Turkish in Germany

[Guillem]

I've been living in Berlin since September 2009 and have been wondering, without speaking a word of Turkish, if the language spoken by the Turkish community here tends to have any difference from the standard language as spoken in Turkey. I'm asking because there's this interesting blend of third generation Turks and recent immigrants, and I've met people from really different backgrounds so far. Do you perceive any difference? Is there a specific accent? German influences in vocabulary, or syntax, or in casual speech?

Also, I'm considering learning the language

[Hypocrisy]

Hello Guillem. We are happy to have you here in Turkish subforum .

As for your question, i actually do not encounter any weird distinction between formal Turkish and that of used by the immigrants. I'm not in contact with anyone who currently resides in Germany, though. I am judging by the news that comes out of Germany taking up Turkish citizens living there. As you probably know, they are conservative and mostly head-scarved. I mean, they migrated from rural areas therefore it might cause a slight difference in their accent. They speak a bit roughly and, say, casual.

You can perceive no blazing difference by taking a wider perspective, though. It's just nuances.

It'd be more helpful to consult with a Turkish member who has relatives living out there.

[Guillem]

Thanks for your answer. I was just wondering, because I'm seriously considering learning Turkish. This would be a good chance for me to get acquainted with the language. And it's interesting for someone into sociolinguistics and anthropology like myself Presently I'm more immersed in Turkish than in German-speaking environments, or so it feels, so I thought, why not? If it's not substantially different from what people in Turkey speak, then I feel safe. As long as they don't come from some preposterous corner of deep Anatolia, it'll be alright

What would you recommend me to get started with it? I'm thinking only of online material, because at present I'm in a pretty dire economical situation and "real" books are out of the question.

Peace out

[Mert]

I was in Düsseldorf in summer 2008. I met many Turks there. As far as I see, young Turkish generation has difficulty to speak Turkish. When I spoke to them in Turkish, many of them could hardly understand me. Their accent is weird a bit.

[Hypocrisy]

Of course, it is a little bit more difficult to communicate with a native speaker who has learned it in another country or a native speaker who doesn't use it regularly. As i said above, it's just omissible nuances, though.

Learning it online might suffice to improve your preliminary skills in Turkish in the beginning, considering your economical situation. You will have to resort to the advanced grammar books which provide the excessive speed of learning later on. Feel free to embark upon your burdensome task by using online resources for now. As you patch up on your monetary problems, grammar books might turn up as well .

[kalemiye]

There are plenty of books and recordings for learning Turkish available for free in internet, if you are interested, pm me and I will provide you with some links.

There is also a thread about resources somewhere in this forum that you should check, we listed many interesting websites in which there are lessons of Turkish and forums, all free of charge as well.

My interaction with Alman Türks was very limited in Turkey, but very insighful as well. First of all, some second generation Turks have an understanding of the language, but cannot speak it properly, not to mention that they have an accent. One of my professors was from Germany, his Turkish is perfect but it was obvious that he had an accent. On the other hand, one of my classmates' Turkish was very bad, although she could understand everything. I know for sure that many of them take courses of Turkish while in Germany to try to pick up the language again.

Also, normally those that are less acquinted with modern Turkey use a very colloquial language, and they address people as "amca" when it's not suitable to do so, etc. Some people in Turkey thinks they are very rude, but most of them understand that they are not used to speak Turkish outside their family and close friends.

Culturally speaking, most of them are very German, not only in the way they dress, but also in the way they think. Some Germans with Turkish roots that I met did not really understand the "Turkish-way". I think sometimes they look down on Turks of Turkey.

That is my impression from my limited experience. I think depending on their socio-economical status they might behave in one way or another.

[Stawrberry]

Does the same apply to Turks in the Netherlands?

[utku]

hahaha, that's my topic i'm living in hamburg since 2008. 2 years... it's not too much but enough to observe deuturkischen here i'm in a district named harburg. it can also be called as turkish getto. not only turkish community but various type of immigrants were dominated here... like kreuzberg in berlin. recent generations speaks poor turkish here. their accents are really distorted. if you watch the movies of fatih akin, you can easily notice the accent. especially his favourite actress sibel kekilli has that heavy accent. by the way i don't like his movier nor her acting. with such an accent she can only play the role of a turkish immigrant in germany. anyways, it's funny to listen them. some of them mix german words and turkish words in a sentence often. older generations still speak the accent of the area from where did they immigrate.

in fact nobody likes to have a culture like them but they got stuck here. the less they become turkish, the more they have to become german. and vice versa... and the more they become turkish, the more they are jammed into the getto. although they are not turks from turkey at all, they are called turkish in germany. and govenment tries to conduct the process of "integration" as they call it. consequently, immigrants and germany has an hard job...