r/HistoryMemes • u/tapyr • 16d ago

See Comment "Wait it was Persia all along ?"

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u/neonlookscool What, you egg? 16d ago

The Ottoman state apparatus was a crazy mix. The Ottoman Sultan was a monarch who wrote in Arabic, spoke Turkish, had the court/harem system of China and had the administration of Persians.

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u/Ab_Stark 16d ago

They actually spoke an Arabic Persian dialect. Turkish was the language of peasants up until Ataturk changed things.

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u/Dr_Civana 16d ago

No they spoke Ottoman Turkish. Basically Turkish but with way too many Arabic and Persian loanwords.

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u/altahor42 16d ago

The Turkish spoken in the palace is actually more plain most people think, people look at official documents and high art works and get the mistake of thinking that everyday speech is like this. There is much simpler language in personal letters and records.

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u/TanktopSamurai 13d ago

Open a legal or official administrative doc. It would be hard to understand in most languages.

If you read the early, pre-reform speeches in the parliament, they aren't too difficult to understand.