The United Nations has decided to alter Turkey’s name to Türkiye, after the global organisation approved a formal request for the change. The UN said it received a request from Ankara earlier this week, and the modification was implemented shortly after. The UN’s endorsement of the name change kicks off a similar process of adoption by other international agencies and organisations.
Last year, the process of changing the country’s name began. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country’s president, said in a statement in December 2021 that the word “Turkiye” “better embodies and conveys the Turkish nation’s culture, civilisation, and values.”
Turkiye is the local name, but the anglicised variant ‘Turkey’ has become the worldwide name for the country.
Last year, the state broadcaster TRT produced a study outlining some of the reasons behind this. The name ‘Turkey’ was chosen after the country gained independence in 1923, according to the document. “Europeans have referred to the Ottoman state and afterwards Turkiye by a variety of names over the years. The Latin “Turquia” and the more common “Turkey” are the names that have lasted the most, according to the survey.
There were, however, further justifications. The Turkish government, it appears, was dissatisfied with the Google search results for the phrase “Turkey.” The big turkey that is served for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in North America was one of the effects.
The government has also objected to the Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of the term “turkey,” which is defined as “anything that fails miserably” or “a dumb or foolish person.”
This unflattering association dates back centuries, when “European colonisers set foot in North America, they ran into wild turkeys, a bird that they mistakenly assumed was similar to the guinea fowl, which was native to eastern Africa and imported to Europe through the Ottoman Empire,” according to TRT.
The government has launched a significant rebranding drive, with the phrase “Made in Turkey” appearing on all exported goods. According to the BBC, the government also began a tourist campaign in January this year with the slogan “Hello Türkiye.”
However, according to the BBC, while government loyalists favour the initiative, given the country’s economic difficulties, it has found few takers outside of that group. It might also serve as a diversion as the country prepares for elections next year.
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