turkisch

Turkisch is the German term used to describe things related to Turkey or to the Turkish language. In standard German, the spelling is Türkisch, with an umlaut over the u; it is used as both an adjective (türkische Küche) and a noun referring to the Turkish language (das Türkisch). The form turkisch without the umlaut may appear in non-German texts or in older spellings, but Türkisch is the preferred form in German.

Turkic languages form a language family that spans a broad area from Eastern Europe to Siberia and Central Asia. Turkish is the most widely spoken member of this family, concentrated mainly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus, with substantial communities in Europe and elsewhere. Turkic languages share typological features such as agglutination and vowel harmony.

Historically, Turkish evolved from Oghuz Turkic varieties. Ottoman Turkish used a Perso-Arabic script until the language reform of 1928, when Turkey adopted a Latin-based alphabet and began standardizing modern Turkish. This reform affected literacy, education, and national identity.

Beyond language, Turkisch or Türkisch relates to Turkish culture, cuisine, literature, and arts. The Turkish people form the core population in Turkey, while large diasporas exist in Germany, the Netherlands, France, and other countries. The term is widely used in academic, journalistic, and everyday contexts to denote things connected to Turkey or Turkish language and culture.