The New Turkish

Extract

I Have before me a cartoon by that talented Turkish caricaturist, Cemal Nadir, whose untimely death took place early this year. It represents a school mistress pointing to a blackboard on which is chalked a “plus” sign (+). She asks a child what the sign is called. The child replies: “Well, three years ago it was called cem, two years ago it was zait, last year it was toplama; I really don't know what they are calling it now.”