LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Turkish for self study

Senel Simsek - 17 January 2008

Turkish for Self-Study, developed by Şenel Şimşek at the Turkish Studies of Oxford University, is a set of online tools and resources to assist learners of Turkish to improve their language skills and to learn more about Turkish culture, politics, literature and society. The main tools available are: a photo dictionary with high quality pictures for learning vocabulary (flash card like); a collection of adventure stories ranging from 'An adventurous journey into Turkish mystic music' for beginners to 'Nationalism in Turkey' on advanced level; and a variety of language games like image scramble or crosswords with particular themes (e.g. colours, fruits, clock times). Learners can test their progress in various quizzes and sentence jumble and word gap exercises which also allow them to improve any gaps in their knowledge. This website is also a useful resource for teachers of the language. A collection of cartoons by the Turkish caricaturist Piyale Madra for use in class and a directory of useful web resources for learners and teachers of Turkish are also available.

Bulgarian: Materials for an on-line course

- 15 November 2004

The aim of the project was to produce materials that can serve to teach Bulgarian to students who have some knowledge of Russian. The materials are not intended to be used entirely for self-study, but rather as a source of auxiliary practice to support classroom work. The materials have been chosen as a sample of what could be offered in different study areas, eg general Bulgarian culture (with links to articles on leading Bulgarian writers, composers and painters, as well as to an extract from a short story), newspaper extracts on contemporary events and historical topics. The materials were compiled with the following groups of students in mind: (1) those studying Bulgarian as part of a degree course; the reading materials would supplement other classes where the skills of speaking, listening and writing would be developed; (2) those wishing to acquire a reading knowledge of Bulgarian as part of a social science undergraduate or postgraduate course; (3) evening class students, who could use the materials independently, as a back-up to work done in class.

Danish: Speak Danish website

Mark Anderson - 23 March 2004

An online Danish language learning site for beginners. This free interactive course includes lessons in pronunciation, grammar and common phrases.