'On Common Alphabet in the Turkic World' Discussed at PAU

Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kutluhan, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Durmuş Akalın, Dean Prof. Dr. Yasemin Beyazıt, faculty members and students attended the conference titled 'Common Alphabet in the Turkic World' held at PAU Prof. Dr. İsmail Çetişli Conference Hall.

After a moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem, the opening speeches of the conference were delivered by Dean Prof. Dr. Yasemin Beyazıt and Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kutluhan respectively.

Dean Beyazıt: "I would like to thank our professors who put effort into the events and our students who participated"

Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Yasemin Beyazıt stated the following in her speech "Within the scope of this conference series, we wanted to include a topic related to the Turkic world. We especially preferred this. During this semester, both our faculty and our university have had great intensive activities. Very good speeches were made. Panels and conferences were held. As a faculty, especially our departments and dean's office have worked on a book, and we will soon organize a promotional event for it. I would like to thank our professors who made efforts for all these events and our students who participated. Today, there are also students from the Social Sciences High School among us. We are happy that they participated in this event and I would like to thank both our principal and our students for their participation. I hope that our event will be successful and I would like to thank our Rector and Vice Rector for their participation."

Rector Kutluhan: "As Pamukkale University, we have to turn one face to the west and one face to the east, to the ancestral homeland"

Pamukkale University Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kutluhan said the following in his speech "Within the framework of the 100th anniversary celebrations of our Republic, many of our faculties organized beautiful events. We are still continuing these activities. Their truly remarkable work in Humanities and Social Sciences has honored us and made us proud. Of course, today's meeting is a good meeting. We were there last week as well, and I would like to thank our Dean and Professor for organizing such a meeting. Turkic Republics are our ancestral homelands. As a university, we keep our relations with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan very close and as a result of this, our Institute of Islamic Sciences, Osh University and Uzbekistan Bukhari Research Institute have established very serious connections with the Uzbekistan Turkish Historical Board. We also held a workshop.  We also signed a very important agreement with Kazakhstan last week. This was the Bolashak agreement.

It is an agreement that allows students at the master's and doctoral level there to come to us through the Ministry of National Education. Apart from this, we have also signed bilateral agreements with Eurasia University and Ali Khan University. Of course, we need to evaluate these agreements. As Pamukkale University, we have to turn one face to the west and one face to the east, to the ancestral homeland. Of course, I signed the State University of New York dual diploma agreement with excitement. I would like to sign a bilateral diploma agreement with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan or another Turkic Republic as soon as possible. It is announced to our valuable professors, faculties, units and departments.  I wish all of you to go to the Turkic Republics. I read those books we read as children with the feelings of "I wonder if we can see those places?" and I had the chance to do so in the most beautiful way. One must wish to know it first. Where did we come from, who are there? There are Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz there. They all embrace us. They all want to be with us. Within this framework, many studies such as the Organization of Turkic States, Cultural Organization, Turkic States University Union are continuing at a very high level. We also need to create the infrastructure of these studies. At this point, today's topic is a common alphabet, and we hope we will see it before we die. At this point, we congratulate the work of Prof. Dr. Nergis Biray."

Following the opening speeches, Prof. Dr. Nergis Biray, Head of the Department of Contemporary Turkish Dialects and Literatures, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pamukkale University, made a presentation titled 'On the Common Alphabet in the Turkic World'.

Prof. Dr. Biray: "Turkish is the constructor and representative of the socio-cultural, national identity of Turks"

Prof. Dr. Nergis Biray emphasized the following in her presentation at the conference: "I would like to start with a good news about the Common Alphabet in the Turkic World, which is an issue that has been developing well recently. It is important for the entire Turkic world to create a common Turkish written language in order for the Turkic world to create a common communication language among themselves. Another aspect of this issue is that when we come together around a single Turkish written language, we will have the right to express ourselves in our own language in international organizations such as UNESCO. It is possible to briefly say the following about the common communication language or common language: It is through language that individuals in a society come closer to each other, unite around a common historical-cultural identity, and belong to a common identity. It is language that transforms people from being a herd into human beings, and after becoming a human being, it transforms them into an 'individual' and then into a 'linguistic community'. The constructor and representative of the socio-cultural, that is, national identity of Turks is Turkish. A Turk is someone who speaks Turkish, whose mother tongue is Turkish.