ENGLISH IN TURKEY: СRONOLOGY AND DINAMICS OF ITS SPREADING

Abstract

The paper traces features of the language situation in Turkey in three conventionally identified periods of its history. In the process chronology, nature and the most significant prerequisites of the process of the English language spread in Turkey are in the centre of the review. From chronological point of view the author identifies three conventional periods. The period from the earliest language contacts between Turkish and English subjects under trade relation between Ottoman Empire and Great Britain has been taken as the first conventional period of spreading of this language in Turkey. A spell of time between 1923 (date of founding of the Turkish republic) with its comprehensive westernization policy and “language revolution” up to the beginning of the 2-d half of the 20-th century has been viewed as the 2-d conventional period of spread of English in Turkey. The 3-d conventional period of spread of English in Turkey traces since 50s of the XX century till the present time. An amount of contribution of each period into the formation of the present-day “Turkish version” of the English language is also commented on.