Description

These is a series of scarce Azerbaijani newspaper, the first one to promote the new script.

The script used in the newspapers is a so called Yañalif, which was the first Latin alphabet used during the latinisation in the Soviet Union. It was invented in the early 1920s by the Soviets to isolate the Muslim inhabitants from the Arabic-Islamic world and religion, and in the case of Azerbaijan also its natural alliance with Iran. The first reforms were made in 1922 and the script was officially introduced in 1923 in Baku at a Congress of Turcology. By 1930, all the not-Slavic language in the Soviet Union, 69 in total, were forced to adopt versions of this script.

The newspaper was published by the Committee of the New Turkic Alphabet. The newspapers include articles on the new alphabet, politics, illustrations and caricatures. One caricature mocks the Perso-Arabic writing with one dropping of a fly changing the meaning of the word.

We could not find any institutional examples on Worldcat.

References: Betül Aslan, Atatürk Üniversitesi Atatürk İlkeleri ve İnkıläp. Tarihi Enstitüsü. Azerbaycan’da Latin Alfabesi’ne Geçiş Sürecinde Yeni Yol Gazetesi, 2004. Cem KARAKILIÇ – Oğuzhan AYDIN, Atatürk Üniversitesi Türkiyat Araştırmaları Enstitüsü Dergisi. Azerbaycan da latin alfabespne geçiş sürecinde Yeni Yol gazetesi, 43, 2010, pp. 181-203.