Novye Issledovaniâ Tuvy (Mar 2018)
Issues of Teaching Tuvan Language in Turkey
Abstract
Tuvan language is taught and studied both in the Republic of Tuva and beyond its borders. Alongside with other Turkic languages, it is taught at a number of universities in Turkey – and like all languages belonging to the same group, it is taught to Turkish students not as a foreign, but as a cognate tongue. Speaking from her own experience as lecturer in Tuvan language and literature at the University of Ankara (1997-2003), the author shares her opinions on the issues language instructors frequently face when teaching Tuvan to Turkish students. Since all Turkic languages are understood to stem back to a single ancestor – Proto-Turkic language, the absolute majority of Turkologists see them as dialects of this ancestor tongue. Correspondingly, in their learning experience Turkish students distinguish between foreign languages and those cognate to their mother tongue. Overall, about 20 Turkish universities offer courses in various Turkic languages. At the moment, quite a lot of specialists in Tuvan – both researchers and educators – work in Turkey. However, there is a marked lack of student motivation to study Tuvan. Students see little incentives of professional career growth except becoming an academic linguist. Another notable issue is the absence of textbooks, study manuals, or Tuvan-Turkish and Turkish-Tuvan phrasebooks which could facilitate achieving the required level of command of Tuvan by Turkish students. This problem as yet remains unsolved. For Turkish students, learning Tuvan opens the prospect of becoming a Turkologist. For the Republic of Tuva, the presence of such specialists would help popularize Tuvan culture and enhance collaboration between Tuva and Turkey in the areas of science, culture and economy. This will also help develop the relations between Turkey and Russian Federation.
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