Old Anatolian Turkish language

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July 1, 2026

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Old Anatolian Turkish is the predecessor to Ottoman Turkish and the modern Turkish language. It was introduced to Anatolia by Seljuk Turks in the late 11th century CE. This language gradually incorporated many Arabic and Persian words and grammatical structures, and was written using the Arabic script.1

The Turkish language family is part of the Altaic language group. From a linguistic development perspective, Old Anatolian Turkish falls within the period of 13th to 16th centuries. In 1928, after the establishment of the Turkish republic, the Arabic script was replaced by the Latin alphabet, leading to significant language reforms aimed at purifying the Turkish vocabulary.1

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Turkish language
…Turkish and its predecessor, so-called Old Anatolian Turkish, which was introduced into Anatolia by the Seljuq Turks in the late 11th century ce. Old Turkish gradually absorbed a great many Arabic and Persian words and even grammatical forms and was written in Arabic script. After the founding of the Turkish…
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…Turkish and its predecessor, so-called Old Anatolian Turkish, which was introduced into Anatolia by the Seljuq Turks in the late 11th century ce. Old Turkish gradually absorbed a great many Arabic and Persian words and even grammatical forms and was written in Arabic script. After the founding of the Turkish…
Read More