HAN’GŬLIZATION AND ROMANIZATION: TWO MODELS OF SCRIPT CHANGE by TIMOTHY WAYLAND ALFORD DOUGLAS LIGHTFOOT, COMMITTEE CHAIR JOHN PETROVIC, COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR ERIN O’ROURKE MICHAEL PICONE BEDRETTIN YAZAN A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA 2019 Copyright Timothy Wayland Alford 2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT Script change is a branch of language planning and language policy. To assist language planners and policy makers with their endeavors, I have performed a Qualitative Research Synthesis to determine if the Han’gŭlization of Korean and the Romanization of Turkish are two distinct models of script change and if one model is more useful than the other. After describing language planning and policy making, I define script change, operationalize the terms used in the field, and discuss its history, its causes, and factors. Then, I explain the methodology and detail how I use it. Next, there are case studies of the language communities which exemplify the two models of script change: Korean representing the evolutionary one and Turkish the revolutionary. Following that, there are selected studies regarding the status of each script change. Current research on Korean asks who should receive credit for the revaluation of Han’gŭl; for Turkish the concern is national identity reconstruction along neo-Ottomanist lines. The data extracted from the selected studies are used to identify themes and sub-themes for producing a synthesis and a comparative analysis. My conclusion is that the answers to my questions are in the affirmative: the two models are distinct, and one is more useful than the other. ii DEDICATION I would like to preface my dedication with a statement of the stance which I bring to my research and to the writing of this dissertation. I am performing a Qualitative Research Synthesis (QRS) on the data which I gathered. An important aspect of being a qualitative research synthesist is to take a careful, deep, attentive, and interpretive stance toward my topic, and to be honest regarding that stance. QRS researchers are also encouraged to be frank regarding their own biases, methodologies, and research processes. Therefore, in accordance with my stance as a qualitative research synthesist, I am disclosing that I am an avowed member of the Bahá’í Faith, and that the teachings which I follow are attuned to the sociopolitical commitment to social equality and social justice which are evinced by practitioners of QRS. Having made the above statement, I now dedicate this dissertation to the Universal House of Justice, the supreme administrative body of the Bahá’í Faith, because of the inspiration which I have derived from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of that Faith, the Báb, His Precursor, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Perfect Exemplar and Center of the Covenant, and Shoghi Effendi, its Guardian. It is my hope that this dissertation may prove to be of service to the Universal House of Justice in its future deliberations regarding a universal auxiliary language and its accompanying script. In the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh we read, the well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded. (n.d.-a) iii This selection inspired me to choose a counsel from among the many proffered in the Bahá’í writings, and to work towards its fulfillment as my contribution to the establishment of the well- being, peace, and security of humanity. I found that counsel in the following quotation, also from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. The day is approaching when all the peoples of the world will have adopted one universal language and one common script. When this is achieved, to whatsoever city a man may journey, it shall be as if he were entering his own home. These things are obligatory and absolutely essential. It is incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding to strive to translate that which hath been written into reality and action. (n.d.-b.) This dissertation is my attempt to translate the counsel of “one common script” into “reality and action”. I also dedicate this work to my family who made it possible for me to pursue my goal of earning a doctoral degree: my wife, Aghdas, our daughters and sons-in-law, Ginous and Anis, Neda and Nathan, Ruha and James, and our grandchildren, Otis Wayland Long, Artemis Quinn Tacey, and Ramona Louise Long. Finally, I remember my parents, Eunice Lee Ray and H. Bennett Alford, Sr. My mother taught me to always begin with the most difficult task and see it to its conclusion. My father, I believe, planned for me to become a linguist and adopted the acquisition policy of providing me with educational opportunities for acquiring the love of world languages. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BCE Before the Common Era CE Common Era FAWL Facts About the World’s Languages GGK Government General of Korea JDP Justice and Development Party MoNE Ministry of National Education MT Modern Turkish LPLP Language Planning and Language Policy OT Ottoman Turkish PA Perso-Arabic QRS Qualitative Research Synthesis RoT Republic of Turkey RPP Republican Peoples Party TDK Turkish Language Society (Turk Dil Kurumu) TLI Turkish Language Institute USA United States of America USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I have completed my dissertation thanks to the assistance of the following people: my committee co-directors, Douglas Lightfoot and John Petrovic, for shepherding me through the pre-prospectus, prospectus, and dissertation process; the members of my committee, Erin O’Rourke, Michael Picone, and Bedrettin Yazan, for their guidance, suggestions, critiques, and the questions they contributed to my doctoral examination; William Worden, the Director of Spanish Graduate Students; Bryan Koronkiewicz, the Spanish Language Program Director; Isabelle Drewelow, the French Language Program Director; the Graduate School of the University of Alabama for its excellent seminars on writing and publishing a dissertation, for its financial support to attend conferences, and for the 2016 Dissertation Retreat; my professors at the University of Alabama for the inspirational courses they taught; my fellow Graduate Teaching Assistants who oriented me and coordinated my activities when I arrived at the University of Alabama, and who accepted my orientation and coordination when they arrived; my Spanish and French students who treated me with respect and confirmed me in my vocation; the staff of the Modern Languages and Classics Department for their logistical, clerical, and moral support; the administration, my colleagues, and my students at the Altamont School for supporting and encouraging me; the Tuscaloosa Bahá’í community and friends of the Faith for their fellowship, support, understanding, and prayers; my assistants who helped me in my capacity as member of the Auxiliary Board by performing my duties when my dissertation prevented me from doing so; my friends and neighbors for their understanding and encouragement; my language teachers from my elementary school, high school, college, and vi graduate school years; my college advisor, D. Royce Boyer, for guiding me academically, musically, and personally through those four years, then becoming my friend for life; my youngest daughter, Ruha Tacey, for technical assistance with statistics and tables; my middle daughter, Neda Long, for editing assistance with citations and references; and my eldest daughter, Gigi Alford, for, among many other things, introducing me to the Library of Congress! vii CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ..........................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xi INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 LANGUAGE PLANNING AND LANGUAGE POLICY............................................................12 Language Planning.............................................................................................................15 Language Policy.................................................................................................................16 SCRIPT CHANGE ........................................................................................................................19 Script Technology ..............................................................................................................20 Causes and Factors of Script Change.................................................................................26 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................38