Last week, Begum mentioned that she does not feel so bad when indigenous languages die out due to the rising influence of the Turkish language. Well, it appears that Turkish is indeed a strong language right now, “universal” even.
What indicators support the importance of the Turkish language? This year, 750 students from 120 nations will participate in the International Turkish Olympiads. The sheer numbers indicated that Turkish has become a “universal” and global language that unifies people. The slogan chosen for this year’s competition – “we speak the same language” – emphasizes the unifying nature of Turkish. In connection to other readings from this quarter, I noticed that countries have deep pride and honor attached to the spread of their language. Turkey certainly follows suit.
What has helped Turkish spread globally? The increase in Turkish schools worldwide, thus more widespread teaching of the language, is just one of the factors. Turkey has gained more attention over the last few years as the debate about its possible EU citizenship status has heated up. Furthermore, Turkey’s geographic and economic position has captured the interests of officials in national security.
I did not know much about the Turkish language, but my Russian teacher has really encouraged me to consider studying Turkish, so I did more research online about the language itself. There are approximately 70 million Turkish speakers worldwide. The language has roots in Central Asia (roots date back to 1,200 years). Turkish spread due to the influence of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkish is definitely a language whose spread I look forward to observing.
Article: Turkish now ‘universal’ language, TDK head Akalın says
Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-210870-101-turkish-now-universal-language-tdk-head-akalin-says.html
Article: The Rise of the Turkish Language
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/the-rise-of-the-turkish-language-329329.html
