Turkish Grammar

This grammar reference book is good for understanding some "fine details" of the language; it is thorough with exploring all possible cases of a particular grammar rule, addressing exceptions and historical aspects of the Turkish grammar. Nevertheless, it is simply overwhelming for someone who just started learning Turkish. As someone who has learned a foreign language from scratch, I can say that it is easier to learn a language grammar by going from general to specific. For example, if we are talking about tense formation first learn the different types of tenses and how they are related to each other. Next, explain the general rule for formation of a specific tense and only after that explain all the fine details and possible exceptions. This book will overwhelm you with all the technical details that you may not need to know to start using the language.I bought this book because the regular phrasebooks and dictionaries do not explain grammar rules. I did not find this book to be an easy reference for understanding Turkish grammar. While vacationing in Istanbul I stumbled upon a book called "Turkish Grammar Self-Taught" by Fuad A. Attaoullah and that is the book you may want to use for a quick reference while traveling. It does a great job at explaining the logic of the language without burdening you with all the technicalities. It is written for English-speaking learners and is quite thorough. I was able to apply the rules I learned almost immediately.If you are serious about learning Turkish, it is still a good idea to buy "Turkish Grammar" by Geoffrey Lewis. However, I would recommend looking into other grammar texts available on the market to get you started.

My knowledge of grammar in any language is limited, so for me it was necessary to look up some of the more advanced grammatical concepts he was referring to. Nevertheless, this is an exceptionally helpful book and I highly recommend. In fact, by figuring out those grammatical concepts, I actually learned more about English grammar at the same time. Overall, an outstanding product for anyone learning Turkish.

This book is an excellent resource, but not a good introduction to the language for a beginner. I'm glad I bought it, but didn't really start using it until I had been studying Turkish for a while. So, if you are sure you will reach a more advanced level buy it now. If not, it's better to buy introductory books that are concerned with teaching rather than being an encyclopedia of grammar.

(based on the 1984 reprint edition)I have been studying Turkish on my own for the past three months and G.L. Lewis?s Turkish Grammar is by far and away the most useful book on the subject I have come across.My first exposure to the book was when I signed it out from our public library ? and overnight after just glossing through a few sections I felt my understanding of Turkish grammar had doubled compared to what I had learnt in the past couple of months. The layout is such that you can pick things up very quickly.Turkish Grammar has an excellent layout which allows it to tackle the subject in a quite thorough manner - yet remaining concise with numerous examples with accompanying English translations to prevent the new student from getting buried under a mass of mind-boggling grammatical terminology. The terminology is still there for those who know it ? but not essential knowledge to find one?s way through the book. It is very easy to look up and locate specific details and find a quick answer to any questions or concerns.Turkish has a notorious reputation for being a difficult language ? where in fact it is so analytical, consistent, regular and logical that (after mastering the basics of Turkish grammar) one has to seriously wonder just how foreigners are able to acquire even a working knowledge of English ? a language overflowing in inconsistencies and irregularity.My only complaint ? and a minor one, at that ? is that it does examine some of the obscure stuff like the older Ottoman forms imported from Persian and Arabic which have become obsolete or rarely encountered in general daily language since the Atat?rk language reforms in the 1930s. Such material should have just been compiled together and included in a separate reference appendix ? because the general modern student really has no need to know about obsolete Ottoman usages. That all said, but if the book was going to look at the Ottoman language, it would have been interesting to have included for reference the old Arabic script which the Ottomans used. But this complaint is just a minor point and in no way blemishes this outstanding work.If you only have one book on the Turkish language - this is THE ONE!

I have begun to study the turkish language and this grammar has help me to know better the structure of this language. It is easy to read, with examples and by this way, you can understand the theorical principles.

I'm living in France and I already know the Turkish Grammar books that we can find in French. Especially those from Jean Deny and Louis Bazin. I wanted to compare them with the one written by Geoffrey Lewis in English.I was really delighted by this book. It gives very clear explanations about most of the points of Turkish Grammar without being too theoritical. It gives also some insights about the evolution of Turkish language in the 20th century. A big advantage of this grammar is that it has been revised in 2000. This way it can be considered as a grammar of modern Turkish.This is a must have for anyone speaking English and starting to learn Turkish language.

Lewis's Turkish Grammar is advancing in age, and Turkish is evolving rapidly as ever; however, the material presented is as important as ever. This book is excellent for a second or third year student that wants to use the variety of Turkish postpositions and subordinate clauses more naturally. Along the way, they'll also probably correct a few incorrect artifacts that remain in their speech. There are plenty of examples to make every point clear. The book is an excellent reference.

As the other reviewers have indicated, this is definitely NOT a "Teach Yourself Turkish" type of book; you certainly won't manage a fortnight in Marmaris on the strength of this. It's for people who are making a serious study of Turkish and need a detailed and seriously authoritative reference work to back this up.It also has to be said that the user needs a pretty good knowledge of grammatical terms to put it to good use.Having said that, if the above DOES fit your needs, you couldn't do better. As for the author himself, I can't help feeling furiously jealous at an Englishman (now sadly deceased), who was fluent in Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Azeri, Kazakh and Uzbek! If you're interested, try looking him up on the Times Online Obituary website; he seems like a hell of a nice bloke.

This book although old and pages somewhat yellowed, is in perfect order apart from that. It arrived within the dates that were indicated and packaged well.The content of the book is excellent, although it is aimed at people who have a ressonable understanding of grammatical terms.I am learning Turkish using an intereactive progragramme, but there are times when I need to understand how a word has been formed grammatically, so I will be using this book as a reference manual.

The book was in a very good condition and was as described on Amazon.

I have been visiting Turkey regularly for many years now and have recently begun Turkish lessons. This book is excellent to support my Turkish Course. When I am in doubt, or do not fully understand a concept, I am able to check it out and learn from the book. To date I have always been able to find what I have needed. For these reasons I have found it helpful and most valuable.

Very helpful well set out book.