Colloquial Turkish : The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) [Paperback]

Ad Backus (Author), Jeroen Aarssen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415157463 | ISBN-13: 978-0415157469 | Publication Date: December 2000 | Edition: 2

Colloquial Turkish is the ideal introduction to the language! Written by experienced teachers of the language, Colloquial Turkish offers a step-by-step approach to Turkish as it is spoken and written today. No previous knowledge of the language is required.
What makes this course your best choice for language learning?
* Ideal for independent study and class use
* Varied, dialogue-based exercises with thorough answer key
* Up-to-date vocabulary, including computer terms
* Jargon-free grammar notes
* Extensive Turkish-English, English-Turkish glossaries
By the end of this lively and accessible course, you will be able to communicate confidently and effectively in Turkish in a broad range of everyday situations.
Accompanying audio material is available to purchase separately on CD/MP3 format, or comes included in the great value Colloquials Pack.

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘If you want to get to grips further with any of the [European] languages, Routledge’s Colloquial series is the best place you could start.’ Rough Guide to Europe

About the Author

Ad Backus is a researcher at the Department of Linguistics, Tilburg University. Jeroen Aarssen is a researcher at the Centre for Studies of Multilingualism, Tilburg University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 2 edition (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415157463
• ISBN-13: 978-0415157469
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Turkish
  • #5 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Turkish
  • #5 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Turkish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Full of mistakes, July 20, 2004

By 

M. Ozturk (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Colloquial Turkish Pack : The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) (Paperback)

The book is full of mistakes and quite odd phrases. As a native speaker of Turkish (I teach Turkish, thus I have the book) I find the dialogues and passages artificial. Some idioms and phrases are used out of place and depending on the context the learner may choose to use them, they may result in embarrasment on the part of the speaker and/or hearer.
In terms of the organization of a language teaching/learning book, like many other non-English teaching books, it does not follow the criteria for a good book; such as presenting the subject matter clearly and in an organized way so that it is not confusing for the learner. The exercises are usually controlled, which is not a very good thing.
All in all, it fails in three important aspects: The correct use of the language and grammar, the authentic use of them, and the organization of the material.
I hope there are better alternatives around. This certainly doesn't qualify as a good one.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A godawful mess, but completely necessary (for now)..., September 9, 2002

By 

Brian Felsen "Twitter: @brianfelsen" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Colloquial Turkish : The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) (Paperback)

This book's a disaster - the material is presented in a disorganized manner; there are several errors (in grammar, in spelling, in usage, and even in class - Arabic or peasanty words that you won't often come across) in the dialogues and some in the answers; it's much harder to follow than the earlier edition written by different authors; it assumes a little background info on Turkish, which it shouldn't; and, above all, its back cover, claiming "jargon-free grammar notes," is an out-and-out lie: you'll have to pore through ablative cases, converbs, and relative clauses to get to the good stuff.

BUT - the good stuff is fantastic. The book fills a much-needed space in your studies. Other books are too didactic (such as the In Three Months series); others are too basic (the Teach Yourself book), and then you're left on your own. This book is hefty enough, intermediate enough, and colloquial enough to be of help when you're at the position of knowing the basics but not ready yet to read a Turkish newspaper and be on your own. The example sentences are superb and give you much practice in dealing with the topics so poorly presented. Probably the best way to approach it is to get another book first, then to get this book, skip the grammatical expositions, and to go over the sample sentences and exercises with a spouse or friend, who can help give other contexts in which they're used, and even correct some of the errors.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best..., May 16, 2002

By 

Quaker Annie "reader" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colloquial Turkish Pack : The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) (Paperback)

Over the past few months, as I've struggled to learn a bit of Turkish, books on that topic have filled my shelves and backpack. Every time I find another one, I add it to my collection. My addiction to all language books Turkish isn't just based on the delusion that owning a lot of books will automatically give me knowledge.

What I've discovered is that one book just won't do it -- (see my other reviews on this topic).

Rudimentary books are necessary at first to give you basic phrases you'd need. Once you find you can count to ten, say hello, good-bye, yes, no, please, thank you, how are you, fine, etc. you'll find a need for deeper understanding, a larger vocabulary and a better understanding of how to put sentences together.

In my opinion, this book (the 8th I've bought) is so far the best of those that teach you the language, not just phrases. It comes with two tapes (you MUST have something to listen to -- pronunciation is essential to get your message across correctly). Although you could get along without the tapes which do not cover all the chapters, dialogues or tests, if you are serious, make sure you get the tapes -- they are extremely helpful.

Using this book (in my opinion) works best if you have started with a couple of smaller, basic phrase books, and have a self-forgiving attitude. Turkish is different from English. Some parts are easy to learn once you understand the format -- others are difficult exceptions, difficult to comprehend. This book has helped me understand the tenses that are needed (so I don't have to only use the present tense for everything in my life!)

The tests are sometimes offered using words you haven't learned yet -- this is an intentional stretch for your learning curve -- and is a good thing. I'm pretty sure I've found an error or two in the answers (which is why it is good to have several books and sources on hand).

The more I did the lessons and then went back to my basic survivor books, the more I understood, and the more I could say.

So far this is the best book I've found -- I suspect the next level requires lessons with real people, which is where I'm headed!

Excellent for the mid to advanced learner!

Iyi talih!