Ankara does not want its country to be confused with turkeys
The UN name for Turkey will now look different. Ankara demanded that the country now be called not English (Turkey) but Turkish (Türkiye). The main reason is to avoid confusing the name of the country with the turkey, because these words are the same in English.
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The Turkish government sent a letter to the UN formally requesting that the country be named Turkey, the state news agency said. According to The Guardian, the move is seen as part of Ankara's efforts to change the country's brand and separate it from the bird of the same name (Turkish means “turkey” in English) and its negative connotations.
Anadolu news agency said UN Secretary-General's spokesman António Guterres Stefan Dujarric acknowledged receipt of a letter from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The agency quoted Dujarrica as saying that the country's name change had taken effect “from the moment” the letter was received. Dujarric told the Washington Post: “It is not uncommon for us to receive such requests.”
In December 2021, Erdogan ordered that the word Türkiye be used to better represent Turkish culture and values, including the requirement that exported goods use the word “Made in Türkiye” instead of “Made in Turkey”. Turkish ministries have also started using the name Türkiye in official documents.
The Turkish government published an advertisement this year as part of its efforts to change the country's name in English. The video shows tourists from around the world saying “Hello Türkiye” in famous places.
The Turkish President's Public Affairs Office has launched a campaign “to better promote the use of” Türkiye “as the country's national and international name on international platforms. “
It is unclear, The Guardian notes that this name, with a letter that is not in the English alphabet, will be widely used abroad. In 2016, the Czech Republic officially registered its abbreviated name Czech Republic, and although some international institutions use it, many still refer to the country with the longer name.
the word “Turkey” stands out and is used by journalists who are still trying to get used to innovation.
TRT World explained its decision in an article published earlier this year, saying that a Google search for “Turkey” results in a “clutter of images, articles and dictionary definitions that identify a country with a bird served in the United States at a Christmas menu or dinner.” on Thanksgiving Day.
The authors of TRT World continue: “Look at the Cambridge Dictionary and you will see that 'turkey' is defined as 'something that goes wrong' or 'stupid person.'
< TRT World claims that the Turks prefer their country to be called Türkiye, "in line with the country's goals in determining how others should identify it."
Turkey is not the only example of a country's “rebranding”. Not so long ago, the renaming of this country to “Bharat” was the subject of special consideration by the Supreme Court of India. Proponents of the measure called for the word “India” to be removed from the constitution. The fact is that the name issue was lively discussed in the late 1940s, when India gained independence from Britain. In the name of India, many have seen the legacy of Britain's colonial past. As a result, after a heated debate, two country names were introduced into the constitution: India and Bharat. Proponents of the name change now say that “the removal of the English name, although symbolic, evokes a sense of pride in our nationality, especially for generations to come. Replacing the word “India” with the word “Bharat” would in fact confirm the stubborn struggle of our ancestors for freedom. “Maharlika”, which would throw away the memory of King Philip II of Spain.
In 2018, Swaziland, located in South Africa, was renamed the Kingdom of Eswatini. This was done both to strengthen national identity and to avoid the frequent confusion between the English names Switzerland and Swaziland.