ELTE’s Department of Turkic Studies received a prestigious recognition

The Turkish Linguistic Society was established by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Turkish state, the Republic of Turkey, as a governmental body responsible for directing and coordinating the research, cultivation, and state language policy of the Turkish language. The society held its tenth congress in Ankara at the end of September, where it annually awards the "Turkish Language Service Award" (Türk Diline Hizmet Ödülü) to organizations and researchers distinguished in the education and research of the language.

The award honouring over 150 years of teaching and research at the ELTE’s Department of Turkic Studies was presented to Benedek Péri, a habilitated associate professor and director of the ELTE Institute of Oriental Studies, by Osman Mert, the president of the Türk Dil Kurumu, and Derya Örs, the president of the higher authority of the Linguistic Society (Atatürk Kültür, Dil ve Tarih Yüksek Kurumu). The event also featured a short film showcasing the department's history.

At the ceremony, an award was also presented to András Róna-Tas, the Hungarian linguist and orientalist who is a Széchenyi Prize winner; the award was received in his absence by Valéria Kicsi, the deputy ambassador in Ankara.