Post by meltdown711 on Oct 20, 2007 1:01:43 GMT -5
In Albanian he is known as Sami Frasheri, while in the Ottoman Empire he was known as Fraserli Şemseddin Sami Bey. He was an Ottoman noble who lived for most of his 54 years in Istanbul(dying there in 1904). For us Albanians he is remembered as a staunch nationalist and as a man who had great influence in the development of Albanianism. However he had a great interest in the Turkish language, printing a Turkish dictionary(Kamus-i Turki). This was his third publication and one of his last(published in 1899). Here is an excerpt from a book Im currently reading:
His third publication in 1899 seemed so out of character with the clandestine work on Albanianism because it significantly contributed to the development of Turkism. As far back as the early 1880, Şemseddin Sami had an abiding interest in the Ottoman language. On 2 November 1881, he published an article entitled "The Ottoman Turkish Language" in which he argued that Ottoman was essentially a Turkish language. This theme continued in articles published through the 1890. In these articles, Şemseddin Sami championed the simplification of the imperial Ottoman language and its replacement by spoken Turkish, ridding the language envisaged the rise of modern (colloquial) Turkish from the disintegration of Ottoman (imperial), a development that would benefit all.
His linguistic views on the Turkish language reached a crescendo on 3 December 1899 with the publication of the first two volumes of Kamus-i Turki. In the introduction, Şemseddin argued for Western or Ottoman and Eastern or Cagatay being essentially one language -- Turkish. Western Turkish had absorbed many Arabic and Persian words unnecessarily, not to mention Greek and Italian. For Şemseddin, the dictionary was the treasure of a language, and Turkish needed its own to preserve the beauty of the language, just as other languages had their own dictionaries. Interestingly, throughout his introduction, Şemseddin Sami embraced Turkish as "our language". But how was he to square this Turkism with Albanianism.
Despite the Turkish focus of Kamus-i Turki Şemseddin Sami remained true to his Albanian roots. Entries included Arnavud, Arnavudca, Arnavudluk, besa, Lap, Toska, and Toskalik. Most interestingly, in one valume, Kamus-i Turki provided two definitions for Arnavudluk: first, "Albanian race or nationality(cinsiyet) and membership in this race or nationality" and second, the "country"(memleket) of Albania encompassing the vilayet of Kosova, Iskodra, Monastir and Yanya. Albanianism, or more specifically those qualities of being an Albanian, encapsulated the meaning of the first term. The author provied an example of a sentence using the word in this sense: "He is not denying his Albanianism/Albanian-ness"(Arnavudlugunu inkar etmiyor). Through prohibited by the state from writing in Albanian, Şemseddin Sami proudly affirmed his ethnic identity. It was, at the least, a personal statement of an enduring commitment to Albanianism.
Labeling the language as Turkish or national, rather then Ottoman or official, served to foster a national identity among Turks. If Şemseddin Sami had his way, Abdulhamid would stress Ottomanism over Islam and thereby expanding the parameters of the cultural pluralism within the empire...
On 18 June 1904, three years after the publication of Kamus-i Turki, Şemseddin Sami passed away. Diverse groups and individuals gave him homage and claimed him as their own. The anti-Hamidian newspaper Osmanli, published in Geneva, ran a full front-page obituary describing him as a great humanitarian and scholar, one "who honored Ottomanism (Osmanlilik)." Albanians view him as a patriot, and Şahin Kolonya embarked on his translation of Albania: What She Has Been, What She is, What She Will Be. On the other side of the spectrum, Yusuf Akcura (1876-1933), a contemporary and a proponent of Turkism, regarded him as a Turkish nationalist. Recently, an Ottoman historian described his complex identity thus: "Sami considered himself a 'Turk' because he was a member of the Ottoman state, and he saw no conflict between his Ottoman political identity and Albanian ethnicity."
Crescent and Eagle: Ottoman Rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874-1913 by George Gawrych pages 127-128
His third publication in 1899 seemed so out of character with the clandestine work on Albanianism because it significantly contributed to the development of Turkism. As far back as the early 1880, Şemseddin Sami had an abiding interest in the Ottoman language. On 2 November 1881, he published an article entitled "The Ottoman Turkish Language" in which he argued that Ottoman was essentially a Turkish language. This theme continued in articles published through the 1890. In these articles, Şemseddin Sami championed the simplification of the imperial Ottoman language and its replacement by spoken Turkish, ridding the language envisaged the rise of modern (colloquial) Turkish from the disintegration of Ottoman (imperial), a development that would benefit all.
His linguistic views on the Turkish language reached a crescendo on 3 December 1899 with the publication of the first two volumes of Kamus-i Turki. In the introduction, Şemseddin argued for Western or Ottoman and Eastern or Cagatay being essentially one language -- Turkish. Western Turkish had absorbed many Arabic and Persian words unnecessarily, not to mention Greek and Italian. For Şemseddin, the dictionary was the treasure of a language, and Turkish needed its own to preserve the beauty of the language, just as other languages had their own dictionaries. Interestingly, throughout his introduction, Şemseddin Sami embraced Turkish as "our language". But how was he to square this Turkism with Albanianism.
Despite the Turkish focus of Kamus-i Turki Şemseddin Sami remained true to his Albanian roots. Entries included Arnavud, Arnavudca, Arnavudluk, besa, Lap, Toska, and Toskalik. Most interestingly, in one valume, Kamus-i Turki provided two definitions for Arnavudluk: first, "Albanian race or nationality(cinsiyet) and membership in this race or nationality" and second, the "country"(memleket) of Albania encompassing the vilayet of Kosova, Iskodra, Monastir and Yanya. Albanianism, or more specifically those qualities of being an Albanian, encapsulated the meaning of the first term. The author provied an example of a sentence using the word in this sense: "He is not denying his Albanianism/Albanian-ness"(Arnavudlugunu inkar etmiyor). Through prohibited by the state from writing in Albanian, Şemseddin Sami proudly affirmed his ethnic identity. It was, at the least, a personal statement of an enduring commitment to Albanianism.
Labeling the language as Turkish or national, rather then Ottoman or official, served to foster a national identity among Turks. If Şemseddin Sami had his way, Abdulhamid would stress Ottomanism over Islam and thereby expanding the parameters of the cultural pluralism within the empire...
On 18 June 1904, three years after the publication of Kamus-i Turki, Şemseddin Sami passed away. Diverse groups and individuals gave him homage and claimed him as their own. The anti-Hamidian newspaper Osmanli, published in Geneva, ran a full front-page obituary describing him as a great humanitarian and scholar, one "who honored Ottomanism (Osmanlilik)." Albanians view him as a patriot, and Şahin Kolonya embarked on his translation of Albania: What She Has Been, What She is, What She Will Be. On the other side of the spectrum, Yusuf Akcura (1876-1933), a contemporary and a proponent of Turkism, regarded him as a Turkish nationalist. Recently, an Ottoman historian described his complex identity thus: "Sami considered himself a 'Turk' because he was a member of the Ottoman state, and he saw no conflict between his Ottoman political identity and Albanian ethnicity."
Crescent and Eagle: Ottoman Rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874-1913 by George Gawrych pages 127-128