‘SPEAKING TURKISH LIKE AN EFFENDI’: ARMINIUS VAMBÉRY’S SELFREFLECTIONS ON HIS LANGUAGE SKILLS IN MID-NINETEENTH CENTURY ISTANBUL

This article shines a light on the nineteenth century Hungarian scholar, explorer, and polyglot Arminius Vambéry (c. 1832-1913) and his own reflections on his language skills during the several years he spent in Istanbul as a young man. It provides some brief information about the general importance of self-reflection, as well as a short biographical overview of Vambéry’s early life, contextualising his trip to the Ottoman Empire in the relevant historical setting. The source materials for Vambéry’s self-reflections are his two memoirs, published in English in 1883 and 1904 respectively, and which chronicle his adventures in great detail. Taking a case study approach, these texts are scrutinised with the aim of outlining how he viewed his own remarkable linguistic talents, as well as how he was able to utilise them to become well-known in Ottoman and diplomatic circles in mid-nineteenth century Istanbul, thereby paving the way for his future success.