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Department of the Languages and Cultures of the Near and Middle East

Elementary Written Turkish

Course Code:
155901051
Unit value:
1
Taught in:
Full Year

This is a basic course in Modern Turkish for beginners. It covers the main grammatical structures and aims to enable the student to develop basic reading and writing skills.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Objectives and learning outcomes of the course

At the end of the course, a student should be able to demonstrate:

  1. knowledge and understanding of basic Turkish grammar
  2. knowledge and understanding of essential Turkish vocabulary
  3. knowledge and understanding of the appropriateness of basic Turkish structures and expressions in a given context
  4. the ability to understand short passages in written Turkish on everyday topics
  5. the ability to produce short passages in written Turkish on everyday topics
  6. the ability to understand spoken Turkish and to engage in short spoken discourse on everyday topics

Workload

The course is taught three hours per week. 

Scope and syllabus

The course aims to provide a foundation in basic Turkish grammar on which the student can build on with further study. By the end of the course the students should have sufficient knowledge of Turkish to read and write simple compositions and to conduct everyday conversation such as may be necessary for field work in Turkey.

Method of assessment

One written examination in May-June (80% of the final mark); two termly tests (together 20%).

Suggested reading

  • Rona, Bengisu, 1989. Turkish in Three Months. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Hugo. 
  • Rona, Bengisu, 1989. Get by in Turkish. BBC Publications. 
  • Thomas, Lewis V., 1967. Elementary Turkish. Revised and edited by Norman Itzkowitz. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.