by Lutfi Osmanov, Crimean Tatars’ Initiative

In order to standardize the image of "soviet man," a unified alphabet based on the Cyrillic was introduced in the former USSR for all Turkic nations, which adversely impacted the preservation and development of this group of languages.

To address this problem, the 2nd Kurultai (National Assembly) of the Crimean Tatar nation met in Simferopol in 1991 and decided to translate national documents into the Latin alphabet. Accordingly, an international conference was held and a special commission assembled. After 2 years of work. the new Crimean Tatar alphabet, based on the Latin, was approved during a National Assembly session.

In 1995 the Crimea parliament passed a resolution that all translations into the new alphabet should be completed by 2002, and a special commission was assembled to establish the principal spelling and grammar rules. To date, the government has done nothing to accomplish this task.

Over ten years ago I began thinking about editing a journal in the Crimean Tatar language using the Latin alphabet. Since then, Crimean Tatar non-governmental organizations have published children's booklets and local newspapers. Polish foundations (FED and IDEE) have provided significant assistance, e.g., publishing the Crimean Sonnets by Adam Mickiewicz. In 1999, NGOs began publishing Odzhak, a magazine published in both the Russian and Crimean Tatar languages. Gyunsel (Sunny Day), another publications, is the first attempt to get readers accustomed to reading in the new alphabet. Moreover, it has also been the first attempt to provide a foundation for the comprehensive study of the language and its development.

The introductory article to the first issue of Gyunsel presents the basic rules for reading texts in the Latin alphabet. The issue also contains articles by philology professor Ismail Kerim on teaching specialized subjects in schools where Crimean Tatar is the obligatory language of instruction, the history of the national (Crimean Tatar) theater, a short biography of Amet Ozenbashla, the famous Tatar activist and writer who was officially repressed. The issue also contains fragments of Living Pages of the Past (a book by the same author), an advertisement for another book by the same author, The Life Story of Ismail Gasprinskii, (which will soon be published by the Rebirth of Crimea Foundation) and an article by a talented young scientist Nariman Abdulvaap entitled “The Crimean Writers of the Ottoman Empire.”

Alim Usein and Zarem Trasinov, well-known artists, prepared the cover pages and the final pages of the magazine contain a spelling dictionary with Russian translations. The journal has also started presenting the works of a13th century Crimean Tatar poet, Makhmud Kyrmla, which were prepared for publication by the distinguished linguist Kemalm Konurat. In addition, the journal contains verses by famous émigré-poets and a modern Tatar poet, Shakir Selim, and a series on the lives of the prophets has been launched.

The magazine is sponsored by the Center for Culture and Mutual Aid of the Crimean Tatars in Ankara and is published every two months in prints runs of 500 copies. The Rebirth of Crimea Foundation in Bakhchisaray prepares the magazine for print and distributes copies to university lecturers, teachers, students and libraries.