OKeeffe - Beginners Turkish Language Course

Beginners Turkish Language Course Written and Illustrated by Hanife Hassan OKeeffe Turkoise Publications

Copyright 2015 Hanife Hassan OKeeffe. All rights reserved.

For Andrew, James and Ayla

Acknowledgements I would like to thank my husband Andrew, and children James and Ayla, for their patience and support whilst writing this book, it is very much appreciated. I particularly enjoyed the Costa Coffee sessions with my son as we 'tested' some of the chapters from my book over lattes and espressos! I am very grateful to my proof readers Izlem Davulcu and Andrew and thank them for all of their help.

Beginners Turkish Language Course Table of contents

Beginners Turkish Language Course Preface I was born in the Karpaz region of Cyprus into a Turkish Cypriot family. At this time Cyprus was a British colony which meant that all Cypriots born during this time regardless of whether they were of Greek or Turkish origin automatically became British subjects.

It was common to hear three languages spoken all over the Island, that is, Greek, Turkish, and English. Many Cypriots were fluent in all three languages and even now both my parents speak fluent Greek. This is because their neighbours and childhood friends, in the village they grew up in, were both Greek and Turkish Cypriots. My family moved to the UK when I was four years old where I grew up in a Turkish speaking household. I had ample opportunities to hear, speak, read and write Turkish. However once I started school in London and quickly learned to speak English, I found myself speaking less and less Turkish, especially since my brother and most of my relatives also spoke English.

Over the years as I grew up and moved away from home, my parents and many others of their generation returned to Cyprus. There came a time when I hardly ever spoke or heard Turkish being spoken and as a result, my knowledge of the Turkish language diminished. Being able to speak another language is a wonderful skill to have because through the language, comes insight, knowledge, understanding and appreciation of another culture. Having grown up in the UK I feel as British as I do Turkish and have a deep appreciation and understanding of both cultures. I am part of them and they are part of me. The realisation that language skills are very important and should not be taken for granted inspired me to work hard to regain and develop my Turkish language skills.

As a result I have been able to use these skills to assist others by way of translating and interpreting. More recently I have been using them to develop my own Turkish language books and courses for beginners. The purpose of this beginners level book is to provide a clear, easy to follow, supportive and enjoyable learning experience for those wishing to learn Turkish. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing and illustrating this book and making use of the insights gained from my own learning experience. I sincerely hope that I have been able to pass this information on to you the reader in a way that is enjoyable and meaningful for you. Above all I hope that it inspires you to continue on your language learning journey.

After working through this book you should be able to: Pronounce Turkish words correctly Engage in a conversation Ask for help or directions Go shopping and make purchases Order a meal Buy train tickets Read signs Ask questions and give answers to questions. I will be publishing more material in the near future to help you build on what you have learned. In the meantime I have included several links at the end of this book that will help you in your learning process. Good luck! Why learn Turkish? Turkish is spoken by over 77 million people around the world and is considered one of the top ten most important and in demand languages along with Mandarin and Arabic. We are all familiar with the BRICS countries, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. A less familiar group is known as MINT which includes Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey.

According to the BBC news website ( www.bbc.co.uk ) the MINT countries are emerging super economies. Millions of people travel to Turkey every year for leisure or business. Being able to speak a little Turkish can open up that world and enhance your holiday or business experience. Benefits of learning a new language. Foreign language skills are becoming increasingly important and sought after in the global market place. Having language skills can bring real value to the workplace. The Guardian newspaper and the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) claim that the existing language skills deficit costs the UK 48bn a year.

Increasing language skills can help to reduce this. Language skills are seen as crucial in all areas of business yet many companies find it very difficult to find bilingual UK employees. For this reason an increasing number of students are combining languages with their degree courses as they believe it will have a positive impact on their job and career prospects. Many companies actively encourage their staff to learn another language. Speaking another language gives you an asset for life and opens up the world for you by increasing awareness and understanding of other cultures. Multilingualism keeps Alzheimers at bay For those who are unfortunate enough to succumb to Alzheimers disease, another investigation has shown that people who are multilingual fall prey to Alzheimers disease later on in life than those who speak only one language. Personal background I previously ran my own business for 15 years, trading as a freelance illustrator. Personal background I previously ran my own business for 15 years, trading as a freelance illustrator.

I created illustrations for major publishers, design and advertising agencies both here in the UK and overseas. Whilst my children were growing up, I spent many years working in the health, education, PR, marketing and customer service sectors. More recently I have been using my language skills to translate and interpret for various organisations and to create a series of illustrated Turkish language books, stories and courses for beginners.

Beginners Turkish Language Course

Beginners Turkish Language Course Lesson 1 The Turkish Alphabet. There are 29 letters in the Turkish alphabet. It looks very similar to the English alphabet but as you can see some letters come in sets of two and there is no q worx in the Turkish alphabet. If you search for Turkish Alphabet on YouTube you will be able to hear how each letter sounds. Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh I i Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Yy ZzPronunciation.Aa - sounds like a in far Bb - sounds like be in bear Cc - sounds like ge in gem- sounds like ch in chairDd - sounds like de in deckEe - sounds like e in eggFf - sounds like fe in fellGg - sounds like ge in get- sounds like gh in noughtHh - sounds like he in hemI - sounds like ir in flirti - sounds like i in pickJj - sounds like su in measureKk - sounds like ke in keptLl - sounds like le in leg Mm - sounds like me in medicineNn - sounds like ne in nestNext page