The only but a rather serious argument against Turkish for young learners is the fact that it is spoken in Turkey only.

If one plans to be invloved with Middle East studies Arabic seems to be the best choice for a "background" language. So, to take up Arabic as the first language with an option of Persian as the second would seem a reasonable choise.

My initial idea was that the same would apply to Arabic-Turkish. (I am not talking about linguastics proper. Rather about generic "studies").

However, my Turkish friends told me that neither is Arabic is be considered as а "background" for Turkish studies nor Turkish-Persian be applied in the same relation to each other.

Any ideas about that?

The combination of arabic and turkish is a huuge mouthful. There are some loanwords in turkish from arabic but that´s about the only similarity.

There isn´t any background language though azeri is similar, of course, and what they speak in Mongolia (?)

 Mongolian languages that include western mongolians like Kalmyck and eastern mongolians like Buryat,Khalkha-the official lg there and others.

The issue is not about similarity. The difference of Turkish and Arabic is obvious.

The question is about " around Turkish" studies as opposed to Turkish studies proper.

If "jumping out" of the Turkish world to the East would mean facing Arabic.

Lets put it in a differerent way. If a kid goes to school with an aim of going out to Turkey and studying Turkey in relation to its Eastern neighbours, should he take up Arabic as the first language and later switch over to Turkish or should he take up Turkish and learn Arabic as a "second" language.

I understand that the best set for "Tukish studies" would be Arabic, Turkish and Persian. That I would call a mouthfull.

But the issue is about waht comes first - Turkish or Arabic.

Turkish, or rather Turkic dialects are spoken in Azerbaijan, Uiguristan, Turkmenistan, Ozbekistan, partially in Khazakistan, and in various pockets of Eurasia. Arabic is a semitic tongue and Persian is an Indo_European. Their syntax and grammar have nothing to do with each other.

I am not actually sure what you are asking in your post? Learning Arabic will not help you with Farsi or with Turkish other than being able to recognize loan-words. If you are interested in being able communicate in the Middle East, you are better off with Arabic than with either Turkish or Farsi. If you are interested in understanding the syntax of Altaic tongues, such as Japanese, Turkish, Hungarian, Mongolian, Korean etc, then you would be bettter off with Turkish.

 Ãf i understood you correctly, my first language is Arabic, and while studying i cant say i gave our grammar the attention i should have given it, now after studying Turkish, i wished that i gave Arabic grammar more attention than i did.

There are many, many same rules, concepts...almost all the hard ones are same !

Although there are many concepts are alike, but my advice, if you wish or anyone even young learners to learn Turkish or Arabic, then let them learn it straight away without backgrounds, both Turkish and Arabic not easy languages for others to study..not same or close to English, French...etc

So its better to start with the language needed straight away, later of course it will make studying the other language easier .

That goes for both studying the language and also understanding the people, Traditions and so on, the similarity may amaze you, but actually it shouldnt, with living long time together..its logical!

Anyway, maybe if the child will learn both languages eventually, and his original language is latin...so Turkish would be easier for him or her as a start, at least wont has to learn a new writting style and a new voices in the letters.

Ým afraid i dont know much about Persian so i cant tell you.

I´ll try to simplify things.

I am NOT talking about either language similarities or linguistic studies in any way.

Suppose, a person will study Turkish-Iranian "entity" in its connection to Europe.

At this moment this "person" enters school.

The question is about what language should be taken as the main foreing language at school : Arabic or Turkish.

Why the question is also about Arabic?

Neither Turkey nor Iran are directly involved with classic Middle East definition (We are NOT talking about Islam.)

However, knowing Arabic to the level of at least being able to read with a dictionary, write and speak on most common subjects is definitely preferable for anyone working on anything related to the region.

Anyway, its going to be both languages at school.

Arabic at school and Turkish at home  or vice versa.

Turkish being "easier" it seems logical to say that Arabic at school and Turkish at home.

But fluency in Arabic is not required so, perhaps, Arabic home lessons will be enough.

I am not asking about solitions. I want just to hear opinions. Thanks.

This person  might want to learn Hebrew as well if he´s interested in classic middle east political/diplomatic affairs.

Hebrew and Arabic, both semitic languages, have many rules in common and share many words.