General Civilized Turkish

I love the Dutch language. I dream in the Dutch language. I make love in the Dutch language. But you don't have any idea how much I would miss Turkish if I wouldn't be able to speak it. I would have loathed my parents if they hadn't put effort into teaching it to me. Like an adopted child that goes looking for her biological parents I would have gone looking for my identity if I hadn't been able to speak Turkish. And if I would immigrate to China and raise a child there I would do everything in my power to teach it my Dutch language as well.

I wouldn't be able to live with the thought of my children not being able to understand any Turkish whatsoever but I don't always have the patience to teach them. I prefer for them to study it as a part of their general education, done by professionals but I don't want to send them to a private tutor or to a mosque. Who knows what other stuff they will be taught in there!

The discussion about the cancellation or continuation of what is currently known as the "Opleidingen Allochtone Levende Talen" (Programs on Live Alien Languages) has been going on for over 30 years now. I know all sides of the arguments. Now that we finally have OALT graduates who have been educated in Holland and now that there is course material, which has been developed here and is adjusted to the Dutch education system, they want to cancel the program again.

When I was a seven-year old girl, having recently arrived into the Netherlands, I studied Turkish a few hours every Wednesday afternoon and Saturday at primary school. Our teacher had just left Turkey herself and spoke Turkish beautifully. A sort of GCT (General Civilized Turkish) so to speak. We learned the Dutch language very fast. We were surrounded by Dutchmen! The neighbors, at school, on the streets, Swiebertje (Dutch Series) on TV. Everything was in Dutch. OALT graduates perform another task as well: They convince parents to let their daughter go on a school trip, participate in school swimming and continue their studies. Opponents of education in the mother tongue argue that those alien children will fall behind learning the Dutch language when they learn their native tongue. Nonsense! It is not the speaking in the native tongue that is the biggest impediment of integration, but segregation.