The problem with more words
As I learn more words in Turkish, I am encountering an unexpected problem: choosing which word to use. Back in the true beginner days, I was ecstatic to have any word that might convey meaning. Now I am almost wary of learning synonyms, because I often end up standing in front of someone and stuttering, and finally throwing out all of the possible synonyms.
Turkish synonyms that I ‘m struggling with
farklı – different
değişik – different
öbürü – the other
öteki – the other
diğer – other / different
huzur – peace
barış – peace
özgür – free
serbest – free
her zaman – always
daima – always
I have some unsettled hunches and theories about when to use these. For example, daima seems to be a powerful, heavy word–you see it now on political posters for expressions like ‘ever forward’ and ‘service always’–while her zaman is conversational. All the words for ‘different’, though… I’m basically firing at random.
Not the worst problem
As I tell my students, the goal in language learning is not to stop making mistakes, but to make new and more interesting ones. Likewise, the challenges should be new and more interesting. With more advanced vocabulary, I think the only way to work out the subtleties is to be exposed to more usage. With time, I imagine I will look back at these words and wonder how they could have seemed the same.
