Turkish Language

Foundational Phonetics and Orthography

Vowel Harmony

• Understanding the principles of front and back vowel harmony in Turkish.
• Applying vowel harmony rules to suffixes to ensure grammatical correctness.
• Recognizing exceptions and nuances in vowel harmony across different word types.
• Mastering the predictable patterns of vowel assimilation and dissimilation.

Consonant Voicing and Assimilation

• Analyzing the effects of voicing and devoicing on consonants, especially at morpheme boundaries.
• Predicting consonant changes in suffixes when attached to roots ending in specific consonants.
• Applying rules for consonant assimilation, such as the change of 't' to 'd' or 'k' to 'g'.
• Identifying instances where final voiceless consonants become voiced.

Turkish Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Accurate pronunciation of all 29 letters of the Turkish alphabet, including unique sounds like 'ı', 'ğ', 'ö', 'ü'.
• Understanding the precise articulation of Turkish vowels and consonants.
• Distinguishing between similar-sounding phonemes.
• Mastering the stress patterns in Turkish words, noting common tendencies and exceptions.

Core Grammatical Structures

Nouns and Cases

• Formation and use of the nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, and locative cases.
• Understanding the role of the ablative case for origin and separation.
• Applying case endings correctly to singular and plural nouns.
• Mastering the possessive suffix system and its interaction with case endings.
• Recognizing and using the distinct forms of personal possessives.

Verbs and Tenses

• Conjugation of regular and irregular verbs in the present tense.
• Mastering the past tenses: simple past ('-di') and the evidential past ('-miş').
• Understanding and applying the future tense ('-ecek/-acak').
• Utilizing the aorist tense ('-r/-ar/-er') for habitual actions and general truths.
• Conjugating verbs in the present continuous tense ('-iyor').
• Learning the imperative mood for commands and requests.
• Forming and using the conditional mood ('-se/-sa').
• Understanding the optative mood ('-e/-a') for wishes and desires.
• Mastering the necessity mood ('-meli/-malı').

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Placement and function of adjectives before nouns.
• Forming comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives.
• Using adjectives as nouns in specific contexts.
• Understanding the formation and use of adverbs to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
• Recognizing common adverbial suffixes.

Pronouns

• Personal pronouns (ben, sen, o, biz, siz, onlar) and their case forms.
• Demonstrative pronouns (bu, şu, o) and their grammatical behavior.
• Interrogative pronouns (kim, ne, hangi, kaç) and their usage in questions.
• Reflexive pronouns (kendi) and their role.
• Possessive pronouns and their derivation from possessive suffixes.

Sentence Structure and Word Order

• Understanding the typical Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order.
• Recognizing variations in word order for emphasis and specific grammatical functions.
• Mastering the structure of affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences.
• Understanding the role of postpositions (e.g., ile, için, gibi) in sentence construction.

Advanced Grammatical Concepts

Noun Cases with Postpositions

• Detailed analysis of how noun cases interact with common postpositions.
• Mastering the nuances of 'ile' (with), 'için' (for), 'gibi' (like), 'sonra' (after), 'önce' (before), 'doğru' (towards).
• Applying case agreement rules when postpositions are attached directly or indirectly.

Verb Aspects and Modality

• Differentiating between the perfective and imperfective aspects of verbs.
• Understanding the nuances of continuous aspect ('-iyor') versus simple present ('-r').
• Mastering the use of compound verbs and their aspectual implications.
• Deepening understanding of modal verbs and constructions indicating ability, obligation, permission, and possibility.

Subordinate Clauses and Relative Clauses

• Forming and understanding various types of subordinate clauses, including temporal, causal, and conditional clauses.
• Mastering the construction of relative clauses using participles and the '-ki' relative particle.
• Applying the correct verb forms and suffixes for subordinate and relative clause construction.
• Understanding the role of nominalized verbs (gerunds) in creating complex sentence structures.

Passive and Causative Voice

• Constructing the passive voice using the '-il/-ıl' suffix and its variations.
• Understanding the meaning and formation of the causative voice using suffixes like '-dir/-dır', '-tir/-tır'.
• Differentiating between simple and double causative constructions.
• Applying passive and causative voices correctly in various contexts.

Nominalization and Participles

• Transforming verbs into nouns using a wide range of nominalizing suffixes (e.g., -me, -ma, -iş, -uş, -ek, -ak).
• Mastering the use of participles as adjectives and in the formation of subordinate clauses (e.g., -an/-en, -dık/-dik, -acak/-ecek, -dığında/-dığında).
• Understanding the conversion of sentences into nominal clauses.

Lexical Development and Pragmatics

Vocabulary Acquisition Strategies

• Effective techniques for memorizing and retaining Turkish vocabulary.
• Understanding root words and common affixes to expand vocabulary.
• Categorizing vocabulary by topic and semantic field.
• Utilizing cognates and loanwords strategically.

Idiomatic Expressions and Colloquialisms

• Recognizing and correctly using common Turkish idioms and proverbs.
• Understanding the nuances of everyday conversational language.
• Identifying and using colloquial expressions appropriately in informal settings.
• Distinguishing between formal and informal registers.

Discourse Markers and Connectors

• Mastering the use of discourse markers (e.g., tabii, aslında, sonuçta) to guide conversation and convey subtle meanings.
• Effective employment of conjunctions and connectors to create coherent and logical discourse.
• Understanding how to signal agreement, disagreement, contrast, and elaboration.

Cultural Context and Pragmatic Appropriateness

• Understanding the cultural underpinnings of Turkish communication.
• Mastering politeness strategies and appropriate forms of address.
• Interpreting implicit meanings and social cues in Turkish interactions.
• Navigating social situations with linguistic and cultural awareness.