Turkic roots of 679 medical terms in Latin, English
The majority of medical terms are Turkish rooted for two reasons:
1- Turkish or proto-Turkish is the founding language of Western languages. I tried to provethis in my previous articles here.
2- Turkic peoples and the first physicians among them contributed greatly to the establishment of the medical discipline and the development of medicine.
The Turkish roots of many of the basic medical terms originate from this practice and information. Here I am explaining the Turkish roots of about 679 medical terms. This includes words related to human organs and health.
When you are registering, please select choice of your language you would like to participate with Turkish or English.After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Language: Turkish & English
Background
On February 25, 2024, The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), and Turkish Women League of America (TWLA), formally associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC), will hold a virtual event titled “Mother Language as the Second Language” in support of International Mother Language Day (A/RES/56/262) highlights the importance of multilingual education, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life.
Program Introduction
This program highlights the role of language and its importance in uniting people that speak the same language. There are many reasons people migrate to other countries. These may be due to economics, education, wars, and etc.. Setting in a foreign country comes with many challenges, language is one most important element impacts people’s lives. It is important for us to embrace the language and culture of the country we live in order to be better successful while we sustain our mother language and culture of our origine; teach our children as well. To be multilingual improves collaboration, exchange of ideas, improves business, commerce and scientific ties. It also helps new generations to link themselves to older generations and enjoy the benefits that come with associating with a culture, the psychological strength that grows with these roots.
Opening Remarks and Introduction by
Video Presentation – TWLA-NY Atatürk School Students Dr. Nilüfer Esen-Bilgin, ATAA President Berna Gürdal, TWLA President
Moderator:
Yasemin Ünlüsoy, TWLA–NY Atatürk School Teacher
Keynote Speakers:
Sunay Akın The Birth Story of Turkish Words – Türkçe Kelimelerin Doğuş Hikayesi
Professor Dr. Belma Haznedar Bilingual Language Acquisition In Early Childhood
Speakers:
Dr. Esra Taşdelen A Brief History of Turkish Language
Mar Deniz Gomez-Koldemir Unlocking the Power of Multilingualism: A Journey through the World of Speaking Multiple Languages
Emre Murat Bozer The Key Sociolinguistic Factors that Contribute to Heritage Language Development
Youth Speakers:
Yasemin Knott Importance of Language in Maintaining Cultural Diversity
Ece Yenigün
Arden Ege Van Winkle Overcoming boundaries with Language
Q&A Session
Parent’s Presentations
Closing Remarks by
Alev Wieland, Co-Chair ATAA UN Committee & ATAA First VP & ATAA Southwest Region VP
Biographies
Sunay Akın is a Turkish poet, writer, TV host, journalist, and a philanthropist. He is the founder of Istanbul Toy Museum. Akın is best known for his poetry; his primary influences include Orhan Veli Kanık and Cemal Süreya. His poems are generally lyric, short, and soft in tone. He also often makes use of satirical forms and puns. Akın has a collection of over 7,000 toys, some of which date back nearly 200 years. 4,000 of them are on display in the İstanbul Toy Museum which opened in 2005. He co-hosts a TV show called “Yaşamdan Dakikalar” (“Minutes from Life”) on the TV channel tv8, together with Hıncal Uluç, Haşmet Babaoğlu, and Nebil Özgentürk. He lectures at Marmara University, and Müjdat Gezen Art School, as well as at his own institution, the İstanbul Toy Museum. Akın regularly stages one man shows in Turkey and abroad, and participates in panels and conferences. He contributes as a regular columnist to the newspaper Cumhuriyet. His column is named after his 2004 book, “Kule Cambazı” (“Tower Acrobat”), in reference to İstanbul’s Maiden’s Tower. Awards: 1987, Halil Kocagöz Poem Awards for his collection of unprinted poems “Noktalı Virgül” (“Semicolon”) and 1990, Orhon Murat Arıburnu Poem Awards for his poem “Makiler” (“Maquis”).
Professor Belma Haznedar holds a PhD in Linguistics from Durham University, UK. She is currently a full Professor of Applied Linguistics at Boğaziçi University, İstanbul-Turkey. Professor Haznedar’s expertise area focuses on early childhood bilingualism, with special reference to language acquisition in successive and simultaneous children. In her recent work, she also investigates (i) language teaching to young children; (ii) literacy development in monolingual and bilingual children; (iii) language loss and heritage language speakers; (iv) creating online materials for teachers who work with migrant populations (adult and child immigrants with low literacy skills). In line with her recent work for teachers of immigrants and heritage speakers, Dr. Haznedar and her co-authors presented portions of their findings at the United Nations headquarters in 2017 and 2019 in New York. Professor Belma Haznedar has presented and published extensively on childhood bilingualism in national and international refereed journals and books and is co-editor of Current Trends in Child Second Language Acquisition (Amsterdam, 2008), co-editor of Handbook for Teaching Foreign Languages to Young Children in Primary Schools, (Ankara, 2010, reprinted in 2013, 2018), co-editor Acquisition of Turkish in Childhood (Amsterdam, 2016), author of Erken çocukluk döneminde birden fazla dilin edinimi ‘Language acquisition in early childhood, (Ankara, 2021).
Dr. Esra Tasdelen is native of Istanbul, Turkey. She received her BA degree in Social and Political Sciences at Sabancı University in Istanbul, Turkey (2003). Her MA degree is in Middle Eastern Studies (2005) and her PhD degree is in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (2014), both at the University of Chicago, Illinois. Her teaching focuses on the history, languages, literatures and cinema of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as translation theory. She is currently an Instructor at the University of Chicago’s Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies.
Mar Deniz Gomez-Koldemir is an 11th-grade student at the Dalton School in New York City, NY. She was born in New York City to Turkish and Spanish parents and graduated from TWLA – NY Ataturk School in 2018. Mar Deniz also spent a semester abroad at Robert College in Istanbul. She is fluent in English, Turkish, and Spanish, and has learned Mandarin and French as well. With over a decade of experience, Mar Deniz is an accomplished violinist and currently serves as the concertmaster at the Third Street Orchestra. Looking forward, she has aspirations to study medicine. Mar Deniz Gomez-Koldemir is a multilingual student with a passion for music and a goal to make a positive impact through her future medical studies.
Emre Murat Bozer is a PhD student in Second Language Acquisition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests focus on language education and multilingualism, specifically in the context of heritage language education at community-based heritage schools. His most recent research project involves a linguistic ethnographic investigation of language ideologies and language socialization practices at a Turkish community-based heritage school in the United States. Emre also holds a minor in Japanese Linguistics and teaches a variety of Japanese courses at UW-Madison.
Yasemin Knott is a Junior Social Work major at Siena College in Loudonville, New York. She has been on the Dean’s List and the President’s List since attending Siena College. She is a Student Representative on the Siena College Social Work Advisory Board. She is a Community Assistant at Siena College. Through her position as a Community Assistant, she was able to give a successful presentation on the importance of diversity, inclusion, and representation. Yasemin has been a Turkish Women’s League of America youth representative for the United Nations since January of 2023. Since being inducted into this position, she attended the Assembly of the Turkish American Associations’ 2023 Annual Conference, as well as making a presentation on the importance of inclusive education for all. Yasemin has been a member of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations’ United Nations Youth Forum since April of 2023. Yasemin is a 2020 National Honor Society Inductee and a Spanish Honor Society Inductee. She was previously an officer of the Saratoga Springs High School Spanish Culture Club as well as the 2022 Siena College Muslim Student Association Events Coordinator. Yasemin was a cheerleader for 15 years and a dancer for 10 years. She was a Saratoga Springs High School Varsity Competitive Cheerleader and Team Captain for multiple years. She also achieved American Red Cross Certification in Childcare. Yasemin is learning Turkish, Spanish, and American Sign Language. She attended the Turkish Women’s League of America’s New York Ataturk School and earned a New York Seal of biliteracy in Spanish and English. Through college courses in high school, she earned credits from Rochester Institute of Technology, Adirondack Community College, and Schenectady City Community College. Yasemin volunteered at Dorothy Nolan Elementary School for 6 years.
Ece Yenigün was born in New York, New York as the first-generation U.S. citizen in her family. She is now a third-year student in Political Science major at Union College, Schenectady, New York. Throughout her elementary, middle, and high school years, Ece attended the United Nations International School where she completed the International Baccalaureate Programme and earned her IB Diploma; excelling in biology, socio-cultural anthropology, and French. Her proficiency in four languages (English, Turkish, French, and Spanish) has allowed her to become the aspiring communicator she is today. Within her fourteen years of experience as a violinist, Ece has performed at Carnegie Hall twice and continues to portray her commitment and aspiration for the instrument by playing with the Union College String Orchestra. Ece has also pursued her interest in humanitarian work through internship opportunities such as The New Neighbors Partnership at Columbia University, along with volunteer work with the Turkish Red Crescent Community (Türk Kızılay) in Turkey, teaching and mentoring Syrian refugee children. In 2015, Ece graduated from the Turkish Women’s League of America’s New York Atatürk School.
Arden Ege Van Wickle was born in Plano, TX to Turkish American family. Arden just graduated from high school who possesses a diverse skill set as a critical thinker and problem solver. Arden graduated from the Dallas International School within the French school system. Fluent in English, French, and Turkish, with a moderate command of Spanish. Arden volunteers his time in the Doctors Without Borders Program Language Education Program and help students in Türkiye to learn English. He is an active youth member of the local Turkish community, provides support on different educational and cultural programs. Beyond multilingual skills, Arden has a passion for music and visual arts. With a scientifically inclined mind and a penchant for out-of-the-box thinking, Arden aspires to continue his education by pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering and aiming to make a positive impact in the field of fluid dynamics. Arden Ege Van Winkle, is born in Plano, TX to Turkish American family. Arden just graduated from high school who possesses a diverse skill set as a critical thinker and problem solver. Arden graduated from the Dallas International School within the French school system. Fluent in English, French, and Turkish, with a moderate command of Spanish. Arden volunteers his time in the Doctors Without Borders Program Language Education Program and help students in Türkiye to learn English. He is an active youth member of the local Turkish community, provides support on different educational and cultural programs. Beyond multilingual skills, Arden has a passion for music and visual arts. With a scientifically inclined mind and a penchant for out-of-the-box thinking, Arden aspires to continue his education by pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering and aiming to make a positive impact in the field of fluid dynamics.
Yasemin Ünlüsoy graduated with B.A. from Boğaziçi University, department of translation &interpreting. She worked as a translator, interpreter and language instructor in a number of multinational companies to facilitate the business communication process of expatriate directors in Istanbul. She completed her certificate in English Teaching (CELTA)at New York teaching house and teaches both English and Turkish to adults and Children. Translated five books and miscellaneous articles from and into Turkish interpreted in international meetings on an occasional basis. Yasemin was born and grew up in Izmir. She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.
Irem Göçgenci Jakobsen is a certified public service interpreter and court interpreter based in Hamar, Norway. She interprets in the language combinations of English-Turkish, Norwegian-Turkish and German-Turkish. Irem holds a bachelor’s degree in translation and interpreting in English-Turkish and German-Turkish language pairs, from Dokuz Eylül University. Her areas of interest were European Union and international trade, and she majored in conference interpreting. Upon moving to Norway in 2016, she has taken her second bachelor’s degree in public sector interpreting in Norwegian-Turkish from Oslo Metropolitan University. She is also a licensed teacher in English, German and Turkish as a foreign language, and worked as a language instructor in Turkey and as a teacher at Norwegian upper secondary school. Irem continues to pursue her interest in language didactics in her MA project on refugee women learners of English in Norway at the Innlandet University of Applied Sciences, as well as working full time as an interpreter for the Norwegian government institutions and municipalities.
Ezgi Cohen is Turkish-American professional with a BA in English and a pedagogical certificate, is a versatile individual excelling in the fields of acting, writing, translation, and real estate. A graduate of Stella Adler Studio in 2009, where she completed a rigorous 2-year acting conservatory program, Ezgi has showcased her linguistic prowess by crafting and translating texts in both English and Turkish. Currently based in New Jersey, she seamlessly balances her roles in acting and real estate with unwavering dedication and skill.
For further inquiries, please e-mail uncommittee@ataa.org, southwestVP@ataa.org (Alev Wieland, Co-Chair & ATAA Southwest Region VP) or twlanewyork@gmail.com (Berna Gürdal, TWLA President)
Is Turkish really the best natural/non-artifical language out there, and if yes, why?
Former English lecturer at Bilkent University Robin Turner answers this question on Quora:
It’s a point of dogma among linguists that no natural language is superior to another. Personally I think this is just dogma, but it’s probably true that there is no such thing as the best language overall for the simple reason that languages have to balance a number of different and often contradictory things. A language with a very large vocabulary will likely be more expressive, but will be harder to learn. Using tones multiplies the available vocabulary while limiting the use of intonation to express emotion. Isolating languages (where words do not have different grammatical forms) have simple grammar at the expense of relatively inflexible word order (except for Chinese, which is an isolating language that also has fairly flexible word order, but it does this at the cost of ambiguity).
Having said this, we can say Turkish has some advantages.
It’s agglutinating (“stick things on the end of words”) grammar is almost completely regular and very easy to learn. Learning a new grammatical feature is usually just a case of learning which suffix you need to add to the verb, and you can put your new knowledge into practice immediately.
Related to this, you can play around with word order with little danger of ambiguity. In English, fronting (moving a word to the beginning of a sentence to emphasise it) is very limited (e.g., “That I could go for”) but in Turkish, like Latin, you can do it as much as you like. You can also move the question word ma/mi around to show what you are questioning (Ali geldi mi? = “Did Ali come?” Ali mi geldi? = “Was it Ali that came?”).
It has no gender, articles or other ways of making nouns a nightmare. It does have case, but once you’ve sat down and drilled yourself in it, it’s easy – it’s not like Latin where you have different declensions.
Because Turkish adopted the Latin alphabet late, it is written almost exactly as pronounced (there are a few exceptions where the written form doesn’t properly represent contractions, like ağabey or yapayım).
The language reforms of the mid-twentieth century got rid of a slew of Arabic and Persian loanwords, sometimes replacing them with (usually) logical Turkish neologisms. This created a smaller and more consistent vocabulary.
But of course, these can be also construed as disadvantages. The grammar means that you have to keep your ears open to catch the suffix that tells you if a sentence is negative (and by the time the speaker gets to the verb, someone will probably have interrupted them). Losing all those loanwords was seen as a tragedy by many. Writing phonetically makes it more likely that people speaking different dialects will “misspell” words, and so on.
I love Turkish, but I can’t claim that it is objectively superior to other languages, just better for some people if they like the kind of features that Turkish has. It’s like Malcolm Gladwell said, “There is no such thing as the perfect Pepsi. There are only perfect … Pepsis.1”
As Graham Howe says on Quora; If your native language is English or one of the other Indo-European languages, Turkish does indeed present a number of challenges. For example:
A completely different sentence structure to most Western languages: Turkish is an agglutinative language – this means that, whereas in English we form sentences by placing single words in the appropriate order to convey our meaning, Turkish adds suffixes to the end of words, sometimes resulting in horrendous-looking long words. For example: ev = house; evim = my house; evimde – in my house; evimdeki = which is in my house; evimdekiler – the ones which are in my house; evimdekilerin – of the ones who are in my house; evimdekilerin annesi – the mother of the ones that are in my house.
Vowel harmony: this means that words can contain only ‘front vowels’ (e, i, ö or ü) or ‘back vowels’ (a, ı, o or u), and thesevowels cannot be mixed. Although this rule has countless exceptions, due to the number of words borrowed from other languages, it is fairly rigidly applied when it comes to grammatical endings: geldim – I came; aldım – I took; buldum – I found; gördüm – I saw, where -dim/-dım/-dum/-düm is the first person single past tense ending, the vowel changing according to the last vowel in the verb root.
On the plus side, once one has learnt the sentence structure, the cases and the verb endings, Turkish is a fairly logical language with only a handful of irregular verbs and noun cases.
Did you understand what your Italian friend meant when he/she told you: “Am I speaking Turkish here?”
When in Italy during a conversation a person can’t get their point across they attribute ironically the resistance of the interlocutor to lack of understading of what has been said, and Turkish here stands for an incomprehensible language. The origin of the idiom is clearly due to the contacts among people around the Mediterranean and the difficulties often arising in the practices of trade (particularly in the Levant). This clearly shows when the sentence is heard in the same context but Turkish is replaced by Greek and Arabic (other languages commonly spoken in the Levant).
Notable exception is the phrase “Do I speak Ostrogoth?”, which means the same but is clearly suggestive of the disconcert and confusion of the Italians after the fall of the Roman Empire, when Germanic populations began to spread uninvited in the country.
‘Malta yok effendi’, which stands for ‘Malta does not exist.’
“I was shocked upon hearing it in a history class in Israel” says one of the comment writers with the nickname skatanic.
But why in Israel? Then comes this tweet from Lebanon:
Does “Malta yok” really mean “forget about it” in Turkish? Noting among the many Malta-based proverbs and sayings in the Turkish Dictionary of Sayings, such as “Malta eriği” (Maltese plum = loquat), “Malta humması” (Maltese fever = brucellosis), “Malta palamudu” (Maltese bonito = pilot fish), etc., there doesn’t appear to be the term “Malta yok”.
It seems to be a saying unique to Levantine Arabic, from which it probably entered Israeli Hebrew, with a folk etymology to follow.
But how did they get there? There are several points of view. The predominant seems to be as follows.
According to a story, it was the response of an Admiral to the Sultan (Süleyman), who having been sent with a grand army to conquer Malta, failed to do so.
At one time, during the Ottoman Empire, the Sultan dispatched a naval force against Malta. After some time, however, the fleet returned without completing its objective and the Turkish admiral stated ‘Malta Yok’. This is due to the inability of the admiral to read a map of the era. And as if that wasn’t enough, the excuse also came up. According to the admiral, when he went to the charter room to plot a course for Malta, he ordered his adjutant to bring him coffee. So, as he enjoyed his coffee, he moved the cup on the map and, accidently, it covered Malta. As ridiculous as it sounds, it is better than the other excuse that the devil moved the island to another point on the map for the admiral not to be able to spot it.
Arab historian Nicola Ziyadeh, who passed away 99 years old in June 27 2007, was Eyyâm fî Malta, where he touched upon the phrase “Malta yok”. In his telling, the Sublime Porte receives news that there is an island called Malta in the Mediterranean which could cause great danger unless it is captured. The admiral then is instructed to take over the island post, haste. However, the admiral cannot discover this island even though he travels East, west, north and south across the Mediterranean. He writes to the grand vizier “Malta yok”.
Another source recontextualized this to the answer the captain gives not for being unable to find the island but for being unable to capture it.
The Estonian historian Juri Lina, who wrote a book about freemasonry Les Architectes de la déception — l’histoire secrète de la franc-maçonnerie starts a chapter with “Malta yok”. According to the author, the events of 1565 unfolded as follows: the emperor commands his navy to attack the Christian island of Malta. Storms and bad weather conditions stop the navy from reaching the island. The hopeless captain covers up the island of Malta with the wax from a candle he grabs. And then with a victorious air, he turns to his second mate and exclaims, “There is no Malta!” Before turning the fleet to Crete.
