Learning any language comes with added benefits, from improved brain functionality to broader career opportunities.
But considering the many world languages you have to choose from, why study Turkish in particular?
Whether you already have a motivation of your own or have no idea how to answer this question, believe me when I say that there are more great reasons to learn this language than you might think.
In this article, I’ll discuss 10 compelling reasons why you should learn Turkish. To further motivate you, I’ll even talk about why this language isn’t that difficult to learn!
Let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
- There are many Turkish speakers across the globe.
- Turkish is one of the requirements for global business.
- You’ll be able to study in Turkey or join an exchange program.
- Do you enjoy learning about different cultures?
- Do you love history?
- Are you a nature-lover?
- Interested in architecture and handcrafts?
- Are you into international cuisine?
- Are you a people person?
- Are you addicted to Turkish series and movies?
- Why is Turkish Easy to Learn?
- Discover More About Turkish on TurkishClass101.com
1. There are many Turkish speakers across the globe.
Turkish is among the 15 most widely spoken first languages in the world. It’s spoken by about 75 million people as their first language and by about 15 million as their second language. The vast majority of Turkish speakers are in Turkey, though the language has also been given official status in some other countries. These include:
- Northern Cyprus
- 38 municipalities of Kosovo
- 2 municipalities of Republic of Macedonia
- Kirkuk Governorate in Iraq
Turkish speakers can also be found in some of the countries that were within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire in the past. Those countries are:
- Iraq
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Republic of North Macedonia
- Romania
- Serbia
Additionally, there are Turkish-speaking communities in Germany, France, the U.K., the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, and the U.S.A.
Wouldn’t you enjoy learning a language that’s spoken by so many people?
Furthermore, Turkish belongs to a language family that includes thirty Turkic languages. These languages have a lot of similarities, so learning Turkish will help you build a strong foundation for languages such as:
- Kazakh
- Kyrgyz
- Tatar
- Uzbek
- Uighur
These Turkic languages are spoken in strategically important regions like the Caucasus, the Balkans, China, and the former Soviet Union.
2. Turkish is one of the requirements for global business.
The world is getting smaller with globalization, isn’t it?
While globalization certainly covers international business, it goes so much farther than that. Not only are goods, services, and resources exchanged between countries, but so are intangible things such as culture, beliefs, and ideas. Also keep in mind that connections are made not only geographically, but also virtually.
Beyond import, export, and production, there’s a key element of international business that favors speakers of second and third languages: marketing! This is because, when you learn a foreign language, you’re also learning about the culture and history behind it—and this is key when it comes to presenting products and information in other countries.
All of this to say: Turkey is a major player in the world of international business. If you plan on doing business globally, there’s a high chance you’ll need to know Turkish. In addition, knowing at least the basics of the language can help you find a job here locally and give you a headstart in the hiring process.
3. You’ll be able to study in Turkey or join an exchange program.
Do you plan on studying in Turkey? If so, you’ll need to speak at least a little Turkish.
The U.S. Department of State offers exchange programs for American citizens who want to develop their personal growth via educational and cultural programs.
If you’ll be in Turkey with one of these programs, odds are you’ll be attending English-language classes and staying with an English-speaking host family. Still, you’ll need to speak Turkish to a certain extent to carry out daily activities like shopping, socializing, etc. Furthermore, studying the language can help you get a deeper understanding of the culture.
Years ago when I was in the U.S., I tutored a handful of air force officers who were going to work in Ankara for a while, as well as a young student who was going to visit Turkey through a student exchange program. The student was very smart and eager to learn Turkish. I tutored him for about an hour a week for five months. You know what? Two months after he had arrived in Turkey, he called me speaking in Turkish! I couldn’t believe it, and it was a very emotional moment for me. He was speaking Turkish fluently and answering every single question I asked him. He had a little accent, but I was still very proud of him.
Believe me: You can also learn Turkish easily. Make sure to use TurkishClass101 to expedite your learning progress!
4. Do you enjoy learning about different cultures?
Do you want to embrace different cultures? Do you want to figure out how to talk to people from different backgrounds?
If you enjoy studying different cultures, Turkish culture is probably a good one to spend time on. Turkey has a deep, rich, and interesting culture with a history dating back 4000 years and many recorded interactions with different ethnicities.
If you know the language, then you can do research, read sources in Turkish, and travel to Turkey. This will help you explore the culture in greater depth.
5. Do you love history?
As I mentioned above, Turkish history is over 4000 years old and it tells the story of many empires. There are countless sources regarding the history of Turkey available in the original language, so knowing Turkish would allow you access to them and make it possible to perform deeper research.
How about seeing traces of the country’s history in their original locations? Another great reason to learn Turkish is that it will make your travels here go much smoother, so you can visit the country and see a variety of remnants from thousands of years ago:
- Historical places
- Antique cities
- Tools
- Utensils
- Weapons
- Coins
- Tombs
- Statues
- Structures
Did you know that two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are in Turkey? These are the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and Temple of Artemis.
6. Are you a nature-lover?
Do you love nature and take every opportunity to explore natural beauties all around the world?
As mentioned in the previous point, learning Turkish will allow you to visit Turkey with far fewer difficulties. This means you’ll be able to view all sorts of natural beauties unique to the country. To give you just a few examples:
- The fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, which were formed by wind erosions
- Travertine terraces in Pamukkale
- Ölüdeniz in Fethiye
- Butterfly Valley
- The waterfalls in Antalya
Another benefit of knowing Turkish in this context is that you’ll better understand how some of these were formed.
7. Interested in architecture and handcrafts?
Are you into the art, science, and history behind designing buildings? Are you impressed with the historical buildings made thousands of years ago with little technology and under primitive conditions?
Turkey is a great place to observe many structures of ancient history. You can see many mosques, churches, madrasas, caravanserais, bridges, palaces, castles, fountains, etc., that were built by the architects of ancient times.
Even if you can’t visit Turkey, knowing the language would allow you to read about the architectural details of these structures from original sources in Turkish.
On the other hand, if you love learning about different types of handcrafts, you can study (and perhaps experience firsthand) the variety of handcrafts the Turkish people learned to perform throughout history. These include things like:
- Carpet and rug weaving
- Mother of pearl inlaid
- Filigree
- Ceramics and tiles
- Pottery making
- Marbling (ebru)
- Calligraphy
- Coppersmithing
- Miniature work
- Glass work
- Embroidery
- Leather tanning
- Meerschaum
- Xylography
Learning Turkish would allow you to study both the architecture and the handcrafts of Turkey in as much detail as you’d like!
8. Are you into international cuisine?
If you’re really into international food, then you must be aware of the reputation Turkish cuisine (which has been influenced by the Ottoman Empire) has made for itself. It’s known, in particular, for its variety and incredible flavors.
Another reason to learn Turkish, then, is that it will make traditional Turkish recipes more accessible to you and allow you to order food in Turkey with greater ease.
9. Are you a people person?
If you enjoy interacting with other people, especially those from different cultures, Turkish people should be one of your first choices. They’re known to be very friendly, talkative, helpful, and hospitable.
However, keep in mind that some Turkish people speak English and others do not. Therefore, in order to meet and communicate with a lot of Turkish people, you should consider learning at least a little Turkish.
10. Are you addicted to Turkish series and movies?
In the past decade, Turkish series and movies have grown in popularity. I have many friends from other countries who never miss an episode of certain Turkish series and ask me a lot of questions about them. If you’re anything like them, why don’t you start learning the Turkish language? Doing so will allow you to watch and listen to different forms of Turkish media in their original tones and language.
11. Why is Turkish Easy to Learn?
Now that we’ve discussed why to learn Turkish, there’s one more topic we should cover: Is Turkish easy to learn?
Well, Turkish grammar is a bit different from that of English, which intimidates some new learners. But overall, Turkish isn’t as difficult as you might think.
Let’s see why:
- Turkish uses the Latin alphabet. This is the alphabet used by the majority of languages worldwide, so you won’t have to learn completely from scratch. There might be additional letters or some letters that are missing when compared to some other languages that use this alphabet; you’ll just need to learn the pronunciation of any unfamiliar letters.
- There are no accents in Turkish. This is different from languages like French, where you have to remember whether the accent mark is to the left or to the right.
- Turkish has no grammatical gender.
- The word order in Turkish is flexible. The typical order is SOV (Subject-Object-Verb), which is different from English, but changing the order does not change the meaning of the sentence. If you put an object or a verb at the beginning of a sentence, for example, only the word you’re emphasizing will change. Therefore, in most circumstances, changing the word order is not a huge deal.
- There are many rules, but there are also very few exceptions. Therefore, if you learn the rules, mastering Turkish will be a piece of cake for you!
- There are many online resources. TurkishClass101 is the best resource to find everything you need.
12. Discover More About Turkish on TurkishClass101.com
In this article, we talked about why you should learn Turkish and gave you some examples of why this language really isn’t that hard to learn.
Have we inspired you to start (or continue) learning Turkish?
If so, bookmark TurkishClass101.com, where you can find numerous audio recordings, tons of vocabulary lists, and an array of free resources (including this Turkish dictionary you can refer to). It’s our goal to help you get a better grasp of the Turkish language and culture in the fastest and most fun way possible.
Don’t forget that there’s also MyTeacher, a Premium PLUS service of TurkishClass101 that allows you to study and practice with a private tutor.
You can download the TurkishClass101 app for free and use it wherever you are.
Happy learning!
