Abstract:

The instruction of Turkish as a foreign language abroad and the instruction of Turkish as a second language are carried out in classrooms that are not composed homogenously in terms of nationality of the learners. In learning environments where learners form homogeneous groups in terms of their mother tongue, it is a well-known fact that the mother tongue of the students contributes positively to the process within some limited levels of use. But in classrooms where this is not the case and at least when there is a need for any common language known by the majority of learners, one of the basic principles of teaching, "from known to the unknown" and the advantages of using an intermediary language can be made use of while teaching the target language. It can be easier to make students comprehend the items that complex and difficult to learn or items that belong to the target culture by benefitting from the languages known by the students in common by classifying, simulating, revealing differences, finding equivalents, or giving examples by making use of the languages they know may be useful in making the understanding the difficult subject. From this point of view, the study aims to provide insight to Turkish teachers on how to use the most widely spoken European languages, especially English, in the stages of morphology or syntax in teaching Turkish as a foreign/Turkish language.

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