Turkish Press: Project shows Turkish people’s distance from native minority languages

Emil Lazarian 2018
Hurriyet Daily News. Turkey
Jan 4 2018


A trailer for an EU-backed project reveals just how distant Turkish speakers are from the Armenian, Greek, Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) and Syriac languages native to the country.

The trailer shows volunteer participants trying to guess languages they are listening to on headphones, with many voicing regret that they cannot distinguish between them.

The project under the motto “Bridging the gap, building together a common future” by Rumvader, an association of Turkey’s minority Greek community, is supported by the Greek, Armenian, Sephardi and Syriac communities.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS