There is no correct way to go about teaching yourself a language, as the point of this class demonstrates. There are though, correct ways to best teach an individual. As I found out the hard way in high school, learning French from a book in a classroom full of kids I wanted to talk to the whole time, was not the best choice for me. The problem I now face myself with is trying to find the best way that I can learn a new language without wasting my time like I did in high school. I have no experience in Turkish language except for two words, both of which I should not say, and a slight knowledge of how the Turkish use inflection when speaking. I have many Turkish friends who have helped me understand their culture (at least bits and pieces), and I know a bit from my own research. The language though, sounds very intimidating to me, and sometimes I wonder how the hell I am going to do this (but alas my GPA can't get much lower than it already is). But because I love the Turkish and wish to visit there I will stick with it.
Now to discuss the tricky stuff. How do I go about teaching myself Turkish?! Well I took the two quizzes and they came out more or less the same. My highest score was in the visual/spatial department, which doesn't surprise me. The suggestions they gave me to best help me learn are exactly what I was going to do anyways, which is to use lots of pictures and colors (rosetta stone anyone?). My next highest scores were Music and Interpersonal, the former being less helpfull than the latter seeing as I don't think I have much music at my disposal. I will see if I can get ahold of some Turkish music. Knowing that I am Interpersonal, I will try to work with others that speak Turkish, which is great because I am always looking for an excuse to skip class and go hang out with my Turkish friends ;)
The other suggestions for learning seem like they will not help as much, but I will try to develop more ideas to help my quest. Perhaps getting some movies might help. Oh, and one thing I know I will struggle with is grammer. I was terrible at it in french, and honestly not so good at it in English. Hopefully I will figure something out to help me with that. My goals for myself I am not quite sure of yet, but I want to at least be able to hold a simple conversation. If I progress to doing more than that, then I want to specialize in travel, and especially places in Turkey (Historical buildings, etc.). I really just want to learn as much as I can, but let me stop before I overshoot my goals.
Comments
Now I am curious. Which two words do you know in Turkish? :) Music could actually help. There is an interesting connection between music and memory. You should try listening to Tarkan. He has a nice voice.