Şemseddin Sami’s Treatise of Astronomy Gök (Sky): An Effort towards the Formation of Turkish Scientific Language and Popularizing Science

After the modernization process that started in the 18^th gave a new orientation to the Ottoman Empire towards the West, simplifying and making Turkish the language of state, education and press became one of the most emphasized issues during the Reform Era (Tanzimat, 1839-1876). The simplification of language was deemed to be a social issue for the first time in this era, as the Ottoman intellectuals thought that advances in philosophical thinking, expansion of education and even diffusion of scientific knowledge would only be possible through a simplified language. Among those who succeeded in these efforts was Şemseddin Sami, well known for his multi-dimensional studies in the field of language and his remarkable lexicographic work.

This article introduces the Gök, a monograph written in simple language and style in 1879 by Şemseddin Sami. Gök is not a scientific work on astronomy. Rather, it attempts to introduce the readers to basic knowledge in astronomy and to inform them about the developments in this field. Therefore, Şemseddin Sami’s treatise Gök, along with his other works included in the Pocket Library edition can be understood as one of the first examples of popularization of science in the Ottoman Empire. Şemseddin Sami’s use of simplified language in popularizing science actually paved the way for further attempts at making Turkish the language of science at large. In a certain sense, Gök, which is analyzed in this paper, could be seen as Şemseddin Sami’s contribution, at the social level, to the academic endeavors of making Turkish language of science.