Learning a language is a challenge, though an exciting one for many, and every language brings along its unique challenges for learners. Some may find conjugating verbs particularly difficult in Spanish while it might be easy for others, and the pronunciation of words may be the biggest difficulty for a learner of English.
Learning Turkish is not a piece of cake for many foreign students. Students who have come to Turkey for the Turkish Olympiads cite different factors as they talk about the challenges they faced while learning Turkish. For an Afghan student, the case suffixes from Turkish grammar were the most difficult part of learning Turkish, whereas a Cambodian says the articulation of sounds is hard for her. Students from Senegal and Georgia note that Turkish grammar is different from that of their native language and poses a difficulty.
Some of the contestants in the 9th International Turkish Olympiads explained their journey on learning the Turkish language.
Shaira Osmani from Afghanistan won the poetry competition in last year's Turkish Language Olympiads. Osmani, who studies at an Afghan-Turkish girls' school, is currently co-hosting shows presented by Tour 1, one of the three groups touring Turkish provinces as part of the Olympiads. For her, the hardest part of Turkish is the case suffixes, which she says took her a year to get accustomed to and use correctly. She also notes that it was hard to memorize verses in Turkish poems.
"I wrote Mehlika Sultan 23 times in two days to memorize it," she says, explaining how she managed to memorize the poem, which brought her the award last year. "It's easier to learn verses in Persian," she adds. The 16-year-old Osmani loves Turkish literature and her favorite novel is Çalıkuşu by Reşat Nuri Güntekin. The Afghan student was accepted to first grade at the age of 4, while children normally start school at 7. She wants to become a cardiologist and study at a university in Turkey.
Thirteen-year-old Channimol Touch from Cambodia says it was very hard for her to learn Turkish.
From the sounds to the alphabet, Turkish and Khmer differ in many linguistic aspects. Also speaking fluent English, Channimol says English would be as difficult to learn as Turkish if she had not been hearing the language since childhood. The Cambodian studies at Zaman International School, which accepts students who pass an examination, in the capital Phnom Penh.
Not only the language, but also other conditions in Turkey are a challenge for Channimol, who had a hard time when she first came to Turkey, as, from weather to food, everything was new for her. She got sick on her first day in Turkey because of the difference in weather. The 13-year-old ate many different kinds of fruit for the first time here. Her favorite ones are plum and apricot.
Asiye Kökten, who is accompanying the group from Cambodia, says the Turkish teachers' experiences in Cambodia show that it is particularly hard for the Cambodian students to learn how to pronounce Turkish vowels.
Grammar hardest part of Turkish for Georgian student
Fourteen-year-old Lika Metreveli has been learning Turkish for three years. She studies at a Turkish school, Demirel College, in Georgia. Lika does not think that Turkish is hard to learn but the grammar is the most difficult part. She was invited to join the touring groups after she came in second at a song contest in her country. "People are nice and food is delicious here," she says, adding that her favorite word in Turkish is "lütfen" (please), which she says she uses 100 times a day.
French words make Turkish easy for Senegalese
French is the official language of Senegal and several other regional languages are also spoken across the North African nation. Hatice Dembele, 14, is one of the students representing Senegal at the Turkish Olympiads. She has been studying at Yavuz Sultan Selim Turkish College for three years. Everything except the grammar is easy in Turkish, according to Hatice. "I learn it easily. There are many words from French in Turkish. At her school, the classes are delivered in English and French. She was invited to Turkey after coming in second in Senegal's poetry qualifications for the Turkish Olympiads. People and food are the main differences between Senegal and Turkey, Hatice says, thanking the organizers for holding the Olympiads. “I met many people from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Cambodia. … I would not have met them were it not for the Olympiads.”
Kyrgyz student: Turkish TV shows were my first classes
Learning Turkish in two years was not difficult for Aysuluu Salieva, 17, from Kyrgyzstan. "Half of the words are similar those in the Kyrgyz language," she says, noting that the grammar was not hard for her either. She has been hearing Turkish for a long time through Turkish television shows and series. Studying at a Kyrgyz state school until two years ago, she and four other friends decided to take an examination to enter the Turkish school in their city, Bishkek. The girls did not tell their families that they would take the test. Two of them passed the exam and earned the right to enroll in the Kyrgyz-Turkish Anatolian Girls Vocational High School, a very prestigious school.
"In addition to the classes, they also teach us how to be a better person at the Turkish school," Aysuluu says, adding, "I learned about peace and loving others when I came to the Olympiads." The first thing that caught her attention was the closeness of the buildings. "I felt like I could not find a place to put my feet," she notes. "Kyrgyzstan has a population of 5 million. The houses have a single story. There are far more green areas than in Turkey."
Published on Today's Zaman, 24 June 2011, Friday
