Although English is widely spoken in the tourist areas, if you intened to live in Turkey for any period of time you will have to make at least some attempt to learn Turkish, however basic this might be.
Although it represents a major challenge for many people, the need to gain some knowledge of Turkish is unquestionable if you are going to make a success of living in Turkey. There are scores of situations in which Turkish is needed or helpful from shopping and ordering in a restaurant, to dealing with workmen and Turkish officialdom, and communicating in a wide range of unpredictable situations such as medical emergencies, theft, traffic incidents and insurance claims.
You will receive bills, bank statements and other communications through the post, and will have to cope with cooking instructions and operating manuals for the products you buy.
Apart from these practical considerations, you will undoubtedly feel less isolated in a country if you understand some of its language. If you have no knowledge of the local language and customs everything can seem alien and unwelcoming. Once you start tuning into the life around you, things can start to make sense and you will feel more relaxed and at home.
Turkish people can often seem serious and straight-faced on first encounter - remember that they too are regarding you as a stranger whom they are fearful of not understanding. If you break the ice with a few pleasantries, and make some attempt to speak Turkish properly, you will often find a warm and appreciative response and this will make you feel more at ease.
So the need is clear, but how are we to go about learning Turkish? Many people buy language courses and phrasebooks and enrol on Turkish courses, only to end up feeling defeated. There are no tricks or short cuts to successful learning, but some hints may help.
For all but a few gifted people, the need for personal contact with the language is essential. If social contact with Turkish people is limited, the only other answer is a Turkish class. Make sure that the approach adopted in the class is practical and relevant.
It is perfectly possible to gain a working knowledge of the language without having to memorise endless grammar rules, which most people find difficult, if not impossible to cope with. Make sure too that you are being taught spoken Turkish and are given plenty of practice in speaking it. If you only learn to read and write the language you will be none the wiser when trying to communicate in real situations.
Another decision is whether to learn Turkish over a long term period or on a short intensive course. As a general rule intensive courses are useful for getting a "kick-start" in the language, especially if you need to learn quickly for a specific reason. Otherwise it is generally advisable to learn at a more measured pace over a longer period of time.
Apart from this basic requirement, they are many other ways of exposing yourself to the Turkish language. Probably the easiest and most obvious way is to watch Turkish television. Although the quality is often criticised, it is an enormously rich source of language, with even the most inane quiz shows and adverts being fruitful from a language learner's point of view.
Along with this there is listening to the radio, watching videos of familiar films, reading gossip magazines, tuning into conversations in the street, reading signs and billboards, in other words, opening your ears and eyes to the language that is all around you. As a supplement to these things, there are many learning aids available.
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