Common ground through idioms E-Book

Ercan Topak

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 61

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

In Common ground through idioms, Ercan Topak invites readers to focus on the unifying light of our language. He presents idioms from different cultures to show how unique images express similar situations and often build cultural bridges in the process. Topak's aim with this book is to revive an appreciation of linguistic subtleties, metaphors and idioms and to encourage people to reflect on the deeper meanings of language. For teachers, language instructors, families or anyone interested, this book is a treasure trove that enables playful learning and highlights cultural enrichment. A valuable work that creates connections and promotes harmonious coexistence.

Leseprobe

Foreword

Today, Germany is a country in which people of different nationalities have found a home. According to current statistics, around 25 percent of the population have a history of immigration. The most common reasons for immigration are flight, family reunification and employment. People from around 100 different nations also live in our city. 18 percent of our residents do not have German citizenship.

This situation requires efforts on both sides to enable harmonious coexistence. Anything that contributes to this is extremely welcome.

The author Ercan Topak, a resident of our town, has been using and proving his knowledge and experience in the International Advisory Council of the town of Müllheim i. M. for several years. With this book, he aims to make the similarities between different languages accessible to interested readers by means of idioms and does so in a very entertaining way.

This book has the potential to sensitize members of different cultures to similarities by means of idioms and to encourage them to move closer together.

Both natives and migrants will certainly enjoy reading the book and enrich their language skills by reading it.

I would like to congratulate Mr. Topak on his valuable and important work and express my heartfelt thanks to him for his beneficial commitment.

Martin Löffler

Mayor

Town of Müllheim in the Markgräflerland region

Introduction

The dictionary describes communication as "understanding through the use of signs and language".

Communication is the exchange or transmission of information, which can take place in different ways and via different channels.

The increasing immigration to Germany from many different countries has increased the importance of healthy communication.

Commonalities; common interests, common hopes, common concerns, common perspectives, common points of contact (such as the world of work), common goals, etc. enable people to live together in harmony. Conversely, when opposites are created, this gives rise to antipathy, xenophobia and parallel societies.

My motivation for writing this book is the hope that perhaps the shared meanings of the different idioms will open the doors to other commonalities between cultures.

The awareness that we humans on earth speak and write with around 30 letters should be enough to show how similar we actually are to each other. Differences in languages are nothing more than different arrangements of the letters we use together.

The trick is to benefit from both the similarities a ls well as the differences. Because if 10 candles of different colors are lit, only a single-colored light will break through the darkness and illuminate our living spaces.

So may this book help us to consider not the different colors, but primarily the monochromatic light. Secondarily, the different colors of the candles can be viewed and the enrichment of colors and shapes can be enjoyed.

On the other hand, in this day and age, in which communication in chats, for example, is only abbreviated, I would like to use this work to draw attention once again to the language skills that have been developed over the centuries, such as idioms and methaphores.

The book will perhaps promote the "playful learning" of idioms. My target groups are the following:

● Teachers can use the book as teaching material in schools.

● Language teachers can use the book in language courses.

● Families can use the book as a quiz game at home.

● Anyone who is interested can benefit from this book.

I hope that with this modest work I can contribute something good to the society in which I and my family have lived together peacefully for years.

Ercan Topak

Storytelling

On 29.11.2018, the International Advisory Board (Town Hall - Müllheim in Markgräflerland) decided that a project entitled "Storytelling" should be designed and introduced to raise awareness of the topic of migration among young people and young adults, initially in schools. A group was set up consisting of four people, in which my name was also mentioned. However, I was unable to take part in that decision.

When I was asked for my opinion at the next meeting, I thought about what I could contribute!

What then? The idioms, of course. Because I had already dealt with this topic years ago with the Turkish youth from the region. It worked perfectly. So why not with other young people? Although adults can certainly also take a leaf out of this book.

When I drew up a concept and presented it promptly at a meeting, the members of the local council, among others, were also impressed. This feedback gave me the courage to take up and continue this work.

In October 2019, Ms. Kampmann launched a campaign and sent the following invitation by e-mail:

Movie night

Dear people of Müllheim,

Integration is on in Müllheim - even at the movies!

Integration is only ever possible if

Connecting people with each other

want to record, talk to each other

and also want to talk to each other.

Language skills, motivation, tolerance,

Mutual trust and openness are essential for

the development of interpersonal relationships

Relationships necessary.

Human language is the key to

Successful integration processes in all

situations and areas of life.

We, the Müllheim International Advisory Board and the

Integration officer of the city of Müllheim

We look forward to working with you following

the film into conversation and exchange

come.

Idioms here and there!

Many idioms conjure up (funny)

Images in our head...

Ercan Topak from the International Advisory Board has

deals with it:

What similarities and differences

There are no special requirements for the use of

Idioms?

...we get talking...

with Ercan Topak and other members

of the International Advisory Board...

Marion Kampmann

Department for Education, Citizens, Volunteering

Department 51

Volunteering, senior citizens, integration

After the movie, I was allowed to perform and encourage the audience to talk about idioms. It worked very well that evening.

Now the topic was to be presented in schools and, if desired by the school administrators, demonstrated to the pupils. Unfortunately, the pandemic threw a spanner in the works and, as you know, we were unable to appear in front of the school classes. Later, I thought: "If I perform in a few school classes, there may be hundreds who benefit from the topic, but if I turn it into a book, it may reach thousands and tens of thousands of students. That's why I decided to publish a book."

But now to my presentation on that movie night:

ARRIVAL

So I got started... My catchphrase for the evening is "THE ARRIVAL".

Did we get the message from the movie we watched together earlier...?

Have the migrants arrived in this country...?

IN MY OPINION, THERE IS THE PHYSICAL AND THE MENTAL ARRIVAL.

The physical arrival must be complemented by the mental one. Otherwise it remains a half-measure...

Incomplete arrival satisfies neither the migrants nor the locals...

The existence of migrants entails responsibility for both sides, for the migrants as well as for the receiving society.

There are certainly many ideas and many methods for a beneficial coexistence. My method is to teach verbal (and now also written) communication, especially SPEECH.

RECOMMENDATION

When migrants ask me: "What do you recommend we do to become successful in Germany?", I say: "Try to learn the language well. It's best to learn a few idioms and use them in everyday conversations." Because idioms build sympathy and thus bridges between people and their cultures.