Turkish

Why Study Turkish? Turkish is the native language of over 80 million people worldwide, most of whom live in Turkey. Once you’ve learned Turkish, it is very easy to pick up other Turkic languages such as Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, and Uzbek. This would allow you to speak with over 200 million Turkic speakers worldwide!

With Turkey being located between Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, numerous multinational corporations have bases in Turkey. As a NATO member with a majority Muslim population, Turkey also plays an important role in diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and the Middle East. The Turkish economy is rapidly growing and is a center for textiles, consumer electronics, and more.

As the center of the Ottoman and Byzantine Empires, Turkey is a treasure trove of archeological finds, and home to many impressive museums. Not to mention, Turkey is a beautiful country with a vibrant culture and amazing food.

In addition to becoming proficient in Turkish at IU, you can also study Turkey in depth by choosing a Major or Minor in Central Eurasian Studies.

While most Turkish speakers live in Turkey, it is also widely spoken in Northern Cyprus, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Georgia, Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, and other parts of Eastern Europe, the Balkans and in the Caucasus. Through the presence of large Turkish immigrant communities abroad, people living in Western Europe, the USA, Canada, and Australia have become familiar with hearing Turkish spoken around them. For instance, Turkish is the second most widely spoken language in Germany. Another 15 million people across the world speak Turkish as a second language.