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Identify these Famous Turks... Click for enlargement! Free updates for life! Jim and Peri's Commercial-free CD/Broadband Editions for Turkish Learning -- with triple ebook bonus! Learn Turkish with this Essential Suffixes Printed Book Free updates for life! Jim and Peri's Commercial-free CD/Broadband Editions for Turkish Learning -- with triple ebook bonus! Learn Turkish with this Essential Suffixes Printed Book

Turkish Tongue Twisters Was it for this -- that Atatürk reformed the Turkish language? Related Pages: How To Learn Basic Turkish -- A Practical Philosophy for beginners (Found in the 'Introduction to The Whole Earth Catalog of Turkish Movies'.) Other Pages with sound files Essential 700 Club pages 'Tips' for learning/using Turkish Turkish Doubles Troubles 8 Difficulties of Turkish About Translation Software Personal Turkish Experiences In the first three panels of this wonderfully apropos cartoon by Süleyman Özkonuk (from Türkiye, January 5, 1999), the young heroine does a credible job of mouthing three of the 'tongue twisters' found on this page, below. Then, in the fourth panel she says [approximately], "So...since I can say these phrases, I can easily be a Talk Show host. What else could I possibly need?" Right click or use 'Print Preview' to view image enlargement... Like a [rolling] stone? A Riddle and a Tongue-Twister Combination! Ufacık mermer taşı, içinde beyler aşı, pişirirsen aş olur, pişirmezsen kuş olur. (oo-fah-jihk mehr-mehr tah-shih, ee-cheen-deh behy-lehr ah-shih, pee-shee-reer-sehn ahsh oh-loor, pee-sheer-mehz-sehn koosh oh-loor) Hear it now! -- (17k bytes) [It's surface is like] a small marble stone; inside [maybe] people-chow; if you cook it, it becomes food; if you don't cook it, it becomes a bird. What is it? An egg... Thanks, PM 3/00 BTW, this entry comes to us by way of an original Turkish Shadow Theater 'stage' routine -- found in Karagöz Hacivat (Çocuk Bahçesi, ODA YAYINLARI, 1996) by Olcay Göçmen... My excellent aubergine... Patlıcan var patlıcan, patlısın senin kocan. (paht-lih-jahn vahr paht-lih-jahn, paht-lih-sihn seh-neen koh-jahn) Hear it now! -- (7k bytes) I have aubergine, such aubergine... May your husband explode... Note: TÇ tells us, "When the aubergine-seller touts his wares in this way on market day at the Turkish bazaar, it draws smiles from every Turk within hearing distance -- male or female!" Huh? I don't get it Marvin... Have you ever seen an aubergine, Mabel? I'm not sure. Is it that veggie shaped like a long purple... That's enough, Mabes. oh. Thanks Skullgrrl and TÇ -- 3/00 Well, well, well... İndim kuyu dibine, silindim, sirkildim, çıktım. (een-deem koo-yoo dee-bee-neh, see-leen-deem, seer-keel-deem, chihk-tihm)   Available on CD... I fell to the bottom of the well, I dried myself off, shook myself, and came back up. Note: Say this three times quickly -- at your own risk, in public. If you're not careful, you may unintentionally spout an obscenity upon reaching the last word in the sentence... Thanks Cher, TÇ, and Yasemin R. -- 3/00 Imperfect in Czechoslavkia... ...in which a real Türk actually strains himself saying one of these babies! Bless my toes and leg-hair, Marvin... Siz Çekoslovakyalılaştırabildiklerimizden misiniz yoksa Çekoslovakyalılaştıramadıklarımızdan mısınız? (sihz cheh-koh-sloh-vahk-yah-lih-lahsh-tih-rah-beel-deek-leh-ree-meez-dehn mee-see-neez yohk-sah cheh-koh-sloh-vahk-yah-lih-lahsh-tih-rah-mah-dihk-lah-rih-mihz-dahn mih-sih-nihz?) Hear it now! -- (17k bytes) Was it possible for us to Czechoslovakianize you or was it not possible for us to Czechoslovakianize you? Thanks, CB 9/99 BTW, Jesse tells us that The Guiness Book of World Records reckons the longest word in the known world is Turkish: 'Çekoslovakyalılaştırabilemediklerimizlerdenmisiniz' (a 50-letter variation of the above) which means: 'Are you in the group of persons that they say we couldn't Czechoslovakianize?' But...strictly speaking, the 'misiniz' suffix in the above should be separated from the rest of the 'word' by a space -- which might cause it to lose its Guiness 'record status'. Still, if you're able to overlook that point for a sec (Turkish newspaper-writers overlook it all the time, in order to conserve space -- so why not you?), OG [March 2000, Stanford] offers an even longer alternative: "Afyonkarahisarlılaştırabilemediklerimizdenmiymişsiniz?" which means: "Are you in the group of persons that they say we couldn't Afyonkarahisarianize?" [Afyonkarahisar is the correct, full city-name for 'Afyon' which is about halfway between Izmir and Ankara on the main bus route...] To paint or not to paint? Bu odayı badanalamalı mı, yoksa badanalamamalı mı? (Boo oh-dah-yih bah-dah-nah-lah-mah-lih mih, yoke-sah bah-dah-nah-lah-mah-mah-lih mih?) Hear it now! -- (8k bytes) Should we paint this room [white] or should we not paint it [white]? Thanks, YB 1/99 Raindrops keep falling on our heads... Gökten bir damla düştü, şıp benim alnıma, şıp anamın alnına... (Gherk-tehn beer dahm-lah duush-tuu, shihp beh-neem ahl-nih-mah, shihp ah-nah-mihn ahl-ih-nah,...) Hear it now! -- (23k bytes) A drop fell from the sky, plop, on my forehead, plop, on my mother's forehead, etc... [Note: If you don't say this one correctly, you quickly cross-over into 'off-color' territory. Write us if you can't figure out why, on your own...] Thanks, CB 4/99 A Bottle for All Seasons Şu köşe yaz köşesi, şu köşe kış köşesi, ortada su şişesi. (Shoo ker-shey yahz ker-shey-see, shoo ker-shey kihsh ker-shey-see or-tah-dah soo she-shey-see) Hear it now! -- (8k bytes) That corner is the 'summer' corner, the other corner is the 'winter' corner, and in the middle is a bottle of water. Thanks, YS 4/97 Which Turntable...? O pikap, bu pikap, şu pikap... (Oh pee-cop, boo pee-cop, shoo pee-cop) Hear it now! -- (4k bytes) That turntable, this turntable, the other turntable there...Thanks, YS 4/97 Ali Baba's Forty Broken Handles Kırk küp, kırkınında kulpu kırık küp... (Kihrk kyoop, kihrk-ihn-ihn-da cool-poo kihr-ick kyoop) Hear it now! -- (5k bytes) Forty cubes, all forty with a broken handle...Thanks, SS 4/97 Puckered Passages Şemsi Paşa Pasajında sesi büzüşeseciler... (Shem-see Pah-sha Pash-aj-ihn-da sehs-ee booz-oo-shay-say-chee-lair) Hear it now! -- (6k bytes) The ones with their voices puckered in the Şemsi Paşa Passage-way... Thanks, YS 4/97 Then the Eagle Flies Kartal kalkar dal sarkar, dal sarkar kartal kalkar. (Car-tahl kahl-car dahl sahr-car, dahl sahr-car car-tahl kahl-car) Hear it now! -- (9k bytes) The eagle takes off, the branch bends; the branch bends, the eagle takes off. Thanks, YS 4/97 Pass the Clorets, please! Yoğurdu sarmısaklasaktamı saklasak. Sarmısaklamasaktamı saklasak. (Yoh or du sahr mah sock lah sock tahmuh sock lah sock. Sahr mah sock lah mah sock tahmuh sock lah sock) Hear it now! -- (9k bytes) Should we put the yogurt away with the garlic or without the garlic? Thanks, PM 2/97 The Barbers of Seferihisar Bir berber bir berbere bir derede bire berber beri gel demis. Hiç bir berber bir berbere bir derede bire berber beri gel dermiymiş. (Beer bare bare beer bare bare eh beer derry dey beer eh bare bare berry gehl deymish. Hitch beer bare bare beer bare bare eh beer derry dey beer eh bare bare berry gehl dare mee mish) Hear it now! -- (15k bytes) One barber said to another barber, "Hey, barber, come over here in the stream." How dare a barber say to another barber, "Hey barber, come over here in the stream!" Thanks, PM 2/97 The Barbers Redux Bir berber bir berbere gel beraber Berberistanda bir berber dükkanı açalım demiş. (Beer bare bare beer bare bare eh gehl bear-ah-bear Bear-bear-ee-stahn-dah beer bear-bear doo-kahn-ih ahtch-ah-lihm day-mish) Hear it now! -- (10k bytes) One barber said to another barber, "Come, let's go together and open a barber shop in [the mythical country of] Barberia." Thanks, TÇ 4/97 The Blind Porcupines İki kel kör kirpinin yırtık kürküne dişi kel kör kirpinin yırtık kürkünü eklemişler. (Ick-ee kell kur keer-pin-in yihr-tihk cure-kyoon-eh dee-she kell kur keer-pin-in yihr-tihk cure-kyoon-oo eck-ley-mish-lair)   Available on CD... They added the ragged coat of the bald blind female porcupine to the coats of the other two bald blind porcupines. Thanks, YS 4/97 [Bet'cha that one twists tongues in any language! What'cha think...?] Shoe Repairs -- not done here! Al şu takatukaları, takatukacıya götür. Takatukacı takatukaları takatukalamam derse, takatukaları, takatukacıdan takatukalatmadan geri getir. (Ahl shoe tah-kah-took-kah-lar-ih tah-kah-took-kah-jee-yah grr-tour, tah-kah-took-kah-jee tah-kah-took-kah-lar-ih tah-kah-took-kah-lah-mom dare-say, tah-kah-took-kah-lar-ih, tah-kah-took-kah-jee-dehn tah-kah-took-kah-lot-mah-dahn gherry get-tihr) Hear it now! -- (19k bytes) Take these 'takatukas' [wooden sandals often worn in Turkish Baths -- that make the 'takatuka' sound when you walk] to the 'takatuka' repair man. If the 'takatuka' repairman says, "I don't repair 'takatukas'," then take back the 'takatukas' from the 'takatuka' repairman. Thanks, TÇ 6/97 Related Pages: How To Learn Basic Turkish -- A Practical Philosophy for beginners (Found in the 'Introduction to The Whole Earth Catalog of Turkish Movies'.) Essential 700 Club pages 'Tips' for learning/using Turkish Turkish Doubles Troubles 8 Difficulties of Turkish About Translation Software Personal Turkish Experiences Also Related Pages: Translating Turkish, the basics Conjunction Celebration Turkish Verbs Essential Idioms, Index Essential Suffixes, Index Sentence Structure, Standard Turkish Pronunciation Turkish Accenting Turkish Numbers Revealed NewsReaders' Dictionary, Index Unrelated fun: Maganda, The Racy Turkish Lout -- a risqué illustration of the word zipper Aysel, The Turkish Lout's daughter -- has a sexy job interview technique Ferdi Tayfur - Arabesque (Arabesk) Singing Sensation Turkish Movies - Best-Looking Bad Girl of the 1970s, Sevda Ferdağ Bad Girls of the 1970s Turkish Cinema, Aliye Rona Frequently asked questions about Turkey and the Turkish language llustrated Nargile Users Guide -- and Encyclopedia Our Honda Generator -- A Member of the Family Habibullah and the Great Cannon Caper A simple Turkish 'thing'... Turkish Belly Dancers Top of Turkish Tongue Twisters Turkish for Kids Pop Quiz Politically Incorrect Turkish Humor Internet and Computer Terms Gossipy Turkish Who's Who Turkish Movies -- Conventional and 'Erotik', Index We say softball, you say rounders... Please email us and tell us how we can improve the Learning Practical Turkish Web site. © Learn Turkish of the People! - Turkish Tongue Twisters