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• Turkish is the official language of Turkey and Cyprus. It is also spoken in small communities in the following countries: United Kingdom, Romania, the United States, Australia, Denmark, Austria, France, Germany, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Honduras, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Serbia and Montenegro, Canada, Finland, Macedonia, Netherlands, Georgia and Russia.The Linguist List: The Turkish Language Speak A Language: Additional Turkish Language Courses & Learning Aids

• Fast Facts

  1. Language family: AltaicThe Linguist List: The Turkish Language
  2. Number of speakers: 70 millionSyracuse University: Turkish
  3. Official language: Turkey and Cyprus
  4. Major dialects: Dinler, Danubian, Gaziantep, Karamanli, Eskisehir, Rumelian, Macedonian Turkish, Edirne, Urfa, Razgrad, MacedonianThe Linguist List: The Turkish Language
  5. Number of letters in alphabet: 29 letters, 8 vowels, 21 consonantsAll About Turkey: Turkish Language

• Common Words and Phrases

  • Hi: Merhaba
  • Good morning: Gunaydin
  • Good evening: Lyi aksamlar
  • Good night: Lyi geceler
  • Welcome: Hos geldiniz
  • Can you help me?: Bana yardim edebilir misiniz?
  • My name is ….: Ismim ...
  • congratulations: Tebrikler
  • I don't understand: Anlamadim
  • I don't know: Bilmiyorum
  • yes: Evet
  • No: Hayir
  • What time is it?: Saat kac?

• History

  During the time of the Ottoman Empire, the Arabic and Persian languages influenced Turkish. After the Ottoman Empire fell, Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk determined that creating a pure Turkish language was an important part of establishing a national identity for the new Turkish republic. He introduced a number of reforms which included replacing Arabic script with the Latin alphabet, and eliminating foreign words from the Turkish vocabulary.All About Turkey: Turkish Language Ataturk.com: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - His Life

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Dutch | Russian | Romanian | Hebrew | How to Speak Russian | Istanbul Vacation | Turkey | Cyprus | Mediterranean Sea | Mustafa Kemal Ataturk | Istanbul

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