I really never imagined that I would actually grasp a language in such a short amount of time. Spanish is my second language and Chinese my third and both of those languages have taken me 5+ years of intensive classes and cultural immersion to pick them up. It was surprisingly easy for me to have a basic handle of Turkish with the help of Sezgi and a few apps. As a language learner, I have learned skills and approaches towards learning and remembering vocabulary such as repetition and flashcards that I will be able to take with me and employ if I decide to travel to Turkey or anywhere else I learn a language. I test myself every weekend after I go over what I learned in class that week because I want to know that I am remembering what I learned and I am able to make use of it on command, without much thought. In that way, I also learned that I am better at learning languages with others. Conversation is the easiest way for me to apply my language skills. In reviewing for our final, I have learned that I can answer questions relatively easily and understand exactly what is being asked of me, but in thinking of a monologue, I have a little bit more trouble recalling what I wanted to say or thinking of topics on the spot. That is not to say that I am not remembering those topics, but I am not able to bring them to the forefront of my mind without being asked about them.

I reaffirmed what I already know; international politics and religion seriously grasp my attention. I think that those two topics are excellent cultural markers and I learn a lot about a country and I can infer a lot about the culture of a country based on the historical contexts of their political structure and religion. It points to values and virtues and how important tradition is based on how richly a country's history plays into their present circumstances. For instance, Turkey's return to Islam is especially important considering the history of the Ottoman Empire with religion and the elimination of religion in government after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

I think I will continue to learn about Turkish history, culture, and language, because I am intrigued by the traditional aspect of the culture and the fight to modernize while respect the roots of the Empire. To continue learning, I may keep in touch with friends of mine who speak Turkish, follow Turkish news, and stay committed to daily participation of my Turkish-learning app.

Some things I found most useful include:

• having a native speaker teach
• homework/reviewing on your own by creating quizlets
• listening to myself speak to gain confidence in my abilities
• using an app
• individual work in the classroom is what I am best at, but I really enjoy going over it all as a class
• being introduced to music
• being introduced to the culture/history of the Empire

Learning Plan Completed

Religious Freedom in Turkey

My presentation on religious freedom in Turkey is based on my curiousness of the subject of what it means to be able to believe whatever you wish in a given society. Additionally, I look at government policy as a way to influence/suppress a given religion and why secularism is important for a government's success, specifically concerning Turkey.

Magnificent Century Episode 1 - English Subtitles - YouTube

Watching this TV series has given me real insight into how the Turkish language has contributed to the culture and visa versa. 

Trying to learn another language is never easy. I think that my experience in learning languages has definitely benefited me through this experience because I surprisingly can speak pretty well. Writing is something that I have not spent very much time on this semester. I am not sure that was really in my learning plan though because I knew that this is a rather short-term commitment for me, with graduation around the corner. Mainly I wanted to be able to speak on basic terms in case I visited and also because I do know quite a few people who speak Turkish.

In terms of reading, I have gotten the sounds of the letters down, so I can effectively pronounce words and if the words are in my vocabulary, I can understand. One thing I have struggled with recognizing is the conjugation of verbs. In Turkish, words are often combined to conjugate them and I have found a little bit of struggle in being able to tell what the root of the word is.

I can effectively talk about the weather and talk about the day/night, including:

• Date
• Time (morning, daytime, evening, night)
• Sunny or cloudy
• Warm or cold
• Rainy

I am still pleased with my progress and I am interested in how to see how I can communicate the weather and dates with my friend who is a native speaker. He was very impressed with how well I was grasping the language so quickly. 

We also listened to a Turkish pop song by Edis called Dudak. This is a song where we also learned about body parts on the face to be able to follow along because "dudak" is the word for lips. To challenge us, Sezgi had printed out the lyrics of the song and as we listened to it, we tried to fill in some random blanks that were words that we have learned. This was helpful because it gave me a little bit of confidence that I actually could recognize some words.

"The bilingual experience appears to influence the brain from infancy to old age (and there is reason to believe that it may also apply to those who learn a second language later in life)."

I am impressed with this article but not at all surprised. I think it is a special talent to be able to communicate with people and those who master languages without a doubt use a different part of the brain to recall and respond immediately and innately if they are truly bilingual.

I am interested in how they define bilingualism though, because there are so many ways that you can measure someone's language abilities, but I think that immersion or households that speak two languages are the only ways to truly be able to consider oneself bilingual because there is a tick in your brain that people who are bilingual just don't have. When you are learning a language, usually you start off learning through translation. Eventually, you begin to learn in the target language, but there is still an element of translation so that the learner has something to relate it to. Learning from 0 and having tow different definitions of a concept in different languages is a unique ability that not many can grasp. That is how I define bilingualism.

Personally, I was incredibly interested in Turkish culture and history. Sezgi introduced us to a Turkish TV show that I will continue to watch (with English subtitles) because it is so historically accurate and shows the importance of family power, struggle, and wealth in the Ottoman Empire, along with the Empire's clashes with the Papacy of Vatican City.

I would say that my vocabulary is somewhere around 200 right now. I have learned much of my vocabulary through apps and by asking Sezgi what words mean when she says ones that I am not familiar with.

Something that she does that frustrated me at first, but I have grown to appreciate is that she does not merely translate the word. She tries to use it in other ways or show me what it means in order for me to create an association rather than a definition.

I think I do have realistic goals because even though I am not moving incredibly quickly with my vocabulary, I am learning how to make use of the words that I do know and I believe that I am learning relevant words.

Family Introduction

We are learning about food. In fact, we had a meeting outside of class in which Sezgi went out of her way to make us Turkish coffee, bring us Turkish delights, and do a fortune-telling session. It was so cool to learn about how this custom is so important to daily ritual and how frequently it is used in both casual and professional settings.

I am able to introduce my family and talk about my house.

When language dies, Johnson argues that it is not just the alphabet, writing style, and grammar that dies, but it is a vital part of humanity and a vital part of culture that dies with it. I think it makes sense though. If a language is isolated to such a small population, in order for them to survive in the economy of wherever they are, they will have to learn to become bilingual to survive economically. In turn, over time, there will be a decline in the amount of speakers who can also read and write it. With a lack of literature and a lack of recorded history that can be read and interpreted in present day, a language will naturally die off. With that, a culture is lost, which is tragic to the globalizing society in which we live. But it is also somewhat of a natural extension of Darwin's "survival of the fittest" theory because obviously there was a reason that the language did not thrive. I can imagine a world one day where mostly everyone speaks the same language. That is solely because it is easier. Now, that is also a sad society in my mind. I think that one of the most beautiful things about a new culture is rooted in its language. The sing-songy nature of Chinese has always intrigued me and when I go to China, the language somehow makes sense with the architecture, way of life, and style of the country.

I know the numbers. I can effectively count and do basic addition.

We are beginning to go over the seasons, months, days of the week, and weather.

I have updated my blog as prescribed.

History is so important to language. History is why languages persist, why they die, and why we study what we study. I think that the entirety of academia is based on history; whether it be an historical accomplishment such as a mathematical theorem, a piece of literature, or a work of art. In this way, there is a sort of language to every subject. Language in its purest form of communication, spoken and written word is instrumental in life and is one of the qualities that makes us human, separating us from other living creatures and other mammals.

Our history as a species has evolved and with that evolution has come a progression of the ways in which we communicate with each other. Language has caused war, peace, and everything in between. It is arguable the reason for the divisions of territories and how countries have established a set a values and beliefs that shape their culture. A person's first language is responsible for lending a basis for meaning for everything that someone learns. You listen and interpret everything around you based on what you already know, so it makes sense that different people have different interpretations of texts, art, and situations just because of the nature of their first language.

Unfortunately, we did not learn telling time, although we do know the word of clock/watch: "saat".

I have learned a game to learn the numbers, in which we go around the room and count upwards, but every time there is a number that is a multiple of 3 or contains a 3, we clap. It makes us pay attention to the number that came before and it makes you think about the number you are about to say instead of automatically saying what comes next. We have found it extremely effective in learning the numbers.

Progress: I am very pleased with how I am learning. I am impressed that I have actually been able to speak to my friend in Turkish. Of course it is basic, but he understands what I am saying without difficulty. I will keep my learning plan as is because I think we are covering all the bases, but maybe a little out of order or a little slower than I anticipated.

Learning a language's history is essential to grasping the meaning behind certain nuances and words that may have cultural connotations or some sort of historically significant origin. I did some research on the Turkish alphabet's history 

During the Ottoman Empire, which existed not too long ago, Turkish used the Arabic alphabet. However, after the collapse of the Empire and the creation of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk enlisted a new alphabet (using the Roman alphabet as guidance) and mandated everyone to use it. Ataturk also was instrumental in the part that Islam would play in the Republic. He believed that religion's heavy hand had a lot to do with why the Ottoman Empire did not succeed and he wanted to create a secular state that was not threatened by a doctrine of faith, which is why he switched the alphabet to Latin, instead of keeping it Arabic. He also wanted to make the country more appealing to the EU and the rest of the world, instead of not really fitting in with the Middle East.

Identity Dialogue

I've found that Turkish culture and language are both heavily influenced by their society's expectations of upholding traditions of respect for elders and those you do not know, there is a sort of "old" feeling to the language. I would compare it to Old English. For instance, if you do not personally know someone, you have to use the formal version of the verbs when speaking to them. The traditions, like wedding rituals, coffee fortune-telling, and religion are all so interesting and unique. I think the part that interests me the most is the significance of religion in Turkey, so that is most likely what I will do my Cultural Presentation on. I am really intrigued how the language has changed, as well.

During the Ottoman Empire, which existed not too long ago, Turkish used the Arabic alphabet. However, after the collapse of the Empire and the creation of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk enlisted a new alphabet (using the Roman alphabet as guidance) and mandated everyone to use it. Ataturk also was instrumental in the part that Islam would play in the Republic. He believed that religion's heavy hand had a lot to do with why the Ottoman Empire did not succeed and he wanted to create a secular state that was not threatened by a doctrine of faith. He even went so far as to ban headscarves in public buildings (i.e. governmental, public universities, etc.). If an American president ever attempted to enact such a law, there would be an uproar of public outrage over such a distorted religious perspective. In that way though, Turkey differs from the United States. Turkey's rich history and conflict over religion led to a special circumstance where the people were enthused to see a secular state. Now however, Turkey is reverting to its non-secular ways with the current president placing a bigger emphasis on Islam in Turkey. I am very interested to see how this influences Turkey's future. I think that at this point, there has been too much westernization in Turkey to return to an Arabic alphabet, but it was done once before.

In order to improve my language competence, I think that I need to do more speaking outside of class time. In the past, I have been introduced to languages on a basis of meeting everyday of the week. That has been helpful to me because I do not lose much from day to day. But I think that in a way, that was lucky of me. I think that my vocabulary apps have done me well because I am able to bring words to mind rather quickly when asked a question, however, when I want to form sentences and paragraphs on my own, I hesitate.

The Culture Shock video was not at all surprising, possibly because I have experienced culture shock firsthand and therefore I have a sense of empathy for those experiencing it. Perhaps, if you asked me when I was a freshman at UR about my conceptions about culture shock, I may have had a more surprised reaction. You see it on TV shows and you see it in ethnic enclaves in communities of immigrants where they never fully adapted to the new society in which they live, so they do not learn the new language and they do not make friends out side of their comfortable social circles.

Today, after studying abroad in China and interning abroad in Latin America, I think I recognize that I am in an unfamiliar place and use that as motivation to discover where I belong, if I do, in the new society. When I first arrived in China, I stuck with people who were also international, which was not hard as I was in an exchange program in an international university. But as I stepped out of my comfort zone, and put my language skills to use, I found that there were aspects of the society that I never would have discovered had I remained in my privileged bubble. Because the ability to remain a participating member of society while still feeling secure in a new place is privilege. There are people who are totally thrust into a new place where they do not speak the language, nor do they know anyone. That is culture shock in its purest form.

I have been able to introduce myself and add my nationality by saying, "My name is Emily. I am from Virginia." I think that my pronunciation of the alphabet has definitely improved. It is a bit difficult with some of the letters that are the same as English but have different sounds. I think I am catching on pretty quickly to being able to communicate without too much thought going into what I am saying. But at the same time, I know that I have an accent that I'm not sure I will be able to get rid of in this one semester.

I learned more vocabulary via my apps and I am progressing pretty quickly in my opinion, although still maybe not keeping up with my original learning plan.

We have not yet gone over family.