Turkish is written using a modified version of the Latin alphabet introduced in 1928 by Atatürk to replace the Arabic-based Ottoman Turkish alphabet. The Ottoman alphabet marked only three different vowels—long ā, ū and ī —and included several redundant consonants, such as variants of z (which were distinguished in Arabic but not in Turkish). The omission of short vowels in the Arabic script was claimed to make it particularly unsuitable for Turkish, which has eight vowels.
The reform of the script was an important step in the cultural reforms of the period. The task of preparing the new alphabet and selecting the necessary modifications for sounds specific to Turkish was entrusted to a Language Commission composed of prominent linguists, academics, and writers. The introduction of the new Turkish alphabet was supported by public education centers opened throughout the country, cooperation with publishing companies, and encouragement by Atatürk himself, who toured the country teaching the new letters to the public. As a result, there was a dramatic increase in literacy from its original Third World levels.
Latin was applied to the Turkish language for educational purposes even before the 20th century reform. Instances include a 1635 Latin-Albanian dictionary by Frang Bardhi, who also incorporated several sayings in the Turkish language, as an appendix to his work (e.g. alma agatsdan irak duschamas – 'An apple does not fall far from its tree').
Turkish now has an alphabet suited to the sounds of the language: the spelling is largely phonetic, with one letter corresponding to each phoneme. Most of the letters are used approximately as in English, the main exceptions being <c>, which denotes [dʒ] (<j> being used for the [ʒ] found in Persian and European loans); and the undotted <ı>, representing [ɯ]. As in German, <ö> and <ü> represent [œ] and [y]. The letter <ğ>, in principle, denotes [ɣ] but has the property of lengthening the preceding vowel and assimilating any subsequent vowel. The letters <ş> and <ç> represent [ʃ] and [tʃ], respectively. A circumflex is written over back vowels following <k>, <g>, or <l> when these consonants represent [c], [ɟ], and [l]—almost exclusively in Arabic and Persian loans. An apostrophe is used to separate proper nouns from any suffixes: eg İstanbul'da 'in Istanbul'.
The specifically Turkish letters and spellings described above are illustrated in this table:
| Turkish spelling | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cağaloğlu | ˈdʒaːɫoːɫu | [İstanbul district] |
| çalıştığı | tʃaɫɯʃtɯˈɣɯ | where/that s/he works/worked |
| müjde | myʒˈde | good news |
| lâzım | laˈzɯm | necessary |
| mahkûm | mahˈcum | condemned |
Dostlar Beni Hatırlasın by Aşık Veysel Şatıroğlu (1894–1973), a minstrel and highly regarded poet in the Turkish folk literature tradition.
| Orthography | IPA | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ben giderim adım kalır | ben ɟid̪eɾim ad̪ɯm kaɫɯɾ | After I pass, my name remains |
| Dostlar beni hatırlasın | d̪ost̪ɫaɾ beni hatɯɾɫasɯn | May the friends remember me |
| Düğün olur bayram gelir | d̪yjyn oɫuɾ bajɾam ɟeliɾ | Weddings happen, holidays come |
| Dostlar beni hatırlasın | d̪ostɫaɾ beni hatɯɾɫasɯn | May the friends remember me |
| Can kafeste durmaz uçar | dʒan kafest̪e d̪uɾmaz utʃaɾ | Soul flies from the cage |
| Dünya bir han konan göçer | d̪yjja biɾ han konan ɟœtʃeɾ | World is an inn, settlers depart |
| Ay dolanır yıllar geçer | aj d̪oɫanɯɾ jɯɫːaɾ ɟetʃeɾ | The moon wanders, years go by |
| Dostlar beni hatırlasın | d̪ostɫaɾ beni hatɯɾɫasɯn | May the friends remember me |
| Can bedenden ayrılacak | dʒan bed̪end̪en ajɾɯɫadʒask | Body will be deprived of life |
| Tütmez baca yanmaz ocak | t̪yt̪mez badʒa janmaz odʒak | Hearth won't burn, smoke won't rise |
| Selam olsun kucak kucak | selaːm oɫsun kudʒak kudʒak | By armfuls, salutes I pass |
| Dostlar beni hatırlasın | d̪ostɫaɾ beni hatɯɾɫasɯn | May the friends remember me |
| Açar solar türlü çiçek | atʃaɾ solaɾ t̪yɾly tʃitʃec | Many blooms thrive and fade |
| Kimler gülmüş kim gülecek | cimleɾ ɟylmyʃ cim ɟyledʒec | Who had laughed, who'll be glad |
| Murat yalan ölüm gerçek | muɾat jaɫan œlym ɟeɾtʃec | Desire's lie, real is death |
| Dostlar beni hatırlasın | d̪ostɫaɾ beni hatɯɾɫasɯn | May the friends remember me |
| Gün ikindi akşam olur | ɟyn icindi akʃam oɫuɾ | Into evening will turn the days |
| Gör ki başa neler gelir | ɟœɾ ci baʃa neleɾ ɟeliɾ | Behold what soon will take place |
| Veysel gider adı kalır | βejsel ɟideɾ ad̪ɯ kaɫɯɾ | Veysel departs, his name remains |
| Dostlar beni hatırlasın | d̪ostɫaɾ beni hatɯɾɫasɯn | May the friends remember me |
