Language Made Easy: Reasons Why Turkish Isn’t As Hard As You Think
The prospect of learning Turkish may come off as a daunting task given it is rumored to be a difficult language. However, if you pass over Turkish you are also passing over the opportunity to fully enjoy Turkey’s culture, food, and way of life. Like with any language, how you approach Turkish matters. If you are convinced it is too difficult for you to master, you will struggle, but if you approach the language with an open mind you are much more likely to succeed. We are here to help you do just that, so read on to find out the easiest parts of learning Turkish and begin your language journey today!
All the Turkish books there are to read! // Image via PhotoPin
Turkish Reading
Although Turkish script may appear very different from anything you’ve studied before, learning how to read in Turkish can actually be one of the easiest things about this language. Unlike, say, Chinese, Turkish is written using an alphabet as opposed to characters. Even though the script may look different, once you learn the alphabet being able to decipher written words is easy!
Turkish Pronunciation
Another bonus when you pick up a book in Turkish is the language’s straight-forward pronunciation. Basically, what you see is what you get; everything in Turkish is written phonetically and pronounced the way it looks. There are no double consonants such as ch or sh, instead each letter is pronounced individually. This means you actually may find your reading abilities progressing much faster than your other Turkish language skills!
Turkish takes words from a multitude of different languages. // Image via PhotoPin
Turkish Vocabulary
Although Turkish may not draw too many loanwords from English, you’re in luck if you’ve studied French, Arabic, Persian, Italian, or even dead languages like Greek and Latin. All these tongues impart extensively to Turkish, and in particular French which has lent around 5,000 words to the Turkish language. Just when you thought you’d never put your high-school French to good use, you find out differently, don’t you?
Turkish hospitality is in a league of its own. // Image via PhotoPin
Turkish Hospitality
You may not think that hospitality can affect how easy it is to learn a language, but in Turkey it definitely does! In Turkish culture, hospitality is extremely important and guests are held in high regard. This tends to make Turkish people more open to foreigners (and easy to practice your Turkish with).
Turkish Speaking
One of the aspects of Turkish culture which is often most lauded is how friendly locals are towards people trying to speak their language. Many a visitor has pointed out that Turkish people like it the most when visitors speak in their native tongue. Locals are also more likely to go out of their way to help you if you do, so it’s probably a good idea to brush up on your language skills!
Turkey is a beautiful nation with a rich and enticing culture. With the proper language skills you’ll have opportunities to get a glimpse at the hidden portions of this fantastic country and its people. Not only that, you’ll be more warmly welcomed for your love of Turkey’s culture and language. Set yourself up for success first by taking a free online placement test to gage your level, then sign up for some excellent language classes to start down the road to success. This will prepare you to wow the locals with your Turkish skills and set you apart from your run-of-the-mill expat!