Qayyum Nasıri's Views on the Tatar Language

Abstract

Kayyum Nasırî is one of the leading intellectuals of the Tatar modernization period. He tried to educate and raise awareness of the Tatar people with his works, activities and ideas. He has produced works in many fields. He tried to make the Tatar spoken language a written and literary language, so he made translations in Kazan dialect and wrote grammar books and dictionaries. The written and literary language of the Tatars during his time was the Chagatai language used by the Eastern and Northern Turks, in other words, the Central Asian Literary Turkish Language or, in Nevayî's words, Turkî Til. Nasırî tried to show that Tatar spoken language could be a written language through his works written in Tatar spoken language. In this study, Nasirî's life and works are included, and his views on the Tatar language are listed based on his works.