Language Pack
Information on Turkey and the
Turkish language
Fear not and be not dismayed, this crimson flag will never fade
It is the last hearth that is burning for my nation
And we know for sure that it will never fail.
National Anthem of Turkey
TURKEY AT A GLANCE
Location – Partly in south-east Europe and partly in west Asia
Neighbours – Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Syria
Size – 302,535 square miles
Population - 73, 875, 000
Life Expectancy -
Capital city – Ankara
Website- www.
Potted History
Modern Turkey rose from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, which was disintegrated after the First World War. The present day state was founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who moulded it into an ethnically homogenous secular entity after outwitting British and French allied forces during the 1919-23 war of independence and expelling Greek and Armenian minorities.
Political pressure points
The biggest faultline lies between the secular establishment – mainly the army and judiciary – and the governing Justice and Development party, which has been accused of planning an Islamic state. Since 1984, the army has waged war against the militant Kurdistan People’s Party, which is demanding autonomy for Kurds in the south-east.
Population mix
Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20%
Religious makeup
Muslim 99% Other 1%
Main languages
Turkish (official), Kurdish
National icons
Orhan Pamuk (author), Mehmet Okur (basketball player), Hakan Sukur, Tuncay Sanli, (footballers)
The Nottinghamshire Context
New arrivals from Turkey come to Nottinghamshire for economic reasons. They are often in skilled jobs, especially as there have been restrictions for unskilled migrants from outside the EU.
Some Kurdish families have been arriving in Nottinghamshire to flee persecution. The majority of these families claim asylum and face uncertain times while they are here. There will be a number of agencies involved with these families and schools are encouraged to attend the multi-agency meetings.
There are a small but significant number of young people who come to the UK without their parents. This again can impact on their lives due to a limited level of English language, separation from family members and friends and the traumatic experiences they may have witnessed.
Education in Turkey
· The Turkish Education System mandates 8 years of primary education between the ages of 6 and 14.
· All state education is coeducational and free of charge.
· The primary phase comprises five years of primary school followed by three years in middle school, ending with a basic education diploma.
· Secondary education lasts for three years and takes place in general high schools, science high schools and vocational/commercial high schools.
· The quality of education is often poorer in rural areas since many teachers prefer to work in towns and large cities.
· Attendance at school is also lower in villages and other rural areas, since many families need their children to help out with farm chores.
· All state education is carried out through the medium of Turkish. Education though the medium of Kurdish in state schools is not permitted.
· Recent reforms have allowed private, after-hours schools to teach the Kurdish language to adults.
· After the national university entrance examination ÖSS (Turkish: Öğrenci Seçme Sınavı) organized by ÖSYM, if they succeed, students continue with their studies at a university.
· Universities provide either two or four years of education for undergraduate studies whereas for graduate studies, a further two years are necessary, as is typical throughout the world.
· There are around 820 higher education institutions including universities with a total student enrollment of over 1 million.
Information about the Turkish Language
Turkish (Türkçe) is a language spoken by 65–73 million people worldwide, predominantly in Turkey, with smaller communities of speakers in Cyprus, Greece and Eastern Europe, as well as by several million immigrants in Western Europe, particularly Germany, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages.
Turkish was originally written in the arabic script which, though poorly suited to the langauge, had been in use since the conversion of the Turks to Isalm. In 1928 President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk decreed the introduction of a slightly modified version of the Roman alphabet, consisting of twenty-one consonants and eight vowels. In Turkish the letters q,w and x are absent, while the letter c is pronounced like the English j (e.g., cep-pocket, j like French j (jade –dew) ç is pronouced ch (çiçek-flower), and ş is pronouced sh (şişe-bottle). The letter ğ merely serves to lengthen slightly the preceding vowel (dağ- mountain).
The Turkish vowels are divided into the so-called front vowels, e,i, ö, ü, and the back vowels a, I (undotted i) o,u. The dotted I retains the dot even when capitalised, as in Istambul. As in all the Altaic languages, most Turkish words adhere to the principle of vowel harmony- that is, all vowels in a given word belong to the same class(front or back), and any suffixes added generally contain vowels of the same class. Thus the plural of a noun with a front vowel or vowels is formed with the suffix – ler (e.g., ev-house, evler- houses), while the plural of a noun with the back vowel or vowels is formed with the suffix –lar (at – horse, atlar – horses).
As an agglutinative language, Turkish frequently adds on suffix after suffix, thus producing words that may be the equivalent of a whole phrase or sentence in English.
The English words caviar, yogurt, and shish kebab are Turkish in origin. The word tulip comes from a Turkish word for turban, because its flower was thought to resemble a turban. The word meander comes from the ancient name of the Menderes River of western Turkey which was noted for its winding course.
Sample text in Turkish
Bütün insanlar hür, haysiyet ve haklar bakımından eşit doğarlar. Akıl ve vicdana sahiptirler ve birbirlerine karşı kardeşlik zihniyeti ile hareket etmelidirler.
Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Words, Phrases and Numbers
English / TurkishHello / Merhaba
Good morning / GünaydIn
Good evening / Iyi akşamlar
How are you? / Nasilsiniz?
Very well / Çok iyiyim
Yes / Evet
No / HayIr
Please / Lütfen
Thank you / Teşekkür ederim
Excuse me / Pardon
How old are you? / Kaç Yaşındasını?
I am …..years old! / Ben ….. Yaşındayım
I understand / Anladim.
I do not understand / Sizi Anlamiyorum
school / Okul
Books / Kitaplar
Pen / Kalem
Pencil / Kurşum Kalem
Teacher / Öğretmen
Mother
Father
Brother
Sister
Grandfather maternal
Grandmother maternal
Grandfather paternal
Grandmother paternal
What? / Ne?
How? / NasIl?
How much? / Ne kadar?
Who? / Kim?
When? / Ne zaman?
What time is it? / Saat kaç?
friend / Arkada?
big/small / Büyük/Küçük
hot/cold / SIcak/Soğuk
left/right / Sol/Sağ
near/far / Yakin/Uzak
early/late / Erken/Geç
good/bad / Iyi/Kötü
beautiful / Güzel
Street / Sokak/Cadde
I don't understand / Anlamiyorum
I don't know / Bilmiyorum
sun/sea / Güneş/Deniz
water / Su
What's your name? / Adiniz ne?
My name is... / Benim adim...
Where are you from? / Nerelisiniz?
Pleased to meet you / Memnun oldum
cycling / bisiklet sporu
fishing / balıkçılık
football / futbol
jogging / yavaş koşu
listen (v.) / dinlemek
music / müzik
painting / resim yapmak
play (v.) / 1. çalmak (for instruments)
2. oynamak (for games)
reading / okumak
ride (v.)
(bicycle, horse) / binmek
running / koşu
swimming / yüzme
tennis / tenis
tennis court / tenis kortu
volleyball / voleybol
as soon as possible / en kısa zamanda
at about 10 o'clock / yaklaşık saat onda
decade / onyıl
early / erken
in a while / bir süre içinde
in an hour's time / bir saat içinde
in the afternoon / öğleden sonra
in the evening / akşam
in the morning / sabahleyin
last year / 1. geçen yıl
2. geçen sene
late / geç
later / daha sonra
next year / 1. gelecek yıl
2. gelecek sene
nine o'clock at the latest / en geç saat dokuzda
soon / yakında
the day after tomorrow / yarından sonra
the day before yesterday / 1. önceki gün
2. evvelki gün
this afternoon / bu öğleden sonra
this morning / bu sabah
this year / 1. bu yıl
2. bu sene
today / bugün
tomorrow / yarın
tomorrow evening / yarın akşam
tomorrow night / yarın gece
tomorrow morning / yarın sabah
tonight / bu akşam
yesterday / dün
Monday / Pazartesi
Tuesday / Sali
Wednesday / Çarşamba
Thursday / Perşembe
Friday / Cuma
Saturday / Cumartesi
Sunday / Pazar
Zero / sifir
One / bir
Two / iki
Three / üç
Four / dört
Five / beş
Six / alti
Seven / yedi
Eight / sekiz
Nine / dokuz
Ten / on
Useful guidance is available from:
New Arrivals Excellence Programme Guidance
(2007) Ref 00650 – 2007BKT- EN
www.nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk
This resource is for primary and secondary schools and contains guidance on admission and developing classroom practice.
A language in common: assessing English as an additional language
QCA (2000) (QCA/00/584).
www.qcda.gov.uk/resources/6200aspx
This document sets out steps used in assessment of EAL, linked to English National Curriculum levels. It provides guidance and exemplifications.
Aiming High: guidance on supporting the education of asylum seeking and refugee children (DfES 0287 – 2004)
www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/ethnicminorites/links_and_publications/AH_Gdnc_AS_RFG_Apr04?asylumguidance.pdf
This guidance helps explain the value of an inclusive ethos and curriculum to all pupils.
Aiming High: meeting the needs of newly arrived learners of EAL
(DfES 1381 -2005)
www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/primary/publications/inclusion/newarrivals
Information on working with newly arrived isolated EAL pupils in settings that have little or no access to EAL support.
Excellence and enjoyment: learning and teaching for bilingual children in the primary years (DfES 0013 – 2006PCK- EN)
Key Stage 3 National Strategy: Access and engagement in English:teaching pupils for whom English is an additional language (DfES 0609 – 2002)
Publications/Catalogues are available from:
MUNDI Tel: 0115 8546418
Mundi
Global Education Centre
Foxhall Lodge
Foxhall Road
Nottingham
NG7 6LH
www.mundi.org.uk (under construction/Aug 2010)
Mundi loan resources to schools in Nottinghamshire free for up to half a term
e-mail:
MILET PUBLISHING Tel: 0207 603 5477
6 North End Parade
London W14 0SJ
England
Web: http://www.milet.com
Milet publishers a wide range of bilingual picture dictionaries, including board books for use in early years settings.
TRENTHAM BOOKS LTD Tel: 01782 745567
Westview House,734 London Road,
Stoke on Trent,
UKST4 5NP Web: http://www.trentham-books.co.uk
Trentham publishes 'a wide range of titles plus seven professional journals, mainly in the field of education and social policy.
MANTRA LINGUA Tel: 0208 44 55 123
Global House
303 Ballards Lane
London
N12 8NP
UK
Web: http://www.mantralingua.com.
Mantra Lingua creative learning resources Audio CDs, Big Books, e-books, fun tales, folk tales, friezes, games, language learning, packs posters, story props, toys videos and so on.
Classroom Resources are available from:
Interactive video clips showing children teaching their home languages
www.newburypark.redbridge.sch.uk/langofmonth
The following website translates words, phrases and short paragraphs from English to Turkish available at; www.foreignword.com.
The Dingle Granby Toxteth Education Action Zone website; Useful letters for parents translated into Turkish available at: http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/letters
DLTK's Crafts for Kids features a variety images that can be used for creating pupils own subject-specific dictionaries.
http://www.dltk-kids.com.
Activities for ESL Students can be adapted for EAL pupils in primary and secondary schools. Has bilingual quizzes in large number of languages, available at http://a4esl.org
Omniglot writing systems and languages of the world available at
www.omniglot.com
EMA Online resource base for teachers has been developed by Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester LAs with funding from the DfES, available at; http://www.emaonline.org.uk.
Racist bullying. Advice designed for schools to dip in and out as appropriate for them and offers discussion topics and activities to stimulate debate and spark activity involving everyone in the school community, available at; http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/behaviour/tacklingbullying/racistbullying.
Teachernet states that a successful home–school relationship can be a key element in making a school stronger and more effective. In particular, it can make a real difference to groups of underachieving pupils and their families, available at; http://www.teachernet.gov.uk
Nottinghamshire Achievement & Equality Team email: