All of us at the American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages are deeply saddened by the news about the terrible earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria on Monday, February 6. Thousands of people have been left homeless and injured in the aftermath of the earthquake. We extend our deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and wish all of the survivors of this devastating disaster quick recovery.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all who have been affected.
The objective of the Association is to advance and improve the teaching of the Turkic languages; to promote study, criticism, and research in the field of the Turkic languages and literatures; and to further the common interests of teachers of these subjects.
According to the Association's Constitution, AATT is managed by a five-member Executive Board elected by the membership. The President, the Executive Secretary, and the Treasurer are appointed positions, officers are elected to three-year terms. All serve without compensation.
The Association publishes a bi-annual newsletter. The Association also issues reports on completed projects. The annual meeting of the Association is held each November in conjunction with the Middle East Studies Association conference. Since 2004, the Association hosts a very successful graduate student pre-conference prior to the CESS and/or MESA conference. An AATT-listserv informs members of the latest news including open positions in the field, and study and scholarship opportunities.
Based on priorities established by the membership, AATT has worked on developing proficiency guidelines for Turkish, a language learning framework for the teaching of Turkish in American academic institutions and is currently actively promoting use of instructional technology and the Internet to improve the teaching and learning of the Turkic languages.
The American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages (AATT), founded in 1985 as the American Association of Teachers of Turkish, is a private, non-profit, non-political organization of individuals interested in the languages and literatures of the Turks.
In 1993, the members voted to expand and include all languages of the Turks.
