Today, the degradation of the Turkish language in education, business life, and digital platforms is increasing day by day. Instructor Selçuk Duman, Director of Üsküdar University Turkish Teaching Application and Research Center (ÜSTÖMER), stated that the widespread “plaza language” in the business world, the rapidly spreading use of emojis on social media, and rapidly consumed digital content are weakening the expressive power of Turkish.
Selçuk Duman emphasized the importance of preserving language awareness, saying, “As vocabulary weakens, thought also becomes shallower. Simplification of language is one thing, its impoverishment is another.”
Duman noted that learning new words strengthens not only communication skills but also personal development, stating, “Learning new words is one of the most powerful mental exercises that expands the brain's limits and increases its flexibility.”
Instructor Selçuk Duman, Director of Üsküdar University Turkish Teaching Application and Research Center (ÜSTÖMER) and Turkish Language Department; made striking statements regarding the "plaza language" that has taken over the business world, the emoji culture on social media, and the damage caused by digital content to the language.
Turkish is degrading in education and business life
Stating that the degradation of Turkish is most prominently observed in education and business life, Instructor Selçuk Duman said, “What we call plaza language, a strange jargon in which English words are randomly sprinkled into Turkish sentence structures, has unfortunately taken corporate identity hostage. Furthermore, the use of foreign and oddly forced language on shop signs in streets and avenues also damages the visual memory of the language. Our mother tongue, Turkish, which is 'our mother's milk,' is treated as a second-class language even in its own homeland, and this situation severely harms the prestige of our language.”
Insistent use of foreign words with Turkish equivalents is uprooting the language
Noting that the insistent use of foreign words that do not conform to the mathematics and harmony of the language, and which also have Turkish equivalents, is uprooting our language, Instructor Selçuk Duman said, “Words are not just forms consisting of sound; they carry a historical burden, and when you use a foreign word unnecessarily, you sever that historical bond. Over time, this breaks the derivational power and system of Turkish, reducing the language to a mere communication tool and destroying its aesthetic depth.”
Social media language is based on speed and emojis
Selçuk Duman stated that the speed-oriented structure of social media also causes a significant transformation in language, saying, “Because social media operates in a speed-focused manner, this rapidly abstracts the language from grammatical rules and courtesy. This medium, where vowels are omitted and emotions are confined to emojis instead of profound words, blunts our expressive ability. A fragmented and stunted communication language, unable to convey its message in full sentences and solely focused on reactions, unfortunately, poses a risk of becoming a permanent habit, especially among young people.”
People who do not know words cannot think
Emphasizing that there is a very strong connection between language and thought, Selçuk Duman said, “People who do not know words cannot think; because words are the building blocks of thought, and the human mind can only have an horizon as wide as the number of words it knows. We cannot classify an emotion or thought in our mind if we don't know its name or cannot conceptualize it. The richer the language, the more layered the thought becomes. As vocabulary weakens, thought becomes shallower, subtleties disappear, and a person's worldview narrows.”
New words develop the mind
Selçuk Duman stated that learning new words strengthens not only communication skills but also personal development, saying, “Learning new words is one of the most powerful mental exercises that expands the brain's limits and increases its flexibility. It doesn't just enable better speaking; it also increases our ability to perceive and analyze events, and our empathy. A person whose conceptual world is enriched defines themselves and their surroundings more accurately. This awareness is undoubtedly the most fundamental and solid step in personal development.”
Reading is the strongest source of vocabulary
Emphasizing that the most effective way to develop vocabulary is reading habit, Selçuk Duman said, “Reading is a journey to the natural habitats of words and nurtures vocabulary by teaching it within context, not by memorization. A word learned only from a dictionary might be forgotten, but a word woven into a story, blended with emotion, is etched into the mind. Quality reading activates our passive vocabulary and allows us to experience lives and emotions we have never lived, through words.”
Digital content limits vocabulary
Selçuk Duman stated that a large part of today's popular digital content is produced with a "fast consumption" logic, saying, “Videos and short texts filled with clichés, revolving around the same 200-300 words, accustom the mind to laziness and ease. The superficial digital writing world, apart from literary and scientific texts with depth of meaning, creates an effect that erodes and monotonizes the richness of the language.”
The habit of using a dictionary is still very important
Selçuk Duman stated that dictionary use has become even more important in today's world of increasing information pollution, saying, “In an era where information pollution has increased so much, reaching the correct form and root of a word is a responsibility. Quickly searching online is not the same as examining a dictionary entry. A dictionary shows the root, relatives, and nuances of a word. For anyone who wants to keep their curiosity alive, think subtly, and use language properly, a dictionary is an indispensable companion that fosters a sense of effort.”
Simplification is one thing, impoverishment is another
Selçuk Duman also touched upon the issue of simplification, which is often brought up in language discussions, saying, “Simplification is to purify the language by ridding it of incomprehensible, unnecessarily ornate burdens. Impoverishment, on the other hand, is to barren the language by discarding words that convey meaning. For example, the words ‘ihtimal’ (possibility/chance), ‘olasılık’ (probability), ‘imkân’ (opportunity/possibility) all contain meanings with different nuances. Discarding them and reducing them to a single word would not be simplicity, but shallowness. Simplification is to remove the sediment of the language; impoverishment is to dry out and extinguish the language. It is necessary to clearly see this vital difference.”
