Abstract
THE PRESENCE OF TURKS, AND TURKISH LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Language, whose importance in building up the national identity and culture as well as in maintaining them cannot be ignored, is an essential and irreplaceable instrument to transmit all material possessions and moral values to the next generations. Therefore, teaching Turkish language, which is the transmitter of Turkish culture, not only to the learners in Turkey but also to the Turkish children living abroad and to the foreign people who want to learn Turkish is of great importance.
As a result of the study, it was found that Turkish language instruction was available as an elective language course in 44 universities and colleges in total in the whole USA, where approximately 500.000 Turks live currently. However, it was also revealed that Turkish language instruction was unavailable in schools providing primary and secondary education, and all of the activities concerning the instruction of Turkish language and culture were conducted by the lecturers and teachers living in the USA, where there were no teachers and lecturers appointed from Turkey yet.
Keywords
The presence of Turks in the USA, and Turkish language instruction in the USA