Andreas Tietze
Encyclopedia
Andreas Tietze was a world-renowned Austrian
Turcologist and one of the founders of Turkic
studies in the United States
. He was educated in Vienna
and built his career in, respectively, Istanbul University
, Turkey
, where he had taken refuge from the Hitler
regime; and then in the University of California, Los Angeles
, where he was emeritus professor of Turkish
in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, as member of the department from 1958 to 1973 and chairman from 1965 to 1970; and finally the University of Vienna
.
Tietze was born in Vienna on 26 April 1914, the son of prominent art historians. He studied history and languages at the University of Vienna from 1932 to 1937, when he received his doctorate
. A diary of two trips he made to Anatolia
n Turkey during his student days remains one of the primary firsthand accounts by foreign visitors on the life in countryside in the early days of the Turkish Republic.
, Andreas Tietze moved to Istanbul
in 1937 and joined there many other prominent German
and Austrian émigré scholars who had found refuge in Turkey during the mid-20th century, to the utmost and still well-remembered benefit of the host country. He was employed as a lecturer
in German
in Istanbul University from 1938 to 1952, and as lecturer in English
from 1953 to 1958.
In addition to his teaching, he was an editor of a series of 16 titles, Istanbuler Schriften, that also included the first reader for foreign students of Turkish language that he had co-written, Türkisches Lesebuch für Auslaender (1943). He was also an active researcher of the Turkish folk literature
and he took part as co-editor and contributing translator on the Orientalist
Hellmut Ritter’s three-volume study of the Turkish shadow puppet theater, Karagöz. He also became deeply involved in lexicography
and prepared a Turkish-German dictionary, also with Ritter. From 1946 to 1958 he directed the American Board Publication Office project to revise the original James Redhouse
English-Turkish Dictionary of 1861 and the companion Redhouse Turkish-English Dictionary of 1890. He also co-authored an etymological dictionary
of Turkish nautical terms of Italian
and Greek
origin, "The Lingua Franca in the Levant
", aimed to demonstrate the linguistic-cultural unity of the Mediterranean Sea
.
at UCLA, one of the first appointments in the field of Near Eastern Languages at the university, and in 1960 he became Professor of Turkish. To meet the needs of his students, he published two readers
which are still used by students today. While at UCLA, Professor Tietze also authored numerous articles and continued his research on folklore. Comparing the oldest collection of Turkish riddles, those found in a section of the 14th-century Codex Cumanicus
, with related riddles from other Turkic sources, he described a new vision of this early work in "The Koman Riddles and Turkic Folklore". With the folklorist İlhan Başgöz he compiled "Bilmece: A Corpus of Turkish Riddles", a large collection of the genre based on the efforts of several leading scholars. With his colleague Avedis K. Sanjian, Professor of Armenian
, he edited Eremya Çelebi Kömürcüyan's Armeno-Turkish Poem "The Jewish Bride", a 17th-century work significant for its revelations about the vernacular Turkish of Istanbul in the second half of that century and about the relations between the different religious communities in the turbulent period following the appearance of the self-styled Jewish
Messiah
Sabbatai Zevi
. In recognition of his outstanding qualities as a teacher, he received a Distinguished Teaching Award in 1971. Throughout his tenure at UCLA Professor Tietze was instrumental in building up the holdings of Turkish and Ottoman
books and manuscripts at the University Research Library (now the Young Research Library), making it one of the largest collections of such works in the United States and the largest in the Western world
.
's Description of Cairo
of 1599 and the same author's Counsel for Sultans of 1581.
Following his retirement in 1984, Professor Tietze continued to teach at the University of Vienna as well as at Boğaziçi University
in Istanbul. In 1991 he published an annotated transcription of Vartan Pasha
’s Akabi Hikayesi (1851).
In his final years Professor Tietze embarked on the major project of a historical and etymological dictionary of the Turkish language of Turkey. Although he lived to see the publication of only the first volume of the projected seven-volume work, additional letters were ready for publication at the time of his death. Professor Tietze received numerous awards for his service to the field, including four Festschriften in his honor.
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
Turcologist and one of the founders of Turkic
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
studies in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was educated in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and built his career in, respectively, Istanbul University
Istanbul University
Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.- Synopsis :A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. An institution of higher education named the...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, where he had taken refuge from the Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
regime; and then in the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, where he was emeritus professor of Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, as member of the department from 1958 to 1973 and chairman from 1965 to 1970; and finally the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
.
Tietze was born in Vienna on 26 April 1914, the son of prominent art historians. He studied history and languages at the University of Vienna from 1932 to 1937, when he received his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
. A diary of two trips he made to Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n Turkey during his student days remains one of the primary firsthand accounts by foreign visitors on the life in countryside in the early days of the Turkish Republic.
Istanbul
With the Nazi advance in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Andreas Tietze moved to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in 1937 and joined there many other prominent German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
and Austrian émigré scholars who had found refuge in Turkey during the mid-20th century, to the utmost and still well-remembered benefit of the host country. He was employed as a lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
in Istanbul University from 1938 to 1952, and as lecturer in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
from 1953 to 1958.
In addition to his teaching, he was an editor of a series of 16 titles, Istanbuler Schriften, that also included the first reader for foreign students of Turkish language that he had co-written, Türkisches Lesebuch für Auslaender (1943). He was also an active researcher of the Turkish folk literature
Turkish folk literature
Turkish folk literature is an oral tradition deeply rooted, in its form, in Central Asian nomadic traditions. However, in its themes, Turkish folk literature reflects the problems peculiar to a settling people who have abandoned the nomadic lifestyle...
and he took part as co-editor and contributing translator on the Orientalist
Orientalism
Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
Hellmut Ritter’s three-volume study of the Turkish shadow puppet theater, Karagöz. He also became deeply involved in lexicography
Lexicography
Lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries....
and prepared a Turkish-German dictionary, also with Ritter. From 1946 to 1958 he directed the American Board Publication Office project to revise the original James Redhouse
James Redhouse
Sir James William Redhouse KCMG authored the original and authoritative Ottoman - English dictionary. He was commissioned by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions for his dictionary...
English-Turkish Dictionary of 1861 and the companion Redhouse Turkish-English Dictionary of 1890. He also co-authored an etymological dictionary
Etymological dictionary
An etymological dictionary discusses the etymology of the words listed. Often, large dictionaries, such as the OED and Webster's, will contain some etymological information, without aspiring to focus on etymology....
of Turkish nautical terms of Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
origin, "The Lingua Franca in the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
", aimed to demonstrate the linguistic-cultural unity of the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
Los Angeles
In 1958, Professor Tietze became Associate Professor of Turkish and PersianPersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
at UCLA, one of the first appointments in the field of Near Eastern Languages at the university, and in 1960 he became Professor of Turkish. To meet the needs of his students, he published two readers
Basal reader
Basal readers are textbooks used to teach reading and associated skills to schoolchildren. Commonly called "reading books" or "readers" they are usually published as anthologies that combine previously published short stories, excerpts of longer narratives, and original works...
which are still used by students today. While at UCLA, Professor Tietze also authored numerous articles and continued his research on folklore. Comparing the oldest collection of Turkish riddles, those found in a section of the 14th-century Codex Cumanicus
Codex Cumanicus
The Codex Cumanicus was a linguistic manual of the Middle Ages, designed to help Catholic missionaries communicate with the Cumans, a nomadic Turkic people. It is currently housed in the Library of St. Mark, in Venice ....
, with related riddles from other Turkic sources, he described a new vision of this early work in "The Koman Riddles and Turkic Folklore". With the folklorist İlhan Başgöz he compiled "Bilmece: A Corpus of Turkish Riddles", a large collection of the genre based on the efforts of several leading scholars. With his colleague Avedis K. Sanjian, Professor of Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
, he edited Eremya Çelebi Kömürcüyan's Armeno-Turkish Poem "The Jewish Bride", a 17th-century work significant for its revelations about the vernacular Turkish of Istanbul in the second half of that century and about the relations between the different religious communities in the turbulent period following the appearance of the self-styled Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
Sabbatai Zevi
Sabbatai Zevi
Sabbatai Zevi, , was a Sephardic Rabbi and kabbalist who claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. He was the founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement...
. In recognition of his outstanding qualities as a teacher, he received a Distinguished Teaching Award in 1971. Throughout his tenure at UCLA Professor Tietze was instrumental in building up the holdings of Turkish and Ottoman
Ottoman Turkish language
The Ottoman Turkish language or Ottoman language is the variety of the Turkish language that was used for administrative and literary purposes in the Ottoman Empire. It borrows extensively from Arabic and Persian, and was written in a variant of the Perso-Arabic script...
books and manuscripts at the University Research Library (now the Young Research Library), making it one of the largest collections of such works in the United States and the largest in the Western world
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
.
Vienna
Professor Tietze returned to Vienna University in 1973 to occupy the Chair in Turcology. In the same year he assumed the editorship of the journal Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes, a leading European journal for Near Eastern studies. In 1975, he started to co-edit a referential resource for students of lands under Ottoman rule: the Turkologischer Anzeiger, an extensive annual international multilingual bibliography covering all aspects of Turkish and Ottoman life. During his Vienna years, Professor Tietze published the text, transcription and annotated translation of two important Ottoman Turkish sources for the history and culture of the Ottoman empire in the 16th century: Mustafa AliMustafa Ali
Gelibolulu Mustafa Âlî bin Ahmed bin Abdülmevlâ Çelebi was an Ottoman historian and bureaucrat of Croatian ancestry. He wrote the earliest known biography of Ahmed Bican. He also wrote poetry and essays on religious and other subjects. Prof...
's Description of Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
of 1599 and the same author's Counsel for Sultans of 1581.
Following his retirement in 1984, Professor Tietze continued to teach at the University of Vienna as well as at Boğaziçi University
Bogaziçi University
Boğaziçi University is a public university located on the European side of the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey. It has five faculties and two schools offering undergraduate degrees, and six institutes offering graduate degrees...
in Istanbul. In 1991 he published an annotated transcription of Vartan Pasha
Vartan Pasha
Vartan Pasha was an Ottoman Armenian statesman, author and journalist of the 19th century, promoted to the rank of "Pasha" after three decades in the service of the state...
’s Akabi Hikayesi (1851).
In his final years Professor Tietze embarked on the major project of a historical and etymological dictionary of the Turkish language of Turkey. Although he lived to see the publication of only the first volume of the projected seven-volume work, additional letters were ready for publication at the time of his death. Professor Tietze received numerous awards for his service to the field, including four Festschriften in his honor.