Mapping linguistic change: continuity and decline among Kurdish and Greek speakers in Republican Turkey, 1927–1965

This article examines the trajectories of Kurdish- and Greek-speaking populations in Republican Türkiye through a systematic analysis of population censuses conducted between 1927 and 1965. Drawing on provincial-level data and original spatial mapping, it traces both the distribution and transformation of these linguistic communities over time. The study approaches census data not as neutral representations, but as products of specific classificatory practices, particularly with regard to the definition of ‘mother tongue’ as the language spoken within the household. By taking these methodological limitations into account, the analysis focuses on long-term patterns and regional trends rather than isolated numerical fluctuations. The findings reveal divergent trajectories. Kurdish-speaking populations display a high degree of regional continuity, remaining concentrated in eastern Anatolia despite periods of state intervention and social change. In contrast, Greek-speaking populations experienced a sustained decline and increasing spatial fragmentation, a process that can be associated with demographic interventions and episodes of political tension, including the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey and the Istanbul Pogrom. By comparing these two cases, the article argues that linguistic homogenization in Republican Turkey did not follow a single trajectory, but rather involved distinct processes ranging from gradual assimilation to demographic rupture.