Հակոբ Մարթայան (Դիլաչար) լեզվաբանը

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the life and activities of famous Armenian linguist, translator, historian, literary critic, pedagogue and reformer Agop Martayan. The particular focus of the article is on the cultural, scientific and educational reforms that took place in the republican Turkey, among which the transition from Arabic script to the Latin one was a prominent event where the famous linguist played a big role. Martayan had advised Mustafa Kemal on state building, especially on the matters of language building. This fact further emphasizes the importance of reflecting upon Agop Martayan's activities. The purpose of this article is to present and examine Martayan's personality, some episodes of his life and the reforms he made. The main aim pursued by the article is to illustrate Martayan's activities in the light of their benefit for Armenians. The study has applied a number of historical, biographical, inquiry and analytical methods. The analysis and comparison of the existing literature on the subject allow to conclude that the Armenian linguist has not only greatly contributed to the scientific and cultural establishments of the Turkish Republic, but also to the preservation of a developed national language of Turkey's local Armenian community by striving so that they did not lose their linguistic identity.