Project write up

I hope you were prepared for a long one....The pictures, video and formatting are missing from this version, but will be included in a final version submitted to the professors tomorrow.

Turkish Life and Language in Berlin
Rachel Schlechty
Honors Berlin 2008
Project Write Up

Project Question:
For my studies in Berlin, I chose to focus on the lives of Turkish Germans in order to better understand the changes that Germany is going through as it recognizes its status as a nation of migrants. Because of the number of Turkish speakers in Berlin and the governmental policy surrounding language, my original project proposal focused on the question of German-Turkish linguistic integration. For a variety of reasons, including the fact that I was unable to make extended contact with a Turkish family and the difficulty of interviewing people about how they speak, my overall topic shifted to Turkish life and culture in Berlin with a specific emphasis on language. My guiding question then became “What defines Turkish life and culture in Berlin and how do the Turkish and German languages fit within this culture?” Rather than addressing the German opinion of Türkendeutsch, as I had originally planned, I chose to approach the issue of language from a self-evaluative perspective, focusing on the relationship of immigrants and their families to the languages they speak.

Background:

“Man fears that which he does not understand”

The preceding quote, taken from our group research, represents one of the main justifications for studying immigration to Berlin and the lives of immigrants. Every country struggles with issues of immigration and integration, especially those that do not want to see themselves as immigrant nations. Both political and social expectations in all walks of life must adapt for the common good of both immigrants and natives. This is something that Germany in particular has struggled with as the number of Turkish immigrants and permanent residents increases. Although the politics of this issue are vastly important and continuously changing, my personal interest lies within the less obvious means of integration.
Because language has been used as both a personal and national identifier for years and is something that is undeniably built into a person’s identity, as well as my own person background in linguistics, I was interested in the linguistic developments in Berlin. For Turkish immigrants to Germany leaving their homeland gave them two linguistic possibilities: to integrate by learning German or to create a parallel Turkish speaking society. For many years Turkish immigrant chose the latter, resulting in older generations that speak very little German and a thriving Turkish community in Kreuzberg, Neukölln and Prinzlauerberg. However the tide has begun to change as more families decide to stay in Germany. Younger generations know more German, readership of Turkish papers is dropping, and the use of a mixed language “Türkendeutsch” or “Kanak Sprak” is increasing. These changes have brought language to the forefront of German and European Union politics, as well as bringing Türkendeutsch to the attention of linguists. Because language in Berlin has become such a dynamic topic and is an integral part of migrant culture, I choose to study it as my research topic during my month in Berlin.

Methods of Investigation:

Rather than sticking strictly to one method of investigation, I chose to pursue my project from several avenues in order to enhance my understanding of Turkish life in Berlin. The research methods that proved the most useful for my project were library research, surveys, observation, and extended interviews. Within each of these methods, I attempted to stay true to my subjects, while meeting my project goals, by explaining my personal interests in the topic, the group project that Mary-Grace, Angela, and I were pursuing, the final composition, and the overall approach of the program.

Library Research

Because my project is a newly developing academic topic, library research was an important, wide-ranging and illusive resource. I attempted to integrate many things into my project through library research, most of which I finished before my arrival in Berlin. An essential part of my library research was developing an understanding of European Union and German policy related to linguistic integration. After spending a significant amount of time researching these policies, which were generally positive in regards to minority languages, I tried to base my in-city research around them. This included asking personal opinion questions about German linguistic practices and laws, as well as attempting to observe these laws in action. Additionally I researched topics like language and German nationality, the decline of Turkish language newspapers in Berlin and the reasons believed to be behind the decline in readership, as well as upcoming Turkish cultural events in Berlin. While my library research was limited in terms of both scope and depth, it acted as the central foundation for my project in Berlin. Without a basic understanding of the cultural and linguistic policies, I wouldn’t have been able to develop either of my surveys or prepare any interviews. Overall library research acted as a stepping stone for my project, preparing me for my in-city research.

Surveys

Kepler School (Survey #1)
After my initial library research, I feel that my surveys best addressed my research questions and so I will now analyze them. My first survey was developed for a group of ninth and tenth graders at the Kepler-Oberschule in Neukölln. Ideas for this survey were roughly based upon a professional linguistic survey that I came across during the library research stage of project, but were written by me and translated into German with the help of a native speaker. The questions posed in this survey are as follows , :

1. What languages do you speak other than German?
2. Where do you speak these languages? (church, home, with friends, shopping, school)
3. Are there situations in which you can only use German? If so, which?
4. Are there situations in which you can only use a different language? If so, which?
5. If your school offered Turkish, would you want to take it? Why or why not?

These questions provided me with a general understanding of how this particular group of students viewed their own interactions with language. However there were many questions that were not included in this survey in order to keep it standardized and relevant for all speakers. Ideally I would have liked to interview those students, who spoke more than one language in order to better understand their social and family backgrounds, but such interviews were beyond the scope of our invitation to the Kepler school.

The results from my brief visit to the Kepler school were extremely helpful in understanding the linguistic interactions taking place between Turks and Germans. Although the students were not focused on entering college, most spoke at least two languages, with a few speaking many world languages. (I define world languages as languages other than Turkish or German.) I also found that one of my most interesting survey questions was the question referring to people’s desire to learn Turkish. The chart below provides a basic analysis of the results.

Of particular interest to me were the reasons for or against learning Turkish. Many students, already knowing some Turkish, wanted to improve their language skills, while some desired to learn Turkish in order to talk with their friends or for frequent trips to Turkey. In comparison, those that had no interest in learning Turkish gave very few reasons for their choice. The fact that few Germans had interest in learning Turkish came as no surprise, as the German attitude towards Turkish culture seems to be one of general ambivalence, with some Germans choosing to participate in Turkish cultural activities while others abstain.
These interviews also provided me with a window into Turkish life in Berlin. Because most of the students that I interviewed had migration backgrounds, I felt that our discussion provided me with valid insight into the lives of Turkish Germans. Many of the students expressed a longing for their family culture, as well as a very personal and often “love/hate” relationship with their German home in Berlin. Based on the issues we discussed, one thing was made clear to me—the German education system and job market is not working for the generations of immigrants. Linguistic and economic opportunities are passing them by, which does not go unnoticed.

Survey #2

My second survey was developed for German intellectuals and was directed mainly towards Turks and the Turkish language in the education system. Unfortunately I was unable to widely circulate this survey, leaving me with too few results to draw solid conclusions. Based on what I did receive, there is a general consensus that the German school system does little to enable Turkish youth to succeed, hindering their chances at continuing to university, echoing the sentiment from the Kepler School.

In terms of the general German reaction to Turks, my results were inconclusive. Based upon my own observation and the few surveys I was able to collect, it seems that the German sentiment is one of apathy. Many Germans see Turkey as a vacation destination, while a select few believe that Turkish should be taught in school as a foreign language. However there are those who take great interest in Turkish culture. The main sense I got from this survey was that interest in Turkish culture, although low in Germany is dependant upon the individual: some choosing to engage while others do not.

Observation

Although it is not technical, my third research method, observation, was an important tool for my project. I attempted to pay close attention to the speech that I heard around me in the subway, at the store, at the Turkish market, during interviews, and wherever else I happened to venture. I was able to hear many Turkish and Germany youths speaking a mix between Turkish and German, which is what I expected to see after completing my library research and talking with a few professional linguists (from the University of Washington). However, I failed to make field notes of my findings, as they were collected very informally.
I was also careful to document, with my camera, any Turkish and German signs that I came across. Living on the border of Kreuzberg, these were almost a daily occurrence in stores and restaurants run by Turks. However I was unable to find a single official sign (police, fire, etc) that was written in Turkish and German. (The registration office for foreign nationals does represent an exemption to this statement.) I take this as a sign of Germany’s reluctance to accept the Turkish language as part of German culture. While I recognize that my own observations are limited due to the amount of time we spent in Berlin and my inability to read every sign or ask questions at every official office, I was surprised that my predictions were true. In analyzing my observations I find it hard to believe that Turkish has not acted like Spanish in the United States.

Extended Interviews

Because I was unable to do a case study with a multi-generation family as I had originally proposed, I pursued extended interviews. There were interviews or interactions that were several hours long and set outside of the university setting. My contacts for this component of my research came from the shorter lecture sections that we held for the class. In these interviews my main goal was to actually see how Turks in Berlin lived their lives, rather that simply asking questions and receiving cut and dry responses. By undergoing this project, I was able to actually experience Turkish life in Berlin and form my own opinions. However I was unable to learn much about linguistic integration, because I was experiencing culture rather than asking direct questions regarding speech patterns. Although this method has it limitations, I feel that it was one of my best methods of research because of the personal involvement. I would really encourage future students to adapt similar methodology.

Şehitlik Mosque

Another important component of our overall research into Turkish culture in Berlin, especially for Mary-Grace, was religion. After our tour of the mosque our research group was invited to the mosque’s Koran study sessions and to join in the shared Ramadan dinner. Taking part in two of these sessions allowed us to gain a better understanding of Islam and Turkish practices during Ramadan. At this particular mosque each individual is asked to read the entire Koran during Ramadan, resulting in prayers that can last more than an hour. Additionally each mosque member is asked to view their fasting as a reminder of Allah’s generosity and grace, and is encouraged to do positive community work or give to the poor. The Muslim and (mostly) Turkish community of this mosque was eager to welcome individuals from different religious backgrounds and sought only to be understood, (although one girl did attempt to convert me).

Aside from the cultural experience, I did gain a small amount of linguistic knowledge from these visits. Listening to the Arabic was at first a bit of a shock to me, having never really heard any similar languages. After talking to several individuals, the reasoning behind the use of Arabic in the religion became extremely clear. The Muslim community, especially in an ethnically diverse area like Berlin, needs a way to communicate. One particular instance really reminded me of the linguistic diversity in this community. Our host was asked a question and could only respond with “I don’t speak Turkish”. I couldn’t imagine being part of a community in which I was unable to communicate with my peers. This incident really stuck with me and is one that I feel defines the Turkish community in Berlin—between being fully understood and completely ignored by the Germans.

Turkiyemspor

Our group also conducted an extended interview with the manager from Turkiyemspor. During this interview we were introduced to many aspects of Turkish life including Turkish hospitality, the ancient Turkish celebrations of Ramadan, the decision to stay in Germany or to return to Turkey, life as an ethnically diverse family in Berlin, and many other topics we had discussed in our lectures. For me it was particularly interesting to meet someone who had struggled with the issues that we were simply trying to understand. For this particular family, the decision to return to Turkey remains partially undecided, while language does not. (German was clearly the language of their home and there appeared to be no pressure or serious need to learn Turkish.) As one can see, this particular interview took my earlier library research from a formal theoretical base into an active, vibrant topic.

The Performance Aspect:

Having never done experiential based group research or created my own performance pieces, I was extremely nervous to undertake such a task, but as time progressed my anxiety subsided. The added aspect of performance did help shape the way I viewed my research and the people I encountered. By observing my subjects in both formal and informal settings in order to create characters, I was able to perceive more of their body language and obtain a better understanding of what it meant to be that specific person. This also allowed me to include more people in my research. Rather than simply observing those that I met with or interviewed, everyone— from the Turkish teenagers on the subway to the mother working at the Döner Kebab while watching her children—became part of my research. In this sense my project was given a more holistic approach appropriate for an immersion program such as this. However my discomfort with the artistic component of the project never fully dissipated. I felt the need to explain to people that we were to present our research as a performance. After some degree of explanation the addition of the artist component was well received and many people expressed interest in our final performance. Some of our subjects wanted to contribute material to our final composition and took us to places of artistic or performance value. An example of this can be seen in the video below of Turkish whirling dervishes. (Unfortunately we were unable to incorporate this into our final composition.) Despite the discomfort, I feel that by including the composition aspect into this project, I was given a different, fuller and richer view of my topic and the people I was studying. I also felt that this aspect helped people connect with our group research and contribute directly to it, rather than as a passive subject.

Further Research:

Overall I found this topic fascinating and rich. It is something that one could spend years researching; we unfortunately had a month. In further pursuing this topic, I would first develop a survey similar to the one I used at the Kepler school and present it to Gymnasium students with German or western European heritage. I believe that such a survey would balance out the results that were seen at the Kepler school. However there is also a chance that such a survey would demonstrate a change in the German perception of Turkish language and culture. Additionally, I would meet with the group Kanak Attak. This group, which has been active since the 1980s, is a strong advocate for immigrants’ rights in all areas of life, with a particular emphasis on language. I feel that this group would be able to give me passionate answers to most of my questions, which often went unanswered while I was in Berlin—particularly regarding the language requirement for Turkish immigrants. Without talking to this group or a similar minded group I feel that my project lacks, through no fault of my own, a certain degree of completion, because this is a Turkish group attempting to define what language requirements and expectations are valid. The final and most advanced course of study for this project would be to ask Turks to describe their lives in Berlin using their own dialects on tape and undergo detailed linguistic analysis. Unfortunately I am not a linguist and therefore lack the ability to make more than simple distinctions in speech patterns. However many linguists are interested in this topic, providing the rest of us for quality library research.

Concluding Thoughts:

Although I encountered several setbacks in my research, which caused me to change course, I am happy with my overall outcome. I believe that my extended interviews gave me better insight into the Turkish community than my intended case study could have done because of their overall diversity. My library research gave me a sound theoretical base for my interviews and observations, which allowed me to see, understand, and take part in Turkish life and language in Berlin. The addition of my colleagues’ work in the form of our collaborative group composition added yet another dimension to an already involved project, moving from research to performance art, a concept which was once foreign.


Appendix
Kepler School Survey Questions—German
1. Weclche Sprachen sprichst du, außer Deutsch?
2. Wo sprichst du welche Sprache am meisten? (Kirche, zu Hause, mit Fruenden, beim Einkaufen, in der Schule)
3. Gibt es Situationen, in denen du nur deutsch gebrauchen kannst? Wenn ja, für welche Situationen trifft das zu?
4. Gibt es Situationen, in denen du nur eine andere Sprace gebrauchen kannst? Wenn ja, für welche Situationen trifft das zu?
5. Wennn deine Schule einen Türkischkurs anbieten würde, könntest du vorstellen daran teilzunehmen? Warum ja oder warum nicht?