Teaching close in meaning words in Turkish as a foreign language

The students who get the scholarship of The Presidency For Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) while learning Turkish in preparatory courses (TÖMER) and after finishing it, find themselves in an environment where only Turkish is spoken in every field. These students no longer use Turkish only to meet their daily communication needs, but also they use it in academic and official fields. In fact, professional success of some of them directly depends on their knowing of Turkish especially in professional fields as psychology, sociology, literature and teaching. In order to understand the country they live in, Turkey, and Turkish people, and to be able to communicate with them in a healthy way, their Turkish knowledge and skills must be developed; because language is an indispensable tool to understand the history, culture and psychology of the people and the country. The advanced language knowledge and skills of the students ensure that they do not experience difficulties in understanding and expressing themselves verbally and in writing. It prevents misunderstandings and disagreements, and most importantly, it prevents getting wrong ideas about Turkey and Turkish people. Before starting higher education, international students learn Turkish for one year and receive a proficiency certificate. So how accurate is it to talk about misunderstandings and language proficiency? Or is it enough to learn Turkish only at TÖMER in one year? What needs to be done in language teaching to strengthen understanding and self-expression in Turkish society, academic and official circles? There are multiple answers to these questions, but this study will be based on words that have a carrier role for a language and a way to enrich students' vocabulary. It is assumed that one of the reasons why students misunderstand and make mistakes is related to knowing of words, and students have trouble with close in meaning words and make mistakes while using them. In this context, first of all, the 'New Hittite Turkish for Foreigners' (2019) sets in teaching Turkish as a foreign language in Turkey will be examined in terms of teaching close in meaning words in Turkish as a foreign language, noun words with close meanings will be identified and an exercise analysis related to their teaching will be done. In line with the results obtained, suggestions will be made about teaching close in meaning words. Key words Vocabulary Teaching, Synonyms, Close İn Meaning Words, Turkish as a Foreign Language