USING TELEVISION SERIES IN TEACHING TURKISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (THE SERIES OF SEKSENLER SAMPLE)

It is not possible to separate the language which is a means of communication and speech from the culture which can be defined as the life style of the society. The language is both the indispensable element of the culture and the conveyor of the culture to the future generations. Today, the foreign language teaching, which has become very important, is in one sense, the teaching of the culture. For this reason, the cultural elements have to be conveyed in teaching Turkish as a foreign language. It is known today that the media, especially the television (television series and films), are very important in conveying the cultural elements. Television series and films are not only means used for conveying the culture in an effective way. It has become obvious in many studies that the series and films also improve the speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills of the foreign language learners in the target language. In this context, recently,a Turkish television series has attracted attention in all over the world, and more than that, it has become one of the important export goods of Turkey. In this study, the use of the television series for teaching Turkish to foreigners will be examined with the help of the famous television series , “Seksenler” in Turkish. In the scope of the study, the series, “Seksenler” were watched in three parts by the Turkish Department students in the University of Jordan,and then a written examination was conducted for the students who were asked to write the cultural elements of the Turkish Culture that attracted their attention in the series. Based on the students’ views, the element of the Turkish Culture were interpreted under separate titles. At the end of the study, it was observed that the Turkish television series that convey the elements of the Turkish culture in a natural and fun way (just as in the, “Seksenler” sample) could be used as an efficient way in teaching Turkish to foreigners, and this would contribute positively to the learners and to the Turkish language.