Berlitz Turkish

Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately, a necessity for the traveller
Review: Summary: The phrasebook has two major failings: It's too generic (not Turkey-oriented) and it doesn't explain enough about the Turkish language. However, it's absolutely essential that prospective travelers get accustomed to hearing Turkish, so I strongly recommend purchasing this product for sake of the audiotape. Listening to it non-stop for several weeks before your trip well help tremendously. You will also need Lonely Planet's phrasebook in order to learn the words & phrases you will actually encounter on your trip. Learning some Turkish is daunting but doable and adds a lot to your enjoyment of Turkey.

Details: Why do you need the audiotape? Turkish is initially hard to hear for the average American. The verb forms are lengthy and complicated--you have to get used to hearing the difference between "geliyorum" and "gelmiyorum" at high speed. To the previous reviewer I would encourage perseverance. At first your mind just can't take it in, but after playing the tape non-stop in my car for six weeks prior to traveling, I had no problem speaking & understanding simple Turkish--but I was very, very glad I had done that, otherwise I would have been lost, as few people outside Istanbul speak any English at all.

Why is the audiotape/phrasebook content so bad? It's too generic and lacks any useful explanation of the complex language.

Too generic: The phrasebook seems to follow some kind of generic formula--it contains numerous references to Western European life ("the opera house," "the ballet," "the train station,") while omitting phrases related to visiting mosques ("should I cover my head?" "when are prayer times?") or to the types of transportation you're more likely to encounter (dolmus etc). This generic content also means that it includes words/phrases that I never encountered--for example, almost every conversation on the tape includes the word "Elbette," or "Certainly," but I never heard that in Turkey.

Doesn't take into account how different Turkish is: The phrasebook lacks any comprehensive explanation of Turkish grammar--instead it counsels you to "just memorize these phrases." I don't know about you, but it's pretty hard for me to remember a word like "yapabilirmiyim" (and remember how it's different from "yapabilirmusunuz") without knowing what the heck "yapa," "bilir," "mi", and "yim" mean. Furthermore, you will of course hear many variations on the phrases in the phrasebook, so memorization isn't enough. You will need to understand something about the grammar and individual words so you can understand variations on the set phrases.

Lonely Planet's phrasebook is the place to go for usable information and phrases in Turkish. Not only does it have a comprehensive explanation of grammar, but it's far more geared toward actual Turkish life and the conversations & interactions you will have on a trip to Turkey. Good luck & enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately, a necessity for the traveller
Review: Summary: The phrasebook has two major failings: It's too generic (not Turkey-oriented) and it doesn't explain enough about the Turkish language. However, it's absolutely essential that prospective travelers get accustomed to hearing Turkish, so I strongly recommend purchasing this product for sake of the audiotape. Listening to it non-stop for several weeks before your trip well help tremendously. You will also need Lonely Planet's phrasebook in order to learn the words & phrases you will actually encounter on your trip. Learning some Turkish is daunting but doable and adds a lot to your enjoyment of Turkey.

Details: Why do you need the audiotape? Turkish is initially hard to hear for the average American. The verb forms are lengthy and complicated--you have to get used to hearing the difference between "geliyorum" and "gelmiyorum" at high speed. To the previous reviewer I would encourage perseverance. At first your mind just can't take it in, but after playing the tape non-stop in my car for six weeks prior to traveling, I had no problem speaking & understanding simple Turkish--but I was very, very glad I had done that, otherwise I would have been lost, as few people outside Istanbul speak any English at all.

Why is the audiotape/phrasebook content so bad? It's too generic and lacks any useful explanation of the complex language.

Too generic: The phrasebook seems to follow some kind of generic formula--it contains numerous references to Western European life ("the opera house," "the ballet," "the train station,") while omitting phrases related to visiting mosques ("should I cover my head?" "when are prayer times?") or to the types of transportation you're more likely to encounter (dolmus etc). This generic content also means that it includes words/phrases that I never encountered--for example, almost every conversation on the tape includes the word "Elbette," or "Certainly," but I never heard that in Turkey.

Doesn't take into account how different Turkish is: The phrasebook lacks any comprehensive explanation of Turkish grammar--instead it counsels you to "just memorize these phrases." I don't know about you, but it's pretty hard for me to remember a word like "yapabilirmiyim" (and remember how it's different from "yapabilirmusunuz") without knowing what the heck "yapa," "bilir," "mi", and "yim" mean. Furthermore, you will of course hear many variations on the phrases in the phrasebook, so memorization isn't enough. You will need to understand something about the grammar and individual words so you can understand variations on the set phrases.

Lonely Planet's phrasebook is the place to go for usable information and phrases in Turkish. Not only does it have a comprehensive explanation of grammar, but it's far more geared toward actual Turkish life and the conversations & interactions you will have on a trip to Turkey. Good luck & enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: not a good way to learn
Review: The phrase book is useful, but the tapes are a terrible way to try to learn Turkish. They go so fast that it even seems futile to rewind and try to catch what you missed--it's always too much material, and barely any repitition. Get the phrasebook without the tape, and find a better way to learn the language.

Rating:
Summary: not a good way to learn
Review: The phrase book is useful, but the tapes are a terrible way to try to learn Turkish. They go so fast that it even seems futile to rewind and try to catch what you missed--it's always too much material, and barely any repitition. Get the phrasebook without the tape, and find a better way to learn the language.