Top 1000 Most Used Turkish Words 11/25/2010
 So i came across this list today at Wikipedia. It is the list of the top 1000 most frequently used Turkish words. I have listed the top ten below, but it is an interesting list and perhaps one to look over. Here is an idea: Print the list out. Read through the list putting a red dot next to every word that you do not feel completely comfortable with. Repeat this exercise every three months, using a different color each time. It could be a fun way to provide a caveat of assessment for yourself. Here are the top ten words: Yea! I feel completely comfortable with all 10 - though I am still wrapping my mind around the nuances of how demek is used. The first one I had trouble with was #184 - alınmak even though I remember reading it, looking it up and writing it in the margin of the book I was reading just last week. I guess I need more exposure. Add Comment Are you a Freight Train or a VW Microbus? 10/28/2010
I was doing a bit of reading this weekend and came across an interesting article from the National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning about the myths associated in the public mind with language learning. They are ideas I hear a lot, especially from adult learners who see themselves as struggling to learn a second language. The research mostly deals with our perceptions of children learners and is written I think to help administratiors and mainstream classroom teachers gain a better understanding of the challenges their ESL students face, but I think they are myths that affect adult learners as well. So here are the myths as presented in the article: 1. Children learn second languages quickly and easily. But, according to the research, "it has been consistently demonstrated that adolescents and adults perform better than young children under controlled conditions." 2. The younger the child, the more skilled in acquiring a second language. Again, in academic settings, the older children proved to be better language learners than the younger children. But in both of these first two myths, the one big exception is the acquisition of native like pronunciation and accent - in this case, younger is proven to be better. 3. The more time students spend in a second language context, the quicker they learn the language. Here the myth argues for complete immersion as the best way to go about learning a language. But research shows again, that competence in the first language can be a huge benefit and indeed a great tool for accessing and learning the second language. And while this article is focused on young children in US school settings, it seems valuable to consider the point that author and linguist Greg Thompson makes for slowly moving into more and more immersion, but not beginning with complete and total immersion. 4. Children have acquired a second language once they can speak it. Many a mainstream teacher has been fooled by the smooth talking ESL student only to find they cannot comprehend their history text book or write a simple report. Communicative competence is great, but to truly know the language, we must delve into and work on all areas of language including reading, writing, listening and sociolinguistic competence. Going through my ESL training, there was an axiom that students could become communicatively competent in 1-2 years, but that it took 4-6 years to become academically competent. 5. All children learn a second language the same way. This one seems a no brainer, and yet the majority of ESL program in the states treat all of their children the same way. Looking at the Turkish system with a national curriculum, there is almost no room for the idea that all children learn language differently. It is one of the great challenges of the "school" model of education. And it is often one of the great challenges for adult second language learners. But this challenge comes from both sides. WE have outside voices telling us the newest greatest methods, the one stop, catch all systems that if not used, will doom the learner to the language learning abyss, and we have our own internal voices that want a one stop, catch all system. We want to be able to just sign up for language school and wah-laa - we are experts in the language. Unfortunately it doesn't usually work that way. As learners we need to take charge of our language learning, figure out what is working best for us, make changes when necessary and push through other times of learning. I guess this can be a bit more food for thought. I encourage all of you, especially if you have come to a place of saying that perhaps you just can't learn a second language to think about these myths and to think about what you need to get back on track to becoming a better speaker of the second language your learning. Best of luck to all of you. Internet Problems 08/30/2010
I've been back in Turkey for a week and a half now and have yet to have internet at the home front. So, hopefully tomorrow I will get out and find a good internet connection and get two podcasts up on itunes and here at the site. Sorry if you have been waiting. Also, does anyone know how to get Turkish characters on a Mac. I got a new computer this summer, but have yet to figure out how to add Turkish QWERTY to the keyboard. Any help would be great. Great Comment 07/26/2010
I received a great response to the post Kid's Songs. An English teacher friend of mine expands and clarifies my thoughts on "anybody, somebody and nobody". I think it helps clarify what I am still struggling to understand. Actually, there's one word to imply the words "anybody and nobody". The word is "kimse" as you've mentioned. But "somebody" is different. It means; "birisi" meaning a personality. Although, some of the dictionaries wrote "kimse" as the meaning of "somebody". But this "kimse" infers a personality which has an equal meaning with "birisi" and this is positive. In short, we use "birisi" when we teaching the meaning of the word "somebody" and when we translate a sentence to Turkish. And even "kimse" means "a person" we mostly use it as the same meaning as "nobody or anybody". It has a negative meaning unlike "birisi". only, we can't use "kimse" with a positive structure. It has a negative meaning and a negative structure in Turkish. In this respect, it is a little bit weird to see a positive structure with a negative meaning for Turkish language learners. Moving Homes 04/21/2010
I think I am supposed to be posting a tip of the bi-week this week - yesterday. But we are in the process of moving to a new home, preparing for a summer visit to the states and of course the general business of life. Looking for a new apartment did remind me of the importance though of forcing new situations upon yourself. Last week I was suddenly immersed in a new world of vocabulary and expressions that I had not encountered much. I have learned a lot of new words and a lot of new expressions that i probably would not have if it were not for being out shopping for houses. These things come up in life and we learn - sink or swim. But as language learners, it is important as well to occasionally intentionally find new arenas, new areas to explore and throw yourself into. Be creative! Have fun! Explore and learn. As well, jump over to www.english4turkey.com and make a recording via your iphone or follow the instructions on the native speakers page and share your opinion and thoughts about a host of topics - and help Turks learn English. |    
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