If you are interested in learning Turkish, here we are! Divan Cultural Center has several different levels of Turkish classes. You will learn Turkish in an intimate atmosphere from our teachers. Join our classes, have fun! You will meet new people and a glorious culture. Classes meet on Sundays between 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm. Please check with the Calendar to learn most up-to-date class times. $20 / month fee applies.
Textbook: Ebru Turkce, DILSET Publishing (Textbook is in Turkish). If you are interested, please contact
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The idea of learning Turkish is strange for most students, but that rapidly changes to a sense of excitement as soon as the career opportunities and adventure of Turkey are discovered. Its central connections to Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and its heritage of great civilizations and cultures make Turkish one of the most attractive languages in the world. Since pre-historic times, Turkey has been the vital bridge between Europe and Asia. Its mighty Ottoman Empire consolidated much of Eastern Europe and the Middle East into one great civilization until the early 20th century. The flavor of Turkish culture is richly cosmopolitan, a sophisticated mix of ancient traditions in a contemporary spirit. For Americans, Turkey's liberal political and intellectual climate bridging the East and the West, the traditional and the modern, is a comforting environment. Learning Turkish gives access to many new opportunities for business, scientific and technological research and for scholarship and journalism. Here is a listing of some very practical reasons for undertaking the Turkish adventure in learning: Turkey is a major power in the Middle East with a population of more than 70 million. Uniquely positioned between Europe and Asia geographically, culturally and politically, Turkey is a key U.S. ally in the region and was invited to become a member nation of the European Union in 1999. Turkey is also a long time member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Council of Europe, the OECD and an associate member of the Western European Union. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Turkey continues forming close cultural and business ties within the emerging Turkic states of the Caucus and Central Asia. Turkey is looked up to as successful inspiration to other Turkic people. Turkish is key for accessing Turkic languages spoken by tens of millions of people in the Near East, the former Soviet Union, China, and the Balkans — all regions of vital strategic importance in the world today. These languages of Turkic origin include Uzbek, Tatar, Kazakh, Azeri and Turkmen. Modern Turkish is extremely helpful as a foundation skill if you are interested in learning the classical Ottoman Turkish. Turkish is the only language represented in an Olympiad level. In 2008, 500 students from 110 different countries participated in the 5th Turkish Olympiad in Istanbul. The Turkish economy is the world’s 15th largest economy according to the IMF’s 2007 data. The U.S. Commerce Department has identified Turkey as one of the 10 emerging markets that will drive global growth. Few are prepared to take advantage of that opportunity; learning Turkish positions you for success. Business partnerships between Turkey and the USA are steadily growing, creating an ever-increasing demand for educated Americans who are fluent in Turkish and have a knowledge and understanding of both cultures. If you plan to enter government service or do business in Turkey, fluency in Turkish is indispensable to your success. Business opportunities are rapidly opening in Turkey, and its pending membership in the European Union will only enhance its global business importance. Studying Turkish immerses you in Turkish cultural heritage – the fine and performing arts, music, lifestyle - and gives you a depth of understanding far surpassing the shallow stereotypes of popular journalism. Such understanding makes you a valuable asset to corporations, government and other organizations promoting productive alliances with the Middle East. Numerous career opportunities already exist in technology, archaeology, computer science, ecological and environmental studies. These will grow with Turkey's ever increasing emergence as a central economic power. For students of political science and history specializing in Eastern European, Ottoman or modern Turkey, Turkish language skills open seldom entered research opportunities. Anatolia, the territory of modern Turkey, has been the heartland of human civilization since 7,000 BCE. In Turkey, you can explore pre-historic Çatal Hoyuk, walk the routes traveled by Saint Paul, storm the city of Troy, visit the village of the last home of Mary (mother of Jesus), behold the sanctuary of Saint Nicholas, stroll on the shores where Homer visited and Cleopatra swam, and experience the alluring mystery of the whirling Dervishes. Many linguists praised the impressiveness of Turkish language over other languages. Max Muller says “Reading any Turkish Grammar book is a joy for anyone who would like to learn Turkish language. It provokes great admiration for the ones who comprehend the power of the mind through language because of its simplicity, transparency, regular syntactical structure and tenses. Everything in Turkish language is crystal-clear.”
Turkish is FUN! With a Web of their own, Turkish students learn great jokes heightening cross-cultural understanding and gain an insight through cyber-media bringing them into the music, events and youth culture of modern Turkey. How about learning the Turkish language now?
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