Research Article

The Importance of Empathic Listening Skills in Turkish Learning of Foreign Students

Aysegul Nacak 1 *
More Detail
1 Girne American University, CYPRUS* Corresponding Author
Mediterranean Journal of Social & Behavioral Research, 5(2), June 2021, 35-40, https://doi.org/10.30935/mjosbr/10917
Published: 16 May 2021
OPEN ACCESS   1637 Views   1219 Downloads
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

Language is one of the most important tools in people’s lives. It is the ability of individuals to communicate with people who know their own language in their social lives and it is shaped with people around them when they enter a society while another language is spoken. Language is also important to interact with them, to empathize and to understand / be understood and act together depending upon mutual understanding of each other and using a common language. Mother tongue is on the other hand defined as the first language acquired by individuals in their family and the society in which they grew up. The mother tongue can be acquired, and the foreign language can said to be learned. The mother tongue of Turkish societies is Turkish;also the first language to be accepted as an official language for Turkish Republic as well. Turkish, on the other hand, is a language with a deep-rooted culture dating back to ancient times. The functions of language or mother tongue are also to be able to realize effective communication in life. Effective communication can be achieved by understanding the feelings and thoughts of the other person, that is, by listening to them empathetically. When another language is to be learned, one of the most important criteria for the individual to acquire empathic listening skill is the cultural structure of that language. Learning only the grammar of a foreign language and four basic language skills alone is not enough for an empathic communication; The empathic dimension of listening, which is one of these four basic language skills, should also be culturally understood. Because the importance of empathic communication skill cannot be denied in using and understanding languages ​​correctly. Teaching Turkish to foreigners has been increasing especially in recent years. Therefore, the relationship between mother tongue-foreign language-empathic communication skills, with students learning foreign languages are considerably important. In this regard, foreign individuals who learn Turkish presented in the article are at the same time get to know not only Turkish but also the Turkish culture. This study is a qualitative research and it tries to examine the benefit provided by foreigners who learn Turkish to use this language in the most effective way. Learning and using Turkish effectively is founded out to be related with getting to know the culture and gaining empathic listening skills.
Keywords: language, mother tongue, communication, foreign language education, empathic listening

CITATION (APA)

Nacak, A. (2021). The Importance of Empathic Listening Skills in Turkish Learning of Foreign Students. Mediterranean Journal of Social & Behavioral Research, 5(2), 35-40. https://doi.org/10.30935/mjosbr/10917

REFERENCES

  1. Adalı, O. (1983). Ana dili olarak Türkçe öğretimi üzerine [Teaching Turkish as a mother tongue]. Turkish Language/ Türk Dili (379-380), 31-39.
  2. Ağildere, S. T. (2008). Kültürlerarasi iletişimde eylem odakli yaklaşim: İstanbul Saint-Joseph Lisesinin Türk öğrencileri (1870-1905) [Action-oriented approach in intercultural communication: Turkish students of Istanbul Saint-Joseph High School (1870-1905)]. Atatürk Üniversitesi Kazım Karabekir Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi/Ataturk University Journal of Kazım Karabekir Education Faculty, (18), 125-134.
  3. Aksoy, Ö.A. (2008). Atasözleri ve deyimler sözlüğü [Proverbs and phrases dictionary]. Inkılap Bookstore.
  4. Arslan, M. (2004). Ziya Gökalp’te kültür ve uygarlık anlayışı. Türkiye’de sosyoloji [Understanding of culture and civilization in Ziya Gökalp. Sociology in Turkey]. Ziya Gokalp Symposium, Istanbul University Faculty of Letters Department of Sociology.
  5. Barın, E. (2004). Yabancılara Türkçe öğretiminde ilkeler [Principles in teaching Turkish to foreigners]. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Türkiyat Araştırmaları (HÜTAD)/Hacettepe University Turkish Studies, (1), 19-30.
  6. Britain, D. J. (2010). Language and space: The variationist approach. In P. Auer & J. E. Schmidt (Eds.), Language and space: An international handbook of linguistic variation (vol. 1, pp. 142-162). De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110219166.1.69
  7. Cihangir Çankaya, Z. (2011). Kişilerarası ilişkiler ve iletişimde dinleme [Interpersonal relations and listening in communication]. In A. Kaya (Ed.), Kişilerarası ilişkiler ve etkili iletişim. PEGEM Publications. https://doi.org/10.14527/9786052414507.04
  8. Demirel, Ö. (2002). Türkçe öğretimi [Turkish teaching]. Pegem Academy Publishing.
  9. Drollinger, T. (2018). Using active empathetic listening to build relationships with major-gift donors. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 30(1), 37-51. https://doi.org/10.1080/10495142.2017.1326336
  10. Fabian, J. (2019). Empowering Public Speaking Students through Consultant Training in Empathetic Listening. Communication Center Journal, 5(1), 189-191.
  11. Gülay, N. (1988). Yabancılara Türkçe öğretiminin politik önemi [Political importance of teaching Turkish to foreigners]. TÖMER Dil Dergisi/TÖMER Language Journal, 1, 34-36.
  12. Günday, R. (2013). Çok dillilik ve çok kültürlülük bağlamında yabancı dil öğretimine toplumdilbilimsel yaklaşım [Sociolinguistic approach to foreign language teaching in the context of multilingualism and multiculturalism]. Turkish Studies, 8-10, 313-330. https://doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.5121
  13. Güneş, F. (2011). Dil öğretim yaklaşımları ve Türkçe öğretimindeki uygulamalar [Language teaching approaches and applications in Turkish teaching]. Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi/Mustafa Kemal University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 8(15), 123-148.
  14. Hartley, P. (2002). Interpersonal communication. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203019719
  15. Moeller, A. J., & Abbott, M. G. (2018). Creating a new normal: Language education for all. Foreign Language Annals, 51(1), 12-23. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12310
  16. Nichols, M. P. (2016). Dinleme Sanatı [The Art of Listening] (D. Gunkut, Trans.). Kuraldışı Publishin.
  17. Pektekin, Ç., Buzlu, S., Sönmez, Y., Batmaz, M., & Sever A. (1990). Psikiyatri hemşireliği dersi alan öğrencilerin bu dersin uygulanması sonucunda beklentileri ve bu beklentilere ulaşıp ulaşmadıklarının araştırılması [Investigating the expectations of the students taking psychiatric nursing course as a result of the implementation of this course and whether they have reached these expectations]. II Ulusal Hemşirelik Kongresi/II National Nursing Congress, Izmir, Turkey, 12-14 September (pp. 444-451‌).
  18. Perrichon, E. (2008). Agir dʼusage et agir dʼapprentissage en didactique des langues-cultures étrangères, enjeux conceptuels, évolution historique et construction dʼune nouvelle perspective actionnelle [To act of use and to act of learning in didactics of foreign languages-cultures, conceptual stakes, historical evolution and construction of a new action-oriented perspective] (Doctoral dissertation). Jean Monnet University of Saint Etienne.
  19. Puren, C. (2004). L’evolutıon historique des approches en didactique des languescultures ou comment faire l’unite des «unites didactiques» [The historical evolution of approaches to language culture teaching or how to unite “didactic units”]. Annual Congress of the Association for the Diffusion of German in France (ADEAF), Clermont-Ferrand Business School, 2-3 November, France.
  20. Robertson, A. K. (2004). Etkili dinleme [Listening effectively]. Hayat Publications.
  21. Sethi, D., & Seth, M. (2009). Interpersonal communication: Lifeblood of an organization. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 3.
  22. Sever, S. (1995). Türkçe öğretiminde tam öğrenme [Complete learning in Turkish teaching]. Anı Publishing.
  23. Telman, N., & Ünsal, P. (2005). İnsan ilişkilerinde iletişim [Communication in human relations]. Epsilon 128 Publishing.
  24. Temizöz, H. (2008). Yabancı dil öğretiminde dil bilgisi çeviri yöntemi ve iletişimci yaklaşım uygulamalarının öğrencilerin öğrenme becerisi üzerindeki etkisi (Unpublished master’s thesis). Inonu University Institute of Social Sciences, Malatya, Turkey.
  25. Yayli, D., & Yayli, D. (2009). Yabancı dil öğretimi yaklaşımları ve yöntemleri, yabancılara Türkçe öğretimi politika yöntem ve beceriler [Foreign language teaching approaches and methods, teaching Turkish to foreigners, policy, methods and skills]. Anı Publishing.
  26. Yurko, N., & Styfanyshyn, I. (2020). Listening skills in learning a language: the importance, benefits and means of enhancement. Collective monographs, 38-46. https://doi.org/10.36074/rodmmrfssn.ed-1.04