What Language is Spoken in Turkey Besides Turkish? A Fascinating Guide

Turkey holds an exclusive status for straddling both the Asian and European continents. But what language is spoken in Turkey? The short answer is, most of its residents speak Turkish (the national language of Turkey). As one of the founding languages in the region, nearly 75 million Turk nationals speak it fluently. If you thoroughly study the language’s history, you may notice that many European regions take influence from the Turkish language and the people. If you require translation services to or from this language, we’re ready to offer professional assistance. In the meantime, let’s dive into the details and explore Turkish and other languages commonly spoken in the country.

What Is the Official Language of Turkey?

The historical significance of Turkey makes it a magnet for travelers from both Europe and Asia. Turkey’s official language holds a distinctive status due to language diversity in the region. Most Turkey natives speak Turkish fluently when communicating with one another and in professional capacities.

Turkey’s national language takes influences from various historical languages spoken in the region. Modern Turkish communities speak multiple languages. However, this exposure doesn’t hinder their communication in Turkey’s native language.

What Are the Most Common Languages of Turkey?

Language is a contentious issue for many Turkish nationals. According to Turkey’s constitution, the main language in Turkey is Turkish. The constitution not only names it the country’s only official language, but it also prohibits Turkey’s state schools from teaching any language other than Turkish, the country’s only officially recognized tongue.

Despite this, there are a number of minority languages in the country due to its rich history and cultural heritage. A large proportion of Turkish nationals are fluent in these minority languages, including Kurdish, which is the second-most spoken language in the country. To help illustrate this, we have provided a table with some language stats, including the top 3 languages spoken in Turkey, below.

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As a culturally diverse region, Turkey is a trove of linguistic diversity that accommodates many communities, and the above languages highlight each. For a better understanding, we have covered the details of the common languages below.

Turkish

As we mentioned before, the great majority of the country’s residents speak Turkish. As the country’s most common language with over 66 million speakers, Turkish holds the crown over others. In modern-day Turkey, Turkish is the language used in education, media, and everyday life. It is spoken in both formal and informal contexts, and its influence has spread to other neighboring countries including Bulgaria, Greece, and Syria.

Turkish has a long and fascinating history that dates back to the Ottoman Empire. It is written using the Latin alphabet with a few added letters and various diacritics. The language also has a rich vocabulary with loanwords from Persian, Greek, and Arabic.

Kurmanji

Kurmanji is more commonly known as the Northern Kurdish language. This language is the second-most popular language in the country. Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey nationals use various Kurdish dialects when communicating with each other. What makes Kurmanji unique is its ceremonial status in the ancient religion of Yazidism. As a popular language spoken in Turkey, Kurmanji relies on the Latin script. The oldest book written in this language goes back to the 1500s.

Arabic

Who speaks Arabic in Turkey? While Turkish is the primary language of Turkey, a smaller proportion of Turkish nationals speak Arabic. This dialect of Turkish Arabic is known as North Mesopotamian and is also native to certain parts of Syria, Iran, and Iraq. Historically, Arabic was the primary language of Mesopotamia and is still the most popular language in the Middle East today. The North Mesopotamian dialect can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire, and remains an important part of Turkish culture and identity.

Zazaki

Zazaki is another common language in Turkey. Although less popular than the main language in Turkey and Kurmanji, Zazaki is native to the Zaza ethnic community in Turkey. It shares many similarities with the Gorani dialect, which is popular among Kurdish people. More importantly, Zazaki is spoken by an estimated 1.5 to 4 million people, including all its dialects.

What Language Do They Speak in Turkey?

Turkey is home to a variety of languages, with Turkish being the most widely spoken. Approximately 90% of the population speaks Turkish as their mother tongue, with many other languages also in common use, including Kurdish, various dialects of Persian, and minority languages.

For native speakers of English, the languages spoken in Turkey can be challenging to understand.

How Can Pronto Translations Help?

Pronto Translations has established a credible status in the competitive industry for its professional and accurate translation services. With our help, you can gain a deeper understanding of the various languages spoken in Turkey and its neighboring regions.

Are you looking for professional translation services? Pronto Translations awaits your call to get started.