's president Hakkı Tarık Us, while the responsible directorship was assumed by general secretary Agâh Sırrı Levend. Levend continued to hold the ownership role on behalf of the institution for many years despite changes in the presidency. In the 302nd issue dated 1 November 1976, Agâh Sırrı Levend transferred ownership to Seha L. Meray, and Cahit Külebi became the responsible director. Subsequently, the ownership on behalf of the Türk Dil Kurumu passed to Şerafettin Turan in November 1976, Kemal Deriray in November 1983, Ahmet Ercilasun in 1995, Hamza Zülfikar in 2001, and then Şükrü Haluk Akalın. Between 2012 and 2018, the then-president Mustafa S. Kaçalin held ownership, followed by Gürer Gülsevin from 2018 to 2023. Since 2023, Osman Mert, as President of the institution, has also been the owner and general publication director. The journal's name was suggested by Falih Rıfkı Atay as "Türk Dili Aylık Fikir ve Edebiyat Dergisi" (Turkish Language Monthly Ideas and Literature Journal). For the first issue, a delegation from the Turkish Language Association visited President Celal Bayar to request an article; Bayar gifted them the blackboard on which Atatürk had worked on language studies, and his statement appeared on the second page of the first issue. The first issue contained no pictures or photographs. From the second issue onward, almost every issue featured several illustrations by Hüseyin Mumcu, who drew for Türk Dili for about ten years. The journal's subtitles evolved over time: "Aylık Fikir ve Edebiyat Dergisi" was used for over ten years until the 128th issue on 1 May 1962, when it changed to "Aylık Düşün ve Edebiyat Dergisi". In issue 145, it became "Aylık Dil ve Edebiyat Dergisi". The 266th issue on 1 November 1973 was a "Türk Dili ve Yazını Özel Sayısı" (Special Issue on Turkish Language and Literature), and the subtitle changed to "Aylık Dil ve Yazın Dergisi". In its 32nd year, with issue 384, the subtitle became "Aylık Dil Dergisi", which was used until issue 505 in 1994, when it changed to "Dil ve Edebiyat Dergisi". The journal has published special sections on figures such as Tarık Buğra (December 2018), Mehmet Âkif Ersoy and the Turkish National Anthem (March 2021), Yunus Emre and Turkish (September 2021), Rasim Özdenören (October 2022), Abbas Sayar (March 2023), and Şule Gürbüz (November 2024). It also organized an essay competition on "Cumhuriyet ve Türkçemiz" (The Republic and Our Turkish). From 1951 to 2011, 20,038 texts (articles, poems, news, announcements, etc.) from 717 issues were digitized and made accessible. Since 2012, all issues have been available on the journal's website.

• 2024

  Special section on Şule Gürbüz (November).

• 2023

  Osman Mert becomes owner and general publication director; special section on Abbas Sayar (March).

• 2022

  Special section on Rasim Özdenören (October).

• 2021

  Special sections on Mehmet Âkif Ersoy and the Turkish National Anthem (March) and Yunus Emre and Turkish (September).

• 2018

  Gürer Gülsevin becomes owner; special section on Tarık Buğra published in December.

• 2012

  All issues from 2012 onward made available online.

• 2001

  Hamza Zülfikar becomes owner.

• 1995

  Ahmet Ercilasun becomes owner.

• 1994

  Subtitle changes to 'Dil ve Edebiyat Dergisi' in issue 505.

• 1983

  Kemal Deriray becomes owner on behalf of the institution.

• 1976

  Ownership transferred from Agâh Sırrı Levend to Seha L. Meray; Cahit Külebi becomes responsible director.

• 1973

  Issue 266 is a special issue on Turkish language and literature; subtitle changes to 'Aylık Dil ve Yazın Dergisi'.

• 1962

  Subtitle changes to 'Aylık Düşün ve Edebiyat Dergisi' in issue 128.

• 1953

  Türk Dili Araştırmaları Yıllığı-Belleten first issued.

• 1951

  Türk Dili journal begins publication in October.

• 1949

  At the Turkish Language Congress, decision made to publish a new journal.

• 1945

  Resumed as Türk Dili Belleten.

• 1943

  Publication suspended again.

• 1940

  Resumed as Türk Dili with subtitle 'Türkçe-Fransızca Belleten'.

• 1938

  Publication suspended after 33 issues.

• 1933

  Journal named Türk Dili; first issue published.

• 1932

  First Turkish Language Congress decides to publish a journal.

A scholarly and literary monthly journal serving as the official publication of the Turkish Language Association, focusing on Turkish language and literature.

• Türk Dili monthly journal

  Monthly journal featuring essays, poetry, short stories, criticism, scholarly and popular articles on Turkish language and literature, and translations.

• Special issues

  Occasional special issues or sections dedicated to specific themes or literary figures.

• Digital archive

  Online archive of issues from 2012 onward, plus digitized texts from 1951–2011.

1. 1Türk Dili (dergi) - Wikipediatr.wikipedia.org
2. 2Türk Dili - Wikidatawikidata.org