Popularity of Turkish Media and its Effect on Turkish Language Learning of Azerbaijani Minority in Iran

Abstract

The role of the media, in general, in the process of language learning is undeniable. Turkish media, in particular, is extremely popular among 25-30 million Azerbaijani people who live in Iran. Various channels provided by Turkish media are enjoyed by a large number of people ranging from child to adult. Turkey Turkish and Azerbaijani Turkish are the closest languages among Altaic languages. Hence, they are lexically and grammatically, have many things in common. It is to the extent that speakers of these languages are able to communicate with each other. Nearly all Azerbaijani Turkish speakers who live in Iran watch Turkish channels through Turksat. In order to find out the effect of Turkish media on Turkish language learning of Azerbaijani minority and to investigate the most popular programs that are watched in Iran, a questionnaire was designed and administered to a large group of Azerbaijani people who live in different regions of Iran, e.g. Tabriz, Ardabil, Urmiye, Zanjan, and Tehran. According to the results, one typical Azerbaijani family watches Turkish TV channels at least four to five hours a day. Nearly seventy eight percent of Azerbaijani people prefer to watch more Turkish TV channels than the Persian TV channels. As a result of exposure to the Turkish language, nearly 88 percent of Azerbaijani family groups who watch Turkish channels have little difficulty understanding Turkey Turkish. In addition, the most popular TV programs of the Azerbaijani minority are discussed in detail.