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atmosphere in which interjections are frequently used by the interlocutors and
analyzing the understanding mechanisms of the interactants for the current study.
As presented in the literature review chapter, Tekin (1978) conducted his research
on the basis of the mutual intelligibility data collection method which was
prepared and used by American linguists in order to investigate the rate of mutual
intelligibility among Indian languages spoken in the US.
He selected ten sentences
from Turkic languages Gagauz, Azerbaijanian, Turkmen, Kazakh, Karakalpak,
Karaim, Uzbek, Chuvash, Yakut, Tuvan, Bashkir, Kumyk, Khakas, Karachay-
Balkar, Uyghur, Tatar, Altay Turkic, Kyrgyz, and Nogay written in Latin
alphabet. He suggested that the rate of mutual intelligibility between Turkish and
closely-related Turkic languages such as Azerbaijani and Gagauz was high. Yet,
according to him, lexical gap between these languages
had a negative impact upon
the mutual intelligibility. Ercilasun (1994) criticized Tekin’s data collection
method on account of the fact that the interlocutors should converse with each
other by using their native languages instead of evaluating the written sentences.
He stated that it would not be beneficial to give written texts to the participants to
measure the rate of intelligibility as he regarded this method of data collection as
“unnatural” (p. 338). He claimed that the most practical and beneficial method to
measure the mutual intelligibility rate would be to make the interlocutors be
exposed to the Turkic languages under investigation.
As for introduction of Taboo, generally, four people play this game
through pairing each other and forming two groups. For the current study, two
Azerbaijani and two Turkish university students play this game by pairing each
other and forming two groups, each of which consists of an Azerbaijani and a
Turkish university students. Players are given cards on which there is a ‘guess
word’ and five ‘taboo (forbidden) words’. One of the teammates in a team tries to
prompt his/her partner to guess the keywords as possible in the allotted time
without using taboo words. This player is called the ‘clue-giver.’ The other who
can be named as the ‘information requester’ attempts to guess and understand it.
Taboo words are the ones which have strong associations with the guess words.
41
For instance, if the guess word is ‘sofa’, taboo words are ‘furniture, couch, chair,
living room, sit’. The clue-giver prompting his/her partner to guess ‘sofa’ is not
supposed to use these taboo words, which makes the game challenging for the
teammates. This leads the teammates to negotiate to reach the ultimate mutual
goal, which is mutual understanding. Since it is the clue-giver in each team who
holds the information, and the other one requests the information in order to reach
goal, the task can be defined as an information-gap task.
Additionally, there seems
to be a one-way flow of information; however, if the information requester
provides the information holder with information requiring.
3.2. Research Questions
Based on the studies conducted upon Lingua Receptiva
(LaRa) and/or
Receptive Multilingualism
(RM) among Turkic languages and in conformity with
the
scope outlined above, this study aims at answering following questions.
1.
What forms of interjections are used in an ‘Azerbaijani-Turkish lingua
receptiva’ language mode?
1.1.
What forms of interjections are used by Turkish native speakers in an
‘Azerbaijani-Turkish lingua receptiva’ language mode?
1.2.
What forms of interjections are used by Azerbaijani native speakers in an
‘Azerbaijani-Turkish lingua receptiva’ language mode?
2.
What are the functions the interjections in ‘Azerbaijani-Turkish lingua
receptiva’ language mode?
2.1.
What are the functions of Turkish interjections in ‘Azerbaijani-Turkish
lingua receptiva’ language mode?
2.2.
What are the functions of Azerbaijani interjections in ‘Azerbaijani-
Turkish lingua receptiva’ language mode?
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3.3. Participants
The interlocutors are two Azerbaijani and four Turkish university students.
Turkish interactants are students at METU studying in various departments at
these universities. Azerbaijani interactants are university students, who are taking
Turkish courses at Gazi TÖMER (Center for Teaching Turkish as a foreign
language). The Azerbaijani university students come to
Turkey in order to study at
a Turkish university by means of
Ministry of National Education Grand Student
Project.
The interlocutors are Azerbaijani and Turkish students. Most of the
Azerbaijani university students come to Turkey in order to study at a Turkish
university by means of
Ministry of National Education Grand Student Project
which ‘was implemented with the aim of attempting to meet the needs of the
qualified human resources of the Turkic Republics and Turkish and Cognate
Communities, to raise a Turkey-friendly young generation by building a lasting
bridge of brotherhood and friendship amongst the Turkic-speaking countries, to
teach the Turkish language and introduce Turkish culture and to create a wide
umbrella under which the countries of the Turkish community can develop
relations. This project is being implemented according to the procedures and
guidelines set out by the terms and conditions concerning the scholarships of
students assessed by the evaluation board established in accordance with the Law
No. 2922 regarding the Foreign Students Receiving Tuition in Turkey and related
Regulations of this Law, cooperations, agreements, protocols, memorandums of
understanding and decisions of permanent boards’ (Yunus Emre Institute n. d.).
3.3.1. Azerbaijani participants in detail
Detailed information about Azerbaijani participants is as follows:
Fahir (pseudo-name for the Azerbaijani participant) is 17 years old,
undergraduate petroleum engineering student at METU originally from Baku,