Abstract
NUHBETÜ’L ETFÂL’İN ALFABE VE DİL ÖĞRETİMİNE KATKISI
Alphabet and language teaching is a fundamental form of education that has persisted since the dawn of humanity. Although the methods of this education have evolved over time, basic alphabet teaching and primary reading books remain crucial as the first step in learning a language. The aim of this study is to examine Nuhbetü’l Etfâl, an alphabet textbook with a significant place in the history of Ottoman language teaching, in terms of alphabet instruction and language education. Written in 1858 by Doctor Rüştü Bey of Kayseri, Nuhbetü’l Etfâl is considered the first Turkish alphabet textbook to hold a major position in Ottoman language education history. The book introduces a systematic and modern approach to teaching the foundations of literacy. In terms of alphabet instruction, the letters in the book are presented in different script styles used in Ottoman Turkish, providing a comparative demonstration of the characters. Following the teaching of letters, lessons on word and sentence formation are included. Starting from simple words consisting of a single consonant and a single vowel and progressing toward more complex word structures is significant for language teaching. In this study, which examines the impact of alphabet instruction on language teaching, a qualitative method has been adopted. The research object/document of the study is the alphabet textbook Nuhbetü’l Etfâl, written by Doctor Rüştü Bey of Kayseri and translated by Memduh Okulu. The data collection tool is document analysis, and the content analysis technique was used for data evaluation. Upon examining the elements of the source book, information was obtained at the level of both text and visuals. This work contributes to understanding the historical foundations of alphabet teaching methods and evaluating modern language teaching approaches from a historical perspective. The research provides valuable insights into the literature of historical language education and sheds light on the developmental process of alphabet teaching.
Keywords
Nuhbetü’l Etfâl, alphabet book, Doktor Rüştü Bey of Kayseri.
