L
Language
The official language is Turkish. English
and German are widely spoken in major
cities and tourist resorts, and you will find
that most Turks welcome the opportunity
to practise their language skills and will
go out of their way to be helpful. Foreign
visitors who attempt to speak even a few
words of Turkish, however, will definitely
be rewarded with even warmer smiles. It is
not an easy language to learn, however, it
does have one huge advantage in that it is
completely phonetic. Unlike English, each
letter of the alphabet has only one sound and
is always pronounced in exactly the same
way, apart from in combination with ‘y’or
‘gð’. Even foreign words used in Turkish
are adapted into Turkish phonetic spellings,
which can offer some clues towards
pronounciation – try saying the following
out loud: ketçap, taksi, futbol, ofsayt.
Turkish is based on the Roman alphabet and
most letters are pronounced as in English.
There is no ‘q’, ‘w’ or ‘x’
in Turkish and
there are some additional characters. The
accent usually falls on the first syllable in
the word. The following should give you
a rough guide to pronounciation:
a a cross between a long and short
‘a’ somewhere between the ‘a’ in
‘man’ and the ‘a’ sound in ‘are’
c pronounced as our ‘j’ as in ‘jam’
ç pronounced ‘ch’ as in ‘church’
e a short sound as in ‘egg’
g is a hard ‘g’ as in ‘go’
gð this character is silent but elongates
the vowel to either side of it
Ý pronounced like the ‘er’ in ‘number’
i a short sound as in ‘ink’
o pronounced as in ‘off’
ö pronounced as in the ‘or’ sound
(with a silent ‘r’) in ‘word’
s is a hissing sound as in ‘seven’
s¸ pronounced ‘sh’ as in ‘shut’
u pronounced as in the ‘oo’ in ‘cool’
ü pronounced as in the
‘u’ sound in ‘fuse’
‘y’ is generally used to separate vowels
and creates some slightly different
sounds in combination as follows:
‘ay’ pronounced ‘eye’;
‘ey’ pronounced as in ‘they’;
‘iy’ pronounced ‘ee’
Even the everyday words are quite complicated so we have
tried to choose the easiest alternatives in the list below.
The pronounciations we have shown are not exact, but we have
tried to find the nearest approximation to the Turkish sounds,
which are easy for English-speakers to pronounce whilst still
enabling you to be understood. If you look at the pronounciation
guide for individual letters above, that will give you some
extra tips.
Some useful words and phrases:
Hello Merhaba (mare-hah-bah)
Good Morning Günaydin (goon-
eye-din) (said on meeting)
Good Day IÏyi günler (ee-yee goo
–n-ler) (said on meeting or parting)
Good evening IÏyi aks¸amlar (ee-yee
ak-sham-lar) (said on meeting or parting)
Good night IÏyi geceler (ee-yee gedge
-e-ler) (said on meeting or parting)
Please Lütfen (lute-fen)
Thanks Tes¸ekkürler (tesh-e-kür– ler)
Yes Evet (e-vet)
No HayÝr (higher)
I want IÏstiyorum (ist –ee-your-um)
When? Ne zaman? (nay za-man)
Today Bugün (boo-goon)
Tomorrow YarÝn (yah-run)
Where? Nerede (ne’re-de)
My name is ....... IÏsmim
...... (is-mim)
England IÏngiltere (in-gill-terre-e)
Ireland IÏrlanda (ear-landa)
Scotland IÏskoçya (i-scotch-ya)
Wales Galler (gal-ler)
Water su (sue)
Milk süt (suit)
Beer bira (beer-a)
Wine s¸arap (shar-ap)
Tea çay (ch-eye)
Coffee kahve (car-vay)
Food yemek (ye-meck)
Be careful! Dikkat!
Numbers
1 bir (beer)
2 iki (icky)
3 üç (ooch)
4 dört (dirt)
5 bes¸ (besh)
6 altÝ (al-ter)
7 yedi (yea-dee)
8 sekiz (seck-is)
9 dokuz (dock-uz)
10 on (on)
Days of theWeek
Monday Pazartesi
Tuesday SalÝ
Wednesday Çars¸amba
Thursday Pers¸embe
Friday Cuma
Saturday Cumartesi
Sunday Pazar
Improving your Turkish
There are a number of phrase books and
language guides, some with audio cassettes
or CD’s, which are widely available. There
are also evening classes as well as school
and university courses available in London
and other major cities in the UK and Ireland.
Alternatively TÖMER, the Turkish & Foreign
Language Research & Application Center,
which is part of the University of Ankara runs
courses for foreigners wishing to learn Turkish
throughout Turkey and has recently launched an
online learning centre. For further information
visit: www.tomer.ankara.edu.tr or www.
turkishcenter.com
Living and/ or working In Turkey
If you wish to stay in Turkey longer than the
three month period allowed to tourists or to set
up a business with or without a Turkish partner,
you will need a residence visa. You will need
to apply to the Turkish Consulate in London
for your visa and it is advised that you submit
all documents relevant to your application at
least eight weeks before your intended date
of departure.Your application will be referred
to the relevant Turkish authorities for their
approval.
After obtaining the visa, you are required to
register with the local police within a month
following your arrival in Turkey in order to
obtain a residence permit. If you wish to extend
your permit for a further period, you should
apply to the same police headquarters before
the permit expires. Household items may be
taken into Turkey through a system called
“temporary import” provided that the validity
of the residence permit is at least one year.
For details of the relevant regulations please
contact the Office of the Finance and Customs
Counsellor at the Turkish Embassy in London
which can also provide information on the
regulations concerning the temporary import
of a car into Turkey.
Those who wish to apply for a work permit will
need to supply various additional documents
to the Turkish Consulate including proof of a
job offer, normally in the form of a letter from
the prospective employer,
For further details please contact:
The Consulate General for the Republic of Turkey
in London Rutland Lodge, Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge,
LONDON SW7 1BW
Tel: 020 7591 6900 Fax: 020 7591 6911
or visit: www.turkishconsulate.org.uk
For enquiries about work visas contact the
Office of the Labour Attache at the Consulate
General on 020 75916911 or 020 75916918
M
Getting Married in Turkey
Marriage in Turkey is a civil ceremony with
no religious content. It can be held anywhere,
subject to the discretion of the local registrar.
It is perfectly legal for two British or Irish
citizens to get married in Turkey as long as
they follow the applicable regulations. There
are a number of tour operators and agencies
who can make the necessary arrangements on
your behalf.Alist of these can be found on our
website at www.gototurkey.co.uk If you want
to arrange your wedding yourself, you will need
to check with the Turkish Consulate for further
details and advice as to the currently applicable
legal requirements, as well as all relevant
fees. (see contact details above). In addition
to your passport, you will require a Certificate
of No Impediment from your local Registrar
of Marriages as well as a full Birth Certificate
and, if previously married, a divorce or death
certificate relating to previous spouse. You
will also need to contact the relevant British
or Irish consulate in Turkey (See Embassies
& Consulates). For further information visit:
http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk
Medical Treatment
You will need to pay for any medical treatment
which you receive in Turkey. For this reason
it is advisable to take out medical insurance
before travelling. It is not difficult to find
English-speaking doctors in all but the most
remote areas. There are also foreign run hospitals
in many of the larger towns and resorts.
You can find a list of hospitals on the British
Consulate in Turkey website: http://www.
britishembassy.gov.uk There are pharmacies
in most places with trained pharmacists who
are able to offer advice on minor illnesses.
Many more medicines are available over
the counter than is the case in the UK and
Ireland.
Museums
Most museums and palaces are open every
day of the week exceptMondays. There are
a few notable exceptions: TopkapÝ Palace
is closed on Tuesdays instead of Mondays;
Dolmabahçe Palace is closed Mondays and
Thursdays and the Chora Church is closed
onWednesdays.
For further information on museums visit:
www.kulturturizm.gov.tr
N
North Cyprus
North Cyprus or the Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has its own
government and its own representative
office in the UK.
For tourist information please contact:
North Cyprus Tourism Centre,
29 Bedford Square, London, WC1
Tel: 020 7631 1930
or visit: www.go-northcyprus.com
|
