Learning of native Crimean Tatar language should be highly motivated

15.08.201912:33

Recently after talking to youth and children, terrible thoughts have started coming to my mind. All of them are about the current condition of our native language in families. When you ask a child about his age or a year he is in school, he just claps eyes on you without understanding anything. For what on earth we have returned on our Motherland spending material and moral strength, losing lives broken down by the communist system, passing through camps and prisons? To disappear into Russian multi-ethnic people and to lose our mother tongue in third and fourth generation after being exhaled?

I know Uzbekistan till 1968 after what we with my removed to Crimea. We could study our native language only optionally and had the only newspaper called “Lenin Bayragi” (The flag of Lenin). Native speakers were very strong and all Uzbek people around us were like a vaccine for our children – an impetus to preserve the mother tongue. In 1966 Leading group of Bekabad even proclaimed a boycott to ” Lenin Bayragi” but it was only a tactical move in the struggle for returning home. Appointed by Party members we had to sign people to our national newspaper. Where can we find such a party nowadays that will call for a subscription of such newspapers like “Qirim”, “Yani Dunya” or magazines such as “Armanchik” or “Yildiz”?

When we, 13 Crimean Tatar families, came back on our Motherland we settled in Nekrasovo village Krasnogvardeyskiy district. We were almost isolated from our people but still were a part of soviet ones. We didn’t know when would all our people return and if they would return at all. In such circumstances here in Crimea we have created an action group whose aim was to encourage the return of Crimean Tatars and to save our families.

When my first granddaughters twins were born we did all our best to make them know their native language. At home, we were speaking only our language and demanded the same from our children saying that after crossing the threshold everybody had to speak only Crimean Tatar. It was impossible to isolate ourselves from Russian surrounding.

And then nature made a surprise for us: our granddaughters didn’t speak any language till they were four. They have created their own language and could talk to each other but we couldn’t understand them. And now I understand that it is wrong to make somebody speak some language by forсe. At the same time, that vaccine of the mother tongue gave good results. Our grandchildren grew up as patriots and up bring their children in the same way.

Bit what is happening now? Our people have mainly returned to Crimea, national schools and classes were opened, national newspapers and magazines are publishing. The fourth generation in our family – our greatgrandchildren – who know their native language perfectly just stopped speaking it after they started attending national schools and kindergartens. The question is: do we really need such national schools where even teachers themselves don’t know their native language well? Isn’t it a profanation of our national schools? Where are all those specialists in the Ministries, laboratories, refresher courses who simply waste their time working out some conceptions of our national education and who must do it? Moreover, it is doesn’t worth saying about deputies or members of public councils and their role in this issue. The only thing concerns them is the election. It seems that only Safure odzha ( teacher), Nariman Dzhelal and a few more people among intellectuals and teachers are interested in this topic. But unfortunately, they can’t influence on this situation. Our brothers from Kazan who were telling us about wonderful life in Russia in 2014 nowadays can’t help us. They have the same problems as we because there is a unique Jesuit politics in the sphere of education in Russia and the only aim is to assimilate all the nations. And they do it very well.

In learning the native language there should be a strong motivation. As an example, I would like to mention the Ukrainian gymnasium in Simferopol before 2014 when Russian, Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian children themselves were cramming the Ukrainian language to make their children studying there. Having passed a contest winners from all Simferopol were bringing their children for studying in the gymnasium. The only language of speaking there was Ukrainian and nobody complained about suppressing the rights of the Russian language. The motivation was getting a prestigious education and as a result – successful carrier in Ukraine. Can directors of our national schools do the same? I don’t think so. But what shall we do?

  1. Nowadays the most important is speaking the native language in our families.
  2. Probably we need our state where global “tatarization” should be held, like in 1930th.

I’m 90 years old. I’m ready to fight for all of this. Are you ready to be nearby?

p.s.: I’m writing this post in Russian however I could do it in amazing Crimean Tatar language using unique figures of speech of Eski Yurt. I’m writing in Russian for those who don’t understand their native language. Such discussions in the mother tongue don’t reach the majority of our children. Study…because we are losing our language. Next-generation will not know it.

Lutfi BEKIROV

Author’s opinion may not coincide with the opinion of the newspaper.

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