Problems Encountered in Teaching Turkish to Arabs: the Case of Baghdad

Abstract

Many nations fused with one another in history and felt the need to learn each other’s languages due to this fusion. Turks and Arabs have lived together for centuries and united under the roofs of the same states due to their intersection in many common aspects. Their mutual efforts to learn each other’s languages as a result of developing relations and common grounds have persevered till the present. In addition to Turks’ efforts to learn Arabic, there have been intense efforts of Arabas to learn Turkish. The endeavors to learn and teach Turkish, which rose with Divan-u Lugati’t-Turk in the past, are now carried out in an abundance of resources in modern areas through technological tools. Although Arabs and Turks lived together for many years, they have had difficulties and problems in learning each other’s languages as their language come from different language families. This study focused on problems encountered in teaching Turkish to Arab students. Data on the problems experienced by Turkish language teachers who teach in schools and training centers in Baghdad were collected through interviews. Exam papers, homework, and other works of the students were examined. A survey for teachers was conducted in this regard. The study focused on the problems identified as 14 items in line with the examinations.

The Aspects of Technology That Slow Down Foreign Language Learning

“…These changes also showed their effects on foreign language education (Deniz & Kerimoğlu, 2020). Interactions between people have created the need to learn a foreign language, and over time, the importance given to foreign language education has increased rapidly (Dayan, 2020). Due to this importance, utilizing technology for teaching a foreign language has gained importance day by day.…”