Turkey of the regions 10: Dressing like a local

Old blockprinted yazma in Tokat

March 02, 2014, Sunday/ 00:00:00

Anatolia in the 19th-century was a land of few and poor quality roads, a situation that encouraged communities to grow up in virtual isolation from one another.

The great geographical diversity of the land also gave rise to a wide variety of local architectural styles that evolved to make use of the materials that lay at hand. At the same time, local communities developed their own mouth-watering culinary traditions.

But one of the most conspicuous ways in which Anatolian communities used to express allegiance to their locality was in the way that they -- and the women in particular -- dressed. Sadly, except in the far east of the country, that is the aspect of regionalism that is most under threat today, as younger women abandon the old ways of dressing in favor of what could be described as modern Muslim style. Just occasionally, in places such as Erzurum, it is still possible to see three generations of the same family walking together, the grandmother clad in what was once the truly local style of clothing, the mother wearing the drab overcoat and scarf tied under the chin that was the look of the Turkey of the 1970s and 80s and the daughter wearing the colorful, neatly tailored long mackintosh and türban headscarf that is the preferred look today all the way from İstanbul to Artvin.

Today, the only places you'll usually see local costumes are museum showcases (not surprising in some cases such as when, for example, you spot the knee-exposing shorts once worn by the men of the Aegean), although markets, such as those at Ayvacık and Tire, sometimes drop a hint as to what has been lost. If you'd like to visit parts of Turkey where you might actually see people wearing regional dress, here are some suggestions. Most are in the east of the country.



Reinventing the Laz Keşan


The Laz lands

Of all the regional costumes that once brightened up Anatolia, one of the most striking had to be that of the Laz lands, technically the five small coastal towns to the east of Rize that were inhabited by the Laz-speaking people, although people in Laz dress were always visible as far west as Trabzon as well.

Traditionally Laz women wore a cotton keşan -- a wonderful black, white and maroon-patterned shawl that covered their heads and shoulders and that came paired with a wraparound apron of bold stripes called a dolaylık. According to Sevan and Müjde Nişanyan's guide to the Black Sea, the different colored stripes at one time defined where a woman came from, with the females of Sürmene opting for black and red stripes, those of Akçaabat preferring maroon and cream and those of Tonya favoring black and brown.

Sadly, these days you'll rarely see a woman younger than 40 wearing a keşan, let alone a dolaylık. Instead the race is on around Rize to find new uses for the old shawl, which now crops up in the form of everything from oven gloves to the lining for a baby's cradle.


The Hemşin lands

In the mountains inland from the eastern Black Sea coast, another minority people, the Hemşin, also developed a dress code all of their own. Here, the women twisted a flimsy scarf called a poşi around the tops of their heads, covering a plainer black scarf trimmed with white embroidery that hung down to their shoulders. The poşis usually came in black, patterned in red, orange or gold. Strangely, they were not made locally but imported from Syria.

Perhaps because it is neater and more practical, the poşi has proved more durable than the keşan, and in Ayder, Çamlıhemşin and the surrounding villages in the foothills of the Kaçkar Mountains you will still see plenty of women wearing one. Many locals have migrated to other parts of the country in search of work, particularly as bakers. When they return to their villages in the summer, one of the first things many of the women do is put on the poşis they feel unable to wear in resorts such as Bodrum.

The Hemşin people lived in a part of Turkey with an exceptionally harsh climate, so the other important feature of local dress for both men and women was thick woolen socks. This is still one of the best places in Turkey to pick up beautifully designed hand-knitted socks, although most of what is on sale in the shops aimed at tourists has been made in factories.


Bayburt and Erzurum

Twenty years ago, the back streets of Erzurum were full of women scuttling along the pavements wrapped in the closest thing Turkey had to a chador: A brown, woolen garment flecked with patterns in navy blue called an ehram. Today, the ehram has fallen from favor even faster than the keşan. When I last visited, Erzurum was down to its last shop selling the garments, and to see women wearing them you really need to travel north to Bayburt where, in the shadow of a vast medieval castle, women continue to wrap themselves tight in this garment. At the same time, in preparation for the inevitable day when the last woman will hang up her ehram, an EU-funded project has been started to come up with new uses for the hand-woven material used to make them.


Şanlıurfa

In the lands of the Laz and the Hemşin, men long ago abandoned any attempt to dress with local flair. Further south, however, you will see men wearing the baggy pants called şalvar that usually come paired with waistcoats and worn with cummerbunds and flat caps. It's a look usually thought of as Kurdish, although you start to see it as soon as you reach Malatya (where they favor şalvar suits in a particularly fetching fern-green).

The men of Şanlıurfa (Urfa) wear their şalvar suits with a quirky local twist. Wander into the bazaar and you will be astonished to see these most manly of men topping off their outfits with headscarves that run the gamut of colors from the palest lilac to the deepest purple. Oddly enough, their women wear the exact same scarves, a unisex look unknown elsewhere.

Unlike most sartorial specialities of Anatolia, these scarves are a relatively recent innovation. As recently as 2003, most Urfalıs covered their heads with white scarves. Then someone introduced the lilac versions from Syria and the rest, as they say, was history.

In Urfa, too, you'll see women wearing unbelievably vibrant, colorful outfits that anywhere else would be saved for special occasions. These outfits consist of a dress called a fistan that is worn over a T-shirt and leggings in summer or trousers and a jumper in winter. Over the fistan goes an apron called a peştemal and then over that goes a long coat called a zibin, the ends of which get tied up in the peştemal to stop them trailing in the mud. Traditionally, all this was topped off with a kofi, a fez-like cap that was covered with a scarf, although these days most women wear normal scarves. In the bazaars of Urfa (and Van, Hakkari and Diyrabakır), the wonderful materials needed to create these outfits are enough to set a thousand cameras clicking.



Alanya cummerbund


Alanya

Hard though it might be to believe, the seaside resort of Alanya once boasted its own particular look for men, consisting of black şalvar with a waistband of deepest maroon. Still worn by a few elderly locals, these Alanya şalvarı were worn with brightly colored striped silk cummerbunds, examples of which are on display in the Kültur Evi (Cultural House) at Ehmedek on the hill leading up to the Selçuk castle.


Göynük

Visitors to the Monday morning market at Göynük, east of Adapazarı, will be thrilled to step into its undercover dairy section and find the local women wearing a delightful local style of şalvar in a variety of tartans. At one time the pattern would have made it possible to identify the village each woman came from, although today most of them wear machine-made tartans picked for a preferred pattern. The scarves are topped off with cotton shawls printed in a pattern similar to those worn by the women in Beypazarı, further east along the road to Ankara. Locals will point out the crucial minor details that distinguish their shawls from a Beypazarlı's.


Tokat

On the streets of modern Tokat most women dress much as their fellows in İstanbul. This, though, is a town that once played a particularly important role in Turkey's sartorial history as the only place permitted to make the yazmas, the gauzy square headscarves that were the standard head covering of Central Anatolia. It was a monopoly industry, the proceeds of which went to support the queen mothers back in İstanbul. Today, the old Yazmahane where the work used to be carried out stands forlorn in the back streets, despite supposed plans to restore it. Meanwhile, in the surrounding streets, yazmacıs compete to sell machine-made versions of the product to a declining market. Just a few men still blockprint the cloths. One or two even keep examples of old yazmas to show their customers. As ever, the difference between the original hand-made versions and the new machine-made ones is staggering.





 
Examples of local dresses at Söğüt Museum

 Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-340042-turkey-of-the-regions-9-the-taste-of-the-local.html

Day trip Cappadocia: Gülşehir, Hacıbektaş, Özkonak and Paşabağ

Shrine at Hacıbektaş

April 13, 2014, Sunday/ 00:00:00

“One day Hacı Bektaş Veli was at a meeting with his followers, but although he seemed to be with them physically it also felt as if he was very far away from them at the same time. Eventually he seemed to come back again and some people asked him where he had been. ‘I went to the Black Sea to save two ships that were sinking,' he answered. Not surprisingly, they were reluctant to believe him, so to prove that he was telling the truth the hoca (teacher) shook the sleeves of his robe. When he did so two small fish fell out.”
We were standing in front of the grand entrance leading into the shrine of Hacı Bektaş Veli, an Islamic mystic who is particularly revered by the Alevis and the Bektaşı sect. As our guide Fırat talked to us so he pointed to the bottom of the doorframe and there, sure enough, amid the otherwise stereotypically geometric carvings I saw two tiny carved fish, symbolizing in stone this rather wonderful story.
Until recently Hacıbektaş has been something of a touristic also-ran, hunkered down on the northern outskirts of Cappadocia, rarely visited by foreign visitors except during the annual three-day festival in August when the town breaks out in song and dance and informal trips from Göreme are sometimes organized. Now all that is about to change with the introduction of a new day trip that takes visitors to the shrine. It's a particularly welcome development given that the museum associated with it has recently been given a complete make-over and now offers an intriguing insight into aspects of Turkish culture that rarely get a look-in in mainstream coverage.
Hacı Bektaş Veli was a mystic who is believed to have arrived in Central Anatolia from Horasan on the borders of what are now Iran and Afghanistan some time in the 13th century when this part of the world was under the control of the Selçuks, governing from Konya. In some versions of his life story he is said to have been carried here by pigeons and so on the insides of that same elaborate doorframe leading into his shrine the custodian pointed out small carvings that she insisted were stylized birds.
The Bektaşı order of dervishes was founded either by Veli or by Balım Sultan who is buried in a separate building across the garden from the main shrine. It became highly influential in Ottoman times mainly because most members of the powerful Janissary military corps signed up to its beliefs. That influence was largely lost in 1826 when Sultan Mahmud II overthrew the Janissaries. Such latent power as they retained was completely vanquished in 1925 when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk abolished all Turkey's remaining dervish orders. Today, Hacı Bektaş Veli remains hugely important to the Alevis and is revered by many Sunni worshippers, too.
The tiny fish and stylized pigeons aside, the shrine is full of symbols, including lions and double-pointed swords that represent the fourth caliph Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed. Much of the symbolism is hard for outsiders to understand although everyone will quickly grasp the significance of the number 12; like the Shiites, Alevis revere the 12 imams who are descended from Ali. Set into the walls of the shrine you will see small 12-pointed stones called teslimtası, while the museum showcases contain elaborately decorated palenktaşı, pennants that used to be worn by the dervishes. Most strikingly, in the museum you will see examples of the Hüseyin-i taç, a high 12-sided felt hat worn by the dervishes that is also reproduced in stone on the top of their tombstones in the graveyard outside.

The Açık Saray and St John's Church, Gülşehir

The new tour kicks off with a visit to another under-visited site just north of Nevşehir. The so-called Açık Saray (Open Palace) was not actually a palace at all. Instead, it was the setting for a series of what are thought to have been sixth or seventh-century rock-cut monasteries, all of them long since collapsed although their facades, inset with horseshoe-arch-shaped blind arcading, clearly reveal their locations.
The monasteries are set in a quiet valley full of silvery poplars that is also home to one of the more bizarre of the rock formations created over time by the wind and rain eating away at volcanic deposits. The Mantarkaya (Mushroom Rock) is indeed shaped like a giant frilly-edged toadstool from beside which you get a fine view out over the valley.
But the real gem of Gülşehir is the hidden church of St John (also known as the St Jean Church or the Karşı Kilise). Today modern housing on the road leading to the church somewhat detracts from its setting, but once you arrive you're in for a wonderful surprise. Externally there's nothing to suggest what you will find when you step across the threshold of a seemingly small and unexciting conical rock formation. Once inside, however, your eyes are drawn immediately to what was once the upper floor of a small church, its walls and ceiling completely covered with vividly colored frescoes.
These are some of the finest frescoes to be seen in Cappadocia, a region that is justly renowned for its medieval artworks. Our guide runs through the various Bible stories to be seen on the walls, and draws our attention to the image of St George, the patron saint of Cappadocia, battling his dragon above the window. But perhaps the single most interesting image he points out to us is the large one of the Last Judgment with angels weighing souls, then assigning the dead to heaven or hell that sits just beneath it. This is a common image in English churches, but in Cappadocia this is the only example that has ever been discovered.
Unusually, a surviving inscription means that the frescoes in the church can be dated with precision to the year 1212. The portrait of a female donor can be seen in all her Byzantine finery just to the right of the Last Judgment scene.

Özkonak

On the way back from Hacıbektaş our tour takes us to Özkonak, a dusty, small settlement near the pottery-making town of Avanos, which is home to one of the more than 30 “underground cities” currently open to the public across Cappadocia. The story of its discovery is worth recalling. Apparently an imam was out tending his garden when all of a sudden a hole opened up in the ground and he found himself staring down into an underground cave labyrinth complete with narrow tunnels and huge rolling stones that could be used to close them off from intruders.
Cappadocia's underground cities are one of its most attractive features as far as visitors of a non-claustrophobic disposition are concerned. Oddly, though, very little can be said about them with any certainty given the absence of written records. It's thought that some at least date back to Hittite times although all were probably expanded in the early Middle Ages during the years when the newly invigorated Arabs were riding north from their homeland and the early Christian residents of Cappadocia felt the need to hide underground for months at a time to protect themselves.
Özkonak is not as large a complex as the better known ones at Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı. Once underground, however, it's virtually impossible to get any sense of how far down into the earth you have gone, so for most people it will serve as a perfect introduction, not too cramped, not too crowded and not taking too long to visit so that there's still time left in the day to see other things, too.

Wild fairy chimneys, Paşabağ

Paşabağ

From Özkonak our tour brought us home again across Turkey's longest river, the Kızılırmak, in Avanos before concluding with a quick look at Paşabağ, home to some of Cappadocia's most striking fairy-chimney rock formations including the three-headed ones that always remind me of bunches of asparagus spears. It was a scene that offered the perfect ending for a tour that had taken us just far enough off the beaten track to make us feel like real Cappadocian explorers.
Pat Yale's tour was sponsored by Heritage Travel in Göreme (www.goreme.com; tel: 0384-271 2687)

Lion fountain at shrine of Hacıbektaş

Museum at Hacıbektaş

Museum at Hacıbektaş

Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-344387-day-trip-cappadocia-gulsehir-hacibektas-ozkonak-and-pasabag.html 

Coasting 1: The Black Sea

March 09, 2014, Sunday

Well-known for its magnificent ancient monuments and increasingly so for glitzy entertainment options like Alaçatı, Bodrum, İstanbul and a few other select hotspots, Turkey also boasts an enviable 7,000 kilometers of coastline, making it the perfect place for those in search of a holiday in sight of the sea.

 The beaches are not always the most exciting -- there are few swathes of unspoiled sand to match those of Australia, California or Polynesia, for example -- but there are plenty of erstwhile fishing villages-turned-holiday resorts and many hideaways where history wraps itself neatly around tourism development.

Turkey has three separate stretches of coastline -- the Aegean, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea -- each with their own particular attractions. This week we're kicking off our explorations with the Black Sea.

The Black Sea coast -- an overview

Turkey's Black Sea coastline stretches all the way from İğneada in western Thrace to Hopa/Sarp on the eastern border with Georgia. Few travelers bother with the Thracian stretch even though there are fine sands at Kıyıköy, near Vize, and at Kilyos, near İstanbul, where in summer a string of beach clubs a la Çeşme open their doors.

For most people the Black Sea coast really means the stretch that heads east from İstanbul, kicking off from what is effectively the beach suburb of Şile, then striking east through Ağva, Amasra, İnebolu, Sinop, Samsun, Ünye, Ordu, Giresun, Trabzon and Rize. From Şile to İnebolu the winding road makes for extremely slow traveling. From Samsun to Hopa, though, the Black Sea Highway carves a quick and busy path towards Georgia and the Caucasus.

Although there are plenty of small beaches along the coast, few are truly unspoiled and many feature black volcanic sand. Frequently wet weather even in summer also tends to militate against this being the best choice of destination for a pure beach holiday.

In terms of other attractions the most inviting places to stay are Ağva, Amasra, İnebolu, Sinop, Ünye, Ordu, Giresun, Trabzon and Rize. Beyond Rize the action moves inland from the coast to the Kaçkar Mountains and their foothills. The towns east of Rize are completely bereft of historic monuments.

Ağva

Once known only to a select few, Ağva is now an increasingly popular weekend retreat for "İstanbullus,” with a string of pleasant small hotels lined up along the banks of the slow-moving Göksu River. There's a beach here too, and attractive coastal scenery at nearby Kilimli Koyu. Do yourself a favor and visit midweek for cheaper prices and less of a party scene.

Amasra

Perched on a headland between two sizeable harbors, old Amasra hunkers down behind city walls dating back to Byzantine times, which were extensively rebuilt by Genoese traders whose coats of arms can still be seen above the entrances. From a distance, it's a picture-postcard setting. Close up, the architecture is something of a hodge-podge and there are surprisingly few really interesting hotels, this being predominantly still a Turkish family-holiday destination where cheap prices tend to be the most important consideration. From Amasra you can easily pop inland to visit the market at Bartın or to see the fine old Ottoman houses of Safranbolu, a World Heritage site.


İnebolu

İnebolu

Until recently the small town of İnebolu was not really somewhere you would have wanted to linger. Now, however, not only have many of its lovely maroon-and-white-painted wooden houses been restored, but the authorities have decided to make a great deal more of the role their citizens played in the Turkish War of Independence (1919-22) when they formed a crucial link in the supply chain that conveyed munitions inland to Ankara via Kastamonu. A way marked İstiklal Yolu (Independence Way) now commemorates the route taken by the heavy-laden ox carts.

Sinop

Like Amasra, Sinop sits on a headland, and it too retains extensive stretches of the old city walls that once ran right along the seashore. Sinop has a couple of fine museums, a Selçuk mosque and madrasah (school) and a string of pleasant fish restaurants, but its most intriguing “attraction” is probably the old prison that squats beside the walls as you come into town. This has been left largely as it was when it was decommissioned in 1979. Some will lament the lack of "interpretative" signboards. Others will find its unvarnished state peculiarly evocative.

Samsun

Like İnebolu, the port town of Samsun used to be somewhere to whip through as quickly as possible, preferably without stopping. Now, it too has been given a makeover to emphasize its role in the events leading up to the Turkish War of Independence, with a replica of the steamship Bandırma in which Atatürk arrived in town as just one of its new attractions. For those interested in more ancient history, the original settlement of Samsun was at Amisos, just west of the center, where a funicular from the shorefront Amazon Park now offers access to a pair of stone-cut tombs hidden inside matching burial mounds.


Ünye

Ünye

The speed of the Black Sea Highway makes it tempting just to whiz through Ünye, but actually this is one of the better places to break your journey with some lovely stretches of beach within easy reach of a town center where old Ottoman mansions are being given a much-needed makeover. Uzunkum to the west of town is said to be the longest stretch of sand along the coast, and a short drive out of town leads inland to the remains of the lofty Ünye Kalesi, a castle atop a plug of rock with tombs dating back to the first century B.C. carved into it.


Ordu

Ordu

A built-up modern town, Ordu has a waterfront that is dominated by a huge redundant 19th-century church now used by the local university for administrative purposes. There's a dusty small museum in the Paşaoğlu Konağı and fine views from Boztepe, accessible once again by a funicular. Café society is also alive and kicking in Ordu, although sometimes the musicians find themselves struggling to make themselves heard above the roar from the Black Sea Highway.

Giresun

In the heart of hazelnut-growing country, Giresun is home to another vast redundant church that, this time, has been turned into a fine local museum. High on a hilltop, the ruins of a castle make a fine lookout point. Otherwise, Giresun also makes a great base for a trip inland to see the spectacular remains of Şebinkarahisar Castle.

Trabzon

Of all the Black Sea towns, Trabzon probably has the most going for it. Most people come here to make a side trip inland to Sumela, where a much-photographed ruined monastery clings to the pine-tree-covered mountainside like a limpet. Those who linger will discover that the town is also home to a second Hagia Sophia, this time a 13th-century church built on an isolated headland and thickly covered with spectacular frescoes. After the Ottomans occupied what had been known as Trebizond, the last stronghold of the Byzantine emperors, the church was turned into a mosque. For most of the 20th century it served as a museum, but recently the controversial decision was made to turn it back into a mosque.

Trabzon is home to Trabzonspor, one of Turkey's most successful and popular football teams. It also has a great bazaar where you can buy some fine local styles of jewelry. The Atatürk Köşkü is worth visiting more for the beauty of the building and the surrounding garden than for its exhibits. Some might say the same for Trabzon Museum. Of the once-magnificent Byzantine palace, only the shattered walls survive.

Rize

Once you reach Rize you have arrived not only in the part of Turkey populated by a Laz-speaking minority group, but also in the area where much of the country's tea is grown. A visit to the Çay Araştırma Enstitüsü (Tea Research Institute) is therefore de rigueur, as is a visit to the Çaykur Tea Museum, sponsored by the company that owns almost all the local tea plantations.
East of Rize, a road heads inland from the town of Pazar to Çamlıhemşin following the wild course of the Fırtına River, a favorite of white-water rafters. Take this road and you find yourself heading for the Kaçkar Mountains, a beautiful world away from the concrete overdevelopment that mars the rest of the coast all the way to Hopa.

Keywords: black sea coast , inebolu , holiday

Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-341419-coasting-1-the-black-sea.html 

New #Turkish students in our September 2013 classes

Rumi Forum has enrolled 50+ studemts in its current season of Turkish courses. Levels 1-5.

FORBES - Why You Should Be Smart And Visit Turkey This Year

Istanbul always dazzles; that’s a given. The combination of iconic landmarks like the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the maze like Grand Bazaar and Spice Market with up to the minute clubs and restaurants gives this city an undeniable exotic/historic/cutting edge buzz. And it’s always improving.

Click for full photo gallery: Why You Should Go to Turkey This Year

The Four Seasons Sultanahmet was a standout when it opened in 1996, a luxe hotel in a former prison around the corner from Topkapi Palace, and it still is. But in September, they’re opening the terrace, redone in Ottoman sultan style, with its standout views overlooking the Hagia Sophia to non-guests. Having a glass of champagne while watching the lights click on the domes and minarets of this Ottoman/Byzantine beauty is an atmospheric way to start off the night. Tevkifhane Sokak No. 1, Sultanahmet, http://www.fourseasons.com/istanbul


Nearby, the most sybaritic way to start the day is in an elegant hamam reopened last year after a $10 million restoration wiped away decades of disrepair and an ignoble stint as a carpet shop. The Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamam built in 1556 for a famous temptress, Roxelana, the former slave who became the harem favorite and then the wife of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent , has to look even better than in her time: gleaming marble, gently splashing fountains, a labyrinth of corridors, flickering candles. And an attendant to gently lather , scrub, massage and rinse you with warm water, wrapping you in fluffy towels and taking you by the hand to walk you from station to station. You feel like a five year old being tended by a loving nursemaid. Just be glad that you’re not a prospective bride being examined by her future mother in law, as was the practice originally. (Cankurtaran Mah. Bab-ı Hümayün Cad. No.1; 90-212-517-35-35 )


Down the street from the frenzied 61 lanes containing 3000 shops and stalls of the Grand Bazaar is a shopping experience at the other end of the scale: one of the most exquisite stores in town—or in any city in Europe. Armaggan is a four level emporium dedicated to recreating the finest Turkish crafts and elevating them to an elite level. Buttery leather goods, diamonds in unique, modern designs, hand woven silks, marble, silver and porcelain objets d’art and, of course, carpets–everything is made by their artisans and sold in a store so effortlessly stylish that I wanted to live there. It also has a restaurant Nar, that features daily or weekly changing, market driven menus of classic Antatolian and Anatolian dishes created with artisan ingredients. Food for a shopping break that’s as exquisite as the merchandise. (Nuruosmaniye Caddesi, No:65 +90 212 522 44 33, http://www.armaggan.com/en/)


Art is also a theme at Casa dell’Arte, a family mansion turned exquisite 12 suite boutique hotel in Torba, near the Aegean resort town of Bodrum. The owners, the Buyukkusoglu family, have a museum quality contemporary art collection adorning the sleek, white spaces. They also recently started an artist in residence program, bringing young artists in from around the world for workshops, in which hotel guests can also participate. The house also has a private beach and three yachts that guests can charter, as well as a separate 37 suite family resort in which children are allowed, the art exhibited is by the young artists and any of it can be purchased. Torba Mahallesi, İnönü Caddesi No: 66 Torba http://www.casadellartebodrum.com/contactform.php (And while in the area, go into Bodrum to the intimate Campanella Bar but make sure that sultry torch singer Gokce Yildir is performing that night. Even if you don’t understand Turkish, her singing will move you. Cumhuriyet Caddesi, Eastern Bay, 0252 316 5302.)


Turkey is known for its antiquities and ruins of ancient cities but one important one was revealed to the public for the first time on May 20 after years of excavations, restoration and truckloads of sand removal (steady breezes blow the sand from the 7 ½ mile long nearby beach onto the ruins). The semicircle Parliament Building of the Lycian League in Patara, which dates back to 1500 B.C., was the inspiration for the layout of the U.S. Congress, as the system of elected representatives, the first in history, served as inspiration for the framers of the U.S. Constitution and it’s an imposing sight, as are the Roman theater and the colonnaded streets. (The best guide : Tolga Kirilen, an archeologist by education, at Equinox Travel in Antalya,http://www.equinox.com.tr/)


Historic sights of a different kind are on view in Cappadocia: the jagged stone formations called fairy chimneys —towers, obelisks and needles, some over 100 feet high- created through centuries of weather erosion. The landscape is pure fairy tale, and most of all at daybreak, drifting silently in a hot air balloon over the otherworldly terrain of the Goreme Valley. (One of the best: Royal Balloon, http://www.royalballoon.com). And at night, sleeping in a hilltop hotel composed of caves makes the experience come alive. (Argos in Cappadocia, http://argosincappadocia.com/EN/) View slideshow to see 10 top Turkish experiences.

Learn Turkish or else

While trying to work out the qualities necessary for making a go of life as an expat in Turkey, I’ve already poured cold water on the idea that only those with omnivorous appetites are likely to succeed. Flexibility?

That would have topped my list of the requisite assets even if globalization might be making it less essential than it once was. So what do other expats think? In my straw poll the answer that came over loudest and clearest was “no matter how hard it is, you must get to grips with the Turkish language.” Bodrum resident and British author of the comic expat memoir “Perking the Pansies” Jack Scott was quite clear on the matter. “Learning the lingo, at least conversationally, will really help,” he said, a view echoed by Marc Guillet, a Dutch journalist who lives in İstanbul and runs the enjoy-istanbul.com website. “The absolute number one is, do your best to learn the language. Yes, it is difficult, but whatever your level, when you start to speak some Turkish all doors will be opened for you, because trying to speak Turkish shows Turkish people that you respect their culture and language.” The same reply came in from all over the country. Duke Dillard, the American author of the CaptivatingCappadocia.com blog, recently moved to Çavuşin in Cappadocia with his family after teaching in Ankara. “I have found that the more Turkish an expat knows, the better the experience. When we lived in Ankara finding English speakers was easy, but as we learned more Turkish our relationships deepened and our understanding of what was going on around us, the hidden cues, became more clear.” A long-time Selçuk resident also listed linguistic skills as essential: “The more and more easily one can understand and communicate, the easier and more fulfilling life is likely to be. Being on the outside of what’s going on is stressful. I don’t know how couples with discordant and low levels of [understanding of] each other’s languages ever survive.” Gazipaşa resident Estella Saville, who used to lead wildflower tours of the country, said the same thing: “Above all, learn the language. Turkish people are so kind and generous and will excuse all your foibles, but if you learn a little Turkish it will go a long way.” This won’t come as good news to the many expats for whom learning a new language is akin to taking up brain surgery, or for those who have moved to Turkey later in life when it’s hard to pick up a whole new vocabulary, but there couldn’t be such unanimity of opinion were it not the case that learning Turkish is crucial. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that not knowing the language is the single biggest obstacle to settling in, now that so many of the creature comforts of home are as readily available in Turkey as anywhere else. No one expects you to become word perfect, and most Turks are extremely forgiving of even the most comical linguistic blunders. But flip the situation over and imagine what it must be like for people living in your own home country without being able to speak the language. Just think how much they miss out on. Of course it’s just the same here.

Learning Turkish the hotel way

In the depths of winter I trudged down to the Belediye building one Sunday to enquire about Turkish classes. The man in the office downstairs looked gloomy. “Is everything all right?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “Everyone has problems with their water. I’m so busy.” Minutes later and I was upstairs, hunkered down in the back row of the classroom like a naughty schoolgirl who’d forgotten to bring her notebook and hoped the teacher wouldn’t notice. These Turkish classes are one of Göreme’s most exciting new ventures. All of us know that to really get to grips with the country we need to learn the language but the trouble is that here in Cappadocia we’re hundreds of kilometers away from the language schools. Before settling here I went to a school in İstanbul to make a start with the grammar, but of course if you don’t live in İstanbul and have to stay in a hotel there that pushes the cost of studying beyond the means of most people. So most Cappadocian expats have had to make do with learning as they go along, which often means knowing lots of nouns but few verbs with which to join them up. Now the authorities have decided to help by providing a free class every week. You pay your money for a textbook from Ankara and away you go. Sadly, two hours of tuition a week is not really enough to make much headway and it was obvious to me that the absolute beginners were already struggling as the teacher introduced the present tense in its positive, negative and interrogative forms all in the one session. Back in İstanbul we had twenty hours of tuition a week and a whole week would have been dedicated to those three forms alone. The other inevitable problem is that having only one class means mixed-ability teaching, something that was very a la mode when I was training to be a teacher in the UK but that never seemed to work there either. So on the day that I sat in on the class, it was obvious that there were people there who were well on their way to fluency sitting alongside those who had still to master the alphabet. This is a problem with no very obvious solution in an area where there are not enough would-be students at the various different levels to justify splitting up the group. For myself, I suspected that coming to class might be good for revision but would soon become very frustrating. Instead I’m falling back on a novel way of expanding my vocabulary, albeit one that is unlikely to prove useful on my next visit to İstanbul. When the Hezen Hotel opened in Ortahisar I assumed that “Hezen” must be the surname of the owner but oh dear me, no! A “hezen,” it turns out, is one of the tree-trunk-style rafters that I have been staring up at in the ceiling of my own bedroom for the past 10 years without ever thinking what to call them. Now we have the new Gerdiş Evi hotel in Göreme. Gerdiş? Well, that is apparently the name given to the summer-houses which my neighbors used to use in the past when they wanted to stay overnight near their fields at harvest time. Pat Yale lives in a restored cave-house in Göreme in Cappadocia. SOURCE : http://www.todayszaman.com/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=277176

Thinking in different languages

A friend who was visiting from the United States listened to me speaking Turkish with merchants in the Grand Bazaar and then translating our negotiations in Turkish into English for his benefit. “How do you talk in one language and then translate into another one so quickly?” he asked. “What language do you think in while you're talking?”

Soap operas increasing Iraqi interest in Turkish literature

The popularity of Turkish TV series on Arab channels, is attracting students at Iraqi universities’ Turkish literature departments. The Turkish Language and Literature Department has become one of the most popular faculties at Iraq University’s Foreign Languages Department. The phenomenon is part of a growth in Turkey’s ‘soft power,’ a sociologist says

It has long been known that Turkish television series aired in Arab countries have resulted in an increased interest in Turkish culture, yet the shows have also begun attracting more students to the discipline of Turkish literature, according to academics. In Iraqi universities, Turkish literature now trails only English literature in terms of popularity.

“The ever-developing relations between [Iraq and Turkey] and Turkish soap operas on Iraq TV have triggered this new trend. Students are eager to learn Turkish, while families also want their children to learn Turkish,” Professor Talib al-Qurayshi, the head of the Iraq University Foreign Languages Department, recently told Anatolia news agency.

When Turkish Literature and Language Department head Ziyad Tariq Abduljabbar took over his new department’s management in 2008, there were only 60 students but there are now 730 undergraduate students, 17 post-graduate students and three PhD students in the program.

Speaking about the links between Turkish soap operas and the country’s literature, Nilüfer Narlı, a sociologist at Bahçeşehir University, said Turkey had increased its “soft power” in the Middle East and Balkan countries.

“As the circulation of soap operas in the international arena has increased, learning Turkish language and culture have become very important in the Arab and Balkan countries. This is what we call ‘soft power,’ within the context of the culture industry,” she said.

Of course, there are other reasons for the increased interest in Turkish in Iraq, especially economic ones, said al-Qurayshi. “Growing investment and business opportunities draw people to learn Turkish in Iraq. Students are concerned about their future and the current investments have triggered the education in Turkish.”

Still, there are plenty of cultural reasons for the increased interest, Narlı said. “Turkish contemporary Nobel Laureate writer Orhan Pamuk’s presence [on the scene] and the increasing translations of his books also affect this situation.”

As more Turkish novels are being translated into different languages, the interest in Turkish literature is being raised, Narlı said. “The literature is not a part of the ‘soft power’ theme, but it is very important.”

Commenting on Turkish literature and its impact in the Balkans and the Middle East, Marmara University Turkish literature professor Nihat Öztoprak said: “Turkish soap operas such as Aşk-ı Memnu [Forbidden Love], Yaprak Dökümü [The Fall of the Leaves] are adaptations of famous classical Turkish literary works. People in foreign countries watch those series and they become interested not only in the series and the cast but also with the people who wrote them.”

As such, people become acquainted with writers such as Reşat Nuri Güntekin and Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil, according to Öztoprak.

“With the rising awareness in Turkish literature, the neighboring countries have realized that Turkey is not a ‘desert’ country,” he added.

People in Arab countries have started to do research on Turkish writers as they seek to learn more about people like Güntekin. This situation, according to Öztoprak, leads students to learn about the Turkish language and Turkish literature.

At the same time, Pamuk’s Nobel award greatly helped in spreading awareness of Turkish literature.

Growth of Turkish departments at Iraqi universities

The founder of the Turkish Language and Literature department at Iraq University, Çoban Hıdır Uluhan, said the department was established in 1971 with only four academics. “Today we have a total of 17 academics.”

Noting that they were hoping for the support of foundations and universities in Turkey, Uluhan said the university needed more books and sources on Turkish literature.

“We also want to send our students to Turkey on an exchange program during the summers,” he said.

“Turkish language and visiting Turkey is a must for our students in order to experience the country and Turkish culture,” Uluhan said.

* Hatice Utkan contributed to this article.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=soap-operas-and-turkish-literature-increase-interest-in-turkish-culture-2011-05-31

WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT interviews Rumi Forum

Excerpt from full article that explores the new and growing language courses in Washington DC including our Turkish language classes

...."Basically we recognized a demand, and we thought with our background and the fact this organization was founded by Turkish Americans, we could play a part in bringing that to the Washington, D.C., area," Celik explained. "Turkey is on the rise in terms of global attention so a lot of people are wanting to improve their understanding of Turkey. And the best way to do that is through Turkish language and culture."

So far, around 40 to 50 students have completed the intensive program, which includes eight four-hour classes per month, over a two-month span. Currently, 20 students are enrolled in classes held at the Rumi Forum offices in downtown D.C.

Though it's still small, with a single teacher, Celik is optimistic that more people will be attracted to the classes once word gets out. He points out that learning Turkish at the Rumi Forum focuses on more than just the language — it teaches about traditions, norms, etiquette and even food.

"I think they really appreciate that — it's more than just pen and paper classroom. We really do encourage students to pick up on all aspects of Turkish culture as that's what will help them," Celik said, noting the forum recently organized a Turkish dinner for its students.

SOURCE:   www.washdiplomat.com

[Preparing yourself for success in language learning] Creating an environment conducive to learning

Last week, you learned that everyone processes new information in different ways, and that being aware about how you best learn is helpful when planning your Turkish studies.



Once you discover your personal learning style, you are halfway to the finish line. The next step is to create a learning environment that properly reflects your personal learning style. When you take the time to set up a viable learning environment, you make it easy to study. That ease can affect how you feel about learning which can lead to increased motivation and success in reaching your learning goals.
Creating a study space

Even in the smallest of living arrangements, we can usually find a place to commandeer for a special purpose. I have seen many a meditation corner or a reading corner in my friends' houses, so why not a study corner?

Create your own study corner as a direct reflection of your personal learning style. If you need a soft comfortable chair and low lighting or if you need a small desk with a hard straight-back chair -- set it up. If you need music in the background, make sure that you have music ready to go -- whether it be in the form of a stereo setup or an mp3 player on your desk. Adjust the lighting, furniture, sound/silence to offer you an optimum learning environment. If you are a morning person, try to do some studying in the morning before you get into your day; if you are a night owl, plan to get in some study time before you go to bed.

In addition to altering your physical environment, make sure that your method of studying reflects your personal learning strategies. If you are a visual learner, have text and pictures on hand to read/look at while learning; consider keeping a blank pad of paper to doodle and draw on or on which you can paste images. If you are an auditory learner, working with audio lessons or audio/visual materials will help your valuable study time to be that much more productive.

The bottom line is that the more carefully and consciously you set up your learning activities and learning environment, the faster you will reach the success you desire.
Finding the time to study

One of the biggest complaints I hear from my clients is, “I don't have the time to study.” But, if you think about it, we adults always tend to find time for the things we love to do -- even when we have “no” time.

In this busy world, many of us tend to be over extended in our work and social life. We “want” to learn Turkish, but we just “can't find the time.”

One of the first things you want to do is to make an honest self-assessment. Do you really want to learn Turkish? Many times we want the end goal (a second language, money, a skill), but when we hunker down and honestly contemplate it, we might realize that while we want the goal, we really don't want to go through the hard work of obtaining that goal. So ask yourself a question, “Do I really want to embark on this journey?”
If the answer is yes, then you have to find the time.

Sit down with yourself and think about the things you must do- no matter what. I'm sure a couple of things came up such as eating, sleeping, hydrating yourself, but if you think harder you will come up with going to work/school, paying rent, cleaning your house- the list is very personal. Now consciously add “learning Turkish” to the list and do it! Think of it as a contract that you will not breach. Make sure you study a little bit every day. Aim for a minimum of 15 minutes. You will find that some days you'll spend more time, but strive to at least meet the minimum.

If you are truly over budgeted on time, then use that 15 minutes to review information you already “know.” Practice the alphabet by spelling words you know; practice numbers and vocabulary by counting and/or naming things in your home; jot useful phrases onto blank index cards and run through them as quickly as you can- time yourself, make it a game!
Visualization technique: Putting yourself in the zone

A fun technique for getting you ready to learn is called visualization. The phrase “in the zone” is a colloquial saying that refers to when a person's entire being (intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual) is harnessed to make possible the ultimate state of facility, confidence and joy while pursuing a desired goal. In psychology, the term flow is sometimes used to describe the efficient flow of brain energy and focus that leads to success. To get in the zone and to increase the flow for learning Turkish, consider trying the following visualization technique:

In this exercise, you will be practicing the basics of brain engagement that start with complete diaphragmatic breathing to get you in the zone for learning Turkish. The goal is for you to create a vision of your highest level of desired Turkish success while feeling a sense of relaxed, yet energized cognitive focus and an emotional state of confident contentment.

Find a comfortable seated position. Relax your body. Close your eyes. Imagine your highest level of Turkish success while breathing in deeply through your nose and smiling in a relaxed manner. Imagine letting go of obstacles to your learning while breathing out through your nose. Repeat this breathing pattern five to 10 times each day to develop the brain chemicals to get you ready to achieve your highest level of Turkish learning.

While this technique may come off to some as “new age,” rest assured that scientists have found that visualization techniques such as the one I propose here have physiological effects. That is, when you are relaxed, alert and content, your thoughts directly affect brain neurochemistry and therefore shape future thoughts and subsequent actions -- including learning.

So far, you have discovered how you learn best, how to create an environment that supports your goals and how to find the time and the motivation to proceed. Next week we will explore short and long-term goals as well as how to find, make and use various language-learning resources so that you get the most out of them.

[Learning Turkish] Setting goals and using materials

When learning Turkish, it’s important to have goals set out like a road map so that you can make sure you are heading in the direction that you want to go. When you set every action, activity and study material next to your goals, you will know immediately if that particular activity will keep you going in the right direction. Prior to setting your goals, consider what you want to learn and how long you want it to take.



It’s a good idea to be as specific as possible. “I want to be fluent” is very ambiguous -- what do you mean by “fluent”? Speaking correctly? Speaking quickly? Having a reduced accent? It may be more helpful to say, “In six months, I see myself having a conversation with a native speaker comfortably.” You could even narrow that down to “having a conversation about (fill in the blank).”
Long-term goals

Long-term goals are those you set to attain six months or a year. Set them, keep them in mind, but don’t obsessively dwell on them; staring at the top of a huge mountain can be very unmotivating, whereas planning to tackle the mountain one day at a time will make the task less daunting. When it comes to undertaking something as huge as learning a foreign language -- especially Turkish with all of its postpositions -- consider taking on the learning one short-term goal at a time.

For example, if your goal is to have a comfortable conversation with a native speaker, you’ll want to make sure that every step you take will lead you to that goal; that is, you’ll need it keep it in mind. However, if you compare where you are now relative to the end goal on a daily basis, i.e., dwell on it, it can feel like an impossible feat and lead you to give up.

That is why it’s important to set the end goal and then immediately set short-term goals that will lead you step-by-step to the fluency you desire.
Short-term goals

Short-term goals help you take the baby steps you need to inch toward your long-term goals. Today you might set the goal of memorizing a few common phrases or even pieces of phrases that you could use when speaking with others.

For example, it might be enough for one day to learn how to say, “On Monday, On Tuesday, etc.” (pazartesi günü, salı günü, etc.). Later you can expand that to “Pazartesi günü ne yapıyorsun?” (What are you doing on Monday?)

At your next study session you might decide to watch part of a favorite movie in Turkish to practice your listening skills. Again, it’s not necessary to understand every utterance. If you can understand one sentence or phrase -- that’s great. Listen to it again and again until it becomes second nature to you.

As you expand your vocabulary into phrases, try using them in a variety of different situations to practice them. Ultimately, having a repertoire of common phrases will lead to your long-term goal of fluency.
Materials

The next thing you need to do is to make your learning more interactive. There is nothing more boring than trying to do grammar exercises in a book or to memorize vocabulary that you will never use.
Books

As you work with language books, take the time to jot down the phrases that seem most applicable to your daily life -- that is, those phrases you feel are useful. Keep in mind that we communicate in phrases, not individual vocabulary words. So, if you see a vocabulary word that you think will be helpful, try putting it into a useful phrase so that you can use it more readily.

For example, the word “tuz” (salt) can be very useful. But can you imagine a conversation in English where you pointed at someone and said, “Salt.” They would probably get the message, but it would feel awkward and may even be misinterpreted. However, “Tuz alabilir miyim?” (Can I have the salt?) would work perfectly.

If your vocabulary doesn’t come pre-packaged in little phrases, check with a native speaker to see how you can use it. As you become comfortable using that phrase, play around with it. Ask for a fork or a knife or a glass -- the combinations are endless.

If you are an audio learner, ask your native speaker friend to record the sentences you want to say. Listen and repeat as often as you can.
Audio recordings

Some Turkish language programs come with audio recordings. First, listen to these recordings as they were intended. Did they come with an exercise? Try to do the exercises as they were written. When you go back to the same material (remember, it is repetition that will help you on the road to fluency more than anything else), try making it into a dictation practice where you try to write down exactly what you hear. Practice spelling difficult words out.

For more advanced spelling practice, pretend you are spelling the word on the telephone. Much like we say, “That’s C as in Charlie, E as in echo,” etc., Turks use cities. So if you want to spell out your name (as I often do), you need to know that Brooks is “Bursa, Rize, Ordu, Ordu, Kayseri, Samsun.” For the complete alphabet go to http://www.radyoamatorleri.com/fonetik-alfabeler-t208.0.html (By the way, I have also heard, “Bursa’nın Besi, Rize’nin Resi,” etc.)
Conversations

When listening to conversations, try to copy the intonation of the speaker as well as the pronunciation. (Again, investing in a recording device can come in handy here.) There is a song to every language and, believe it or not, many native speakers process the song of the language with equal importance as the words themselves. News and weather broadcasts offer real-life examples of dramatic Turkish pronunciation. Another way to learn the music of Turkish is to listen to your favorite English speaking movie dubbed in Turkish. Because you know the storyline, it will be easier to focus on the intonation patterns rather than the translation. Finally, listening to Turkish music allows you to practice intonation patterns with the assistance of music that will guide your pronunciation while reinforcing vocabulary terms.

Once you know what you want to accomplish over the next six months to a year, and break the goal into smaller steps, consider the materials you have. Use the ideas and examples presented in this article to help get you on the road to your language learning success.

The next step is to find learning partners, instructors, programs, or other means of advancing your current knowledge of Turkish. It’s so easy to learn Turkish without spending a lot of money -- a great deal of language-learning resources are at your fingertips. Next week, we will explore some of those resources.


SOURCE: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-240506-learning-turkish-setting-goals-and-using-materials.html

US students performed in Turkish at 3rd Turkish Olympiad Finals

American students competed in Turkish songs, poetry and folk dancing at the 3rd Turkish Olympiad finals held in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. The event was attended by Turkey’s Ambassador to the US Namık Tan and Senator Chap Petersen.

American and Turkish students put their knowledge of Turkish cinema, song, dance, poetry and culture on show at the 3rd Turkish Olympiad finals held in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.



The event, organized by the American Turkish Friendship Association (ATFA) and the Mid-Atlantic Federation of Turkic American Associations (MAFTAA), brought together American and Turkish crowds in the US capital. Attended by Turkey’s Ambassador to the United States Namık Tan and Virginia State Senator Chap Petersen, the event saw students ranging from 12-18 years of age selected as finalists from seven states surrounding Washington compete in categories of song, poetry and folk dancing.

With students performing traditional tunes from Adana, Burdur and the Black Sea, the sound of the Turkish kemençe and the rhythmic tunes of the Black Sea region were awarded first place. Yeşilçam (Green Pine) Turkish Cinema also made an appearance at the Olympiads, with two American students enacting a famous comedic scene from a film of the seminal era.

Referring to his recent 10-day trip to Turkey, Senator Petersen said he attended the event wearing shoes that he had purchased from İstanbul’s Grand Bazaar and described the importance of such events in bringing people together. He added that Turkey and the state of Virginia were very similar in terms of their natural beauty and resources as well as tourism. “We can form a positive friendship together,” he said.

Presented with a plaque as a token of appreciation for his support, Tan noted the success of the students in putting the Turkish language on show and spoke of the importance of the Turkish language on the world platform. “[The students] presented the Turkish language -- the language of love and the heart -- with great success. If you were to travel from here all the way to China, the Turkish language will not let you down. It is a powerful language shaped from a far-reaching culture and history,” he said.

Tan reinforced the importance of language learning for children, inviting participants to the Children’s Day celebrations to be held at the Turkish Embassy in Washington on April 23. “[Through such events] the event’s organizers realize another aspect of diplomacy. Bring your children and let us celebrate together our children’s festival, the likes of which do not exist anywhere else in the world. Let us also voice our Turkish language there,” he said.

Drawing attention to the fact that more than 250 million people worldwide speak Turkic languages MAFTAA President Mahmut Yeter said students in 155 countries, including the United States, currently learn Turkish as a second language in high schools and universities. MAFTAA’s member organizations teach Turkish in 13 cities across the Middle Atlantic states.

SOURCE: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-240102-us-students-performed-in-turkish-at-3rd-turkish-olympiad-finals.html

Tips on mastering a second language (2)

Culture is designed to meet human beings’ basic needs and language is the expression of it. Living in a global world, it is essential to understand culture and be able to communicate with each other.

In my piece “Tips on mastering a second language” (March 26, 2011) we explored some of John H. Schumann’s eight social variables that affect the progress of a student studying a second language. Let me just point out that Schumann refers to the location of the native speakers as the target language community. The eight points include social dominance, assimilation and adaptation, enclosure, cohesiveness, size, congruence, attitude and even intended length of residence. We will continue here by picking up with the fourth point: Schumann says the fourth social variable is cohesiveness. Have you ever wondered when studying a second language just how you would progress if you really gave it your all and spent all your time in and with the target language group? Unfortunately, many English language learners, when they go to America or England or Australia or wherever, remain separate from the target language group. The same happens here in Turkey as foreigners try to study Turkish at the local language school but then do not have the opportunity to mix with the Turks after class. The result is minimal language practice and exposure to culture and more time with other students studying Turkish. Linguists have been debating how far social distance can explain variation in the degree of language acquisition. To get around the dilemma of not having access to mix and mingle with the target language group, I have noticed more and more private schools in İstanbul, particularly preschools, are doing everything they can to create an effective English language learning environment for their young students. If you cannot live in the target language group community you must create an environment that is the next best thing. Cohesiveness influences the level of success the student will have in learning the second language. You can find communities in every country that are cohesive. If you are in an English language learner group that has chosen to be cohesive, since it tends to remain separate from the target language group, the students will find it more difficult to reach proficiency. An example of this are the many Turks living in Germany who often do not learn German well because they are cohesive -- remaining in the Turkish communities for their social life, shopping and work. The remaining social variables deal with size, congruence, attitude and intended length of residence. By size, Schumann explains that if the English language learner group is large, the intra-group contact will be more frequent than the contact with the target language group. This can hinder progress in your language acquisition. A Turkish friend of mine who lives in California now had her mom come to visit for three months. Mom, who was in her 40s, loved being with her daughter; however, she did not like being in America because she could not speak the language and did not make any friends while visiting there. Schumann’s research indicates that congruence is key. The more similar the two cultures are, social contact and learning the second language is potentially more likely to happen. Our social and cultural access and process in everyday life is a necessity. Schuman states that language will come more naturally if you share common interests and places. Attitude is crucial. It helps if the English language learner and target language groups have positive attitudes towards each other. If you can speak another language you can often earn a better salary. In China many Chinese have not studied English because they wanted to but their motivation was to receive a scholarship from the government or a better salary. The language learning experience will be good if the language learners have a positive attitude towards the target language group. On the other hand, if the student has a negative attitude towards the target language group, this can be a hindrance. A final factor that determines progress in learning a second language is the intended length of residence. The longer the second language learner plans to remain in the target language environment, the more motivated he usually will be. You can learn the second language if you develop a “can do” approach and maintain a positive attitude about learning the language and the target language group. Note: Charlotte McPherson is the author of “Culture Smart: Turkey, 2005.” Please keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com SOURCE: http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=239414&columnistId=68

Tips on mastering a second language

Are you wondering if you will ever master a second language? Disillusioned that you have not made more progress in your language study than you have by now? Believe it or not, language learning is not all about going to class and doing your homework.

I came across some interesting research that may be helpful for you if you are studying a second language. According to second language acquisition researcher John Schumann, who has conducted research on those studying English as a second language in the US, there are eight variables that affect the language acquisition of the student. Let me just explain that Schumann refers to this group as the English language learners and refers to those whose mother tongue is English in the US as the target language group. Let’s just look briefly at the eight social variables which he claims affect the quality of contact that English language learners have with the target language group: Social dominance is the first social variable. Schumann states that when English language learners, such as an Arab or Japanese person learning English in the US, are politically, culturally, technically or economically superior to the target language group, which is in this case Britain or the US, then it tends to hinder learning the target language. In his research he also points out that on the other hand if the English language learning group, such as Cubans or Mexicans in the US, has a lower socio-economic status than the target language group, they may resist learning the target language. You can see that in either case, there is resistance to learning English well. This is not to say that English is never learned well when this is the case, but to illustrate the fact that attitudes affect progress in language learning. Using your communication skills, whether it is orally or silently, you can command social dominance. Every culture has its own form of body language. Perhaps you have noticed some of these in your dealings in social settings where you are. For example, one very common signal is learning to listen and not interrupt when another person is speaking. However, in some cultures interrupting another person is not considered rude, and the one who speaks the loudest earns the right to be heard. Other signals associated with language and communication is to understand how people in another culture tend to listen. Do they lend a sense of attention and perhaps lean forward? Giving the correct greeting in another culture is one of the best sources to help you gain some sense of confidence and social dominance. A cheerful and smiling greeting (as culturally appropriate) can win the heart of your community. Also different cultures use their eyes to communicate in different ways. For anyone learning English and speaking with an English speaker, you will usually notice that eye contact is important with a normal amount of blinking. Also native English speakers do not tend to make a lot extra arm, body and leg movements. Assimilation, preservation and adaptation are another social variable. Schumann says if a person chooses assimilation as a way to integrate, it means he gives up his own lifestyle and values and adopts those of the target language group. Similarly, reservation means that the English language learning group maintains its own lifestyle and values and rejects those of the target language group. Adaptation means that the English language learners adapt to the lifestyle and values of the target language group, but maintain their own lifestyle and values for intra-group use. Each of these variables can involve personal choice. If you really want to “fit in” with the target language group and develop your knowledge and ability to speak on different topics with confidence, you need to adapt, be motivated and work hard. The question here is how much do you really want to “fit in”? Why is it important for the English language learner to learn English, or we could ask how important is it for the foreigner living in Turkey to learn Turkish? Enclosure is the third social variable. Enclosure refers to the degree to which the English language learning group and target language group share the same social constructs such as schools, religious places, clubs, recreational facilities, crafts, professions and trades. If the two groups share these social constructs, enclosure is said to be low and second language acquisition is more easily facilitated. We have considered the first three points and can look at the other factors -- cohesiveness, size, congruence, attitude and intended length of residence -- in my next piece. Note: Charlotte McPherson is the author of “Culture Smart: Turkey, 2005.” Please keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com SOURCE: http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=239212&columnistId=68

Pros and cons of language acquisition

Nearly every day either a foreigner tells me that they wish they could learn Turkish more quickly or a Turk says they wish they spoke English better.

It seems that during the spring months a number of English Language Teaching (ELT) conferences will be held in different places to help English teachers learn new techniques and discuss challenges they face as ELT teachers. On April 1 there is an ELT conference that is planned to be held in Konya. I have been asked to give a presentation on the subject “Can English be learned?” When asked to give a presentation on this topic it got me to thinking about a question I had not really given a lot of thought to; however, like most foreigners a similar thought crossed my mind with regards to learning Turkish. Will I ever learn Turkish? Any student studying a second language asks this question about the target language. A number of foreign friends over the years have certainly expressed the same thought, that is, whether or not they will ever really be able to communicate in Turkish as a second or third language. If you have ever studied Turkish you will be familiar with the technique used to teach the language. Only in more recent years have some teachers begun to use games, songs, role play, etc. Generally the more “direct method” approach to learning a language is used. In other words the teacher uses examples of language in order to inductively teach grammar. Thinking about this reminds me of when I took Turkish classes at a language center in Ankara back in 1980. The teacher seemed to only want to give oral practice to the students who knew the answers. So the students who did not catch on as quickly soon fell behind because they were not given enough practice. Naturally those who kept being given opportunities to speak because they knew the answers excelled. The teacher probably should not have been teaching because he had no patience with those who did not catch on quickly. He also lacked the gift of encouragement. The teacher can make or break a student. Teachers should inspire hope and motivate students. In another class that I attended the next year in İstanbul the teacher was completely different. Although she was heavy handed with grammar and weak in teaching pronunciation she was loved by her students. In her class it seemed as though she pounded us with grammar drills in hopes that we would catch on. We were always trying to guess the rules of the language through the examples provided. We liked our teacher as she understood foreigners and she knew English well. She was well aware of which grammar points we would struggle with in trying to learn Turkish. She would bombard us with lots of questions trying to get us to give a reply using the grammatical structure of the day in the conversation. Accuracy is sought and errors are corrected. This method provides more comprehensible input than the methods discussed so far, but it still focuses too much on grammar. Unlike the teacher in Ankara, no matter how hard Miss Belgen tried to make us feel comfortable when it came to your turn to answer you felt some anxiety. Sitting in rows waiting for your turn to come and speak can be nerve-wrecking and really is unnatural. I think Stephen Krashen in his book “Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition” hits the nail on the head when he writes: “What theory implies, quite simply, is that language acquisition, first or second, occurs when comprehension of real messages occurs, and when the acquirer is not ‘on the defensive’.” In order to really learn a second language and understand the culture you need to spend time with people who speak that language. If you are studying Turkish spend time with Turks. If you are studying English spend time with English speakers and so on. By doing this you will hear, speak and observe much. You will acquire language. Along with lessons, language acquisition is the key. It does not require extensive use of grammatical rules. It does not require tedious drill. Learning a second language does not happen overnight. Real language acquisition develops slowly, and speaking skills emerge significantly later than listening skills, even when conditions are perfect. These days for most of us the best way to learn is in low-anxiety situations that contain messages that we really want to hear. SOURCE: http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-239114-pros-and-cons-of-language-acquisition.html

Language struggles

KATHY HAMILTON , İSTANBUL




“Why don’t you speak Turkish properly?” the tiny old woman hissed at me angrily as she leaned over to interrupt, obviously eavesdropping on the conversation I was having with two of my close Turkish friends. As we turned in surprise to see who had so rudely interrupted us, I managed to say in broken Turkish: “I moved to İstanbul two months ago and have only been learning the language for a month. Turkish is a very difficult language for me.”

Brushing my explanation aside, she snorted and replied: “What do you mean you’re just now learning Turkish? At your age, you should be fluent. It is the easiest language in the world to learn. Why, it is so simple that every child can speak it better than you can. What’s wrong with you?” Puzzled, I told her, in somewhat mangled Turkish, that in the country where I grew up we had spoken English and Spanish at home and I had no reason to learn Turkish until I moved here. Undeterred, she shook her head and insisted that the entire world spoke Turkish. “Look at the television shows,” she said, waving her hands for emphasis, “even the ones made in America are all in Turkish. Everybody speaks Turkish. Except you!”

My two Turkish friends stifled their laughter as they tried to convince the old woman that she was wrong about Turkish being a universal language. However, she could not be swayed and continued to insist that she was right. Even when they tried to explain that different languages are spoken in other countries, she refused to entertain the possibility that she may have been mistaken. Shaking our heads, we returned to our own conversation, which consisted of our own mix of Turkish and English words and phrases. My friends were irritated by the old woman’s intrusion and by her criticism of my grasp of the language.

Even though my friends were quick to point out that this elderly woman had most probably never travelled out of her country, or had interactions with foreigners before, she reminded me of the angry, frustrated tourists I had seen just earlier that day in Sultanahmet, the historic area of İstanbul. Obviously confused about where they were going, they approached a street cleaner and asked him for directions. The worker apparently did not speak English, but tried to understand what they needed, wanting to be as helpful as possible. The couple realized there was a breakdown in communication, and instead of showing him a map or photo in their guidebook of where they wanted to go that would help him figure out how to direct them, they restated their question, but in slower and louder English.

Seeing that they were becoming irritated with the situation, I came over and spoke with them, offering to help. I thanked the cleaner for his time and told him I could assist these lost tourists. Seeming to be relieved, he returned to his work. After giving the couple directions to the site they were looking for, they began to complain to me about their visit. “What is wrong with this country?” the woman asked. “The only people who understand other languages are those who are trying to sell us something. When we need help or directions, it seems impossible to find anyone who can speak English or French properly.” “ Yes,” the man added, “It is so hard to communicate here. You would think that more people would be fluent in other languages. How are tourists expected to find their way? We have tried speaking in the most basic English and French, but that does not even help.”

From all outward appearances, the tourist couple and the old woman I encountered across town a few hours later are worlds apart in terms of their financial situations and education levels. However, they are alike in that they expect everyone else to comfortably, and fluently, speak their own native tongue. Both assumed that they could navigate their way in the wider world using only the language, or languages in the case of the lost couple, they grew up using. I am sure the old woman was not being intentionally cruel to me, but was instead voicing her astonishment at the fact that a middle-aged woman could not speak her language as well as a 4-year-old child who had grown up only hearing Turkish. Speaking louder in a foreign language will not force the listener to suddenly understand your native tongue. Likewise, if someone is obviously trying to learn another language, it is much more helpful if native speakers are encouraging instead of disparaging.

In a way, the old woman was correct. My language skills should be better than they are. I hope that if we ever run into each other again, she will be impressed at how far I have come and she will appreciate how hard I have struggled to grasp the intricacies of yet another language.

SOURCE : http://www.todayszaman.com/news-235898-language-struggles.html