Dictionaries in verse of Sübha-i Sibyân and Nûbehara Biçûkân as part of teaching of Arabic in Ottoman madrasas

This study examines the two dictionaries written in verse, namely Sübha-i Sıbyân and Nûbehara Biçûkan, which were used as text books for teaching Arabic, the foreign language taught in Infants' schools of Ottoman Madrasas, in terms of beginner's level Arabic teaching. The verse-dictionaries, which became a tradition in foreign language teaching in Ottoman period, were written in various languages depending on the language spoken in relevant regions. Ottoman madrasas, where the language of instruction was Arabic, was the education center of people who spoke various native languages depending on the geographical region, and thus the language of instruction in Infants' schools was the language spoken in the relevant region. Syllabus of Infants' schools was determined by doyen educators, while the materials to be used as text books consisted of materials adopted by the teacher or personally prepared by the course-teacher, depending on the need. These dictionaries were written in verse so as to facilitate memorizing, as is the case with some other works used in the Madrasa system. Sübha-i Sıbyân included Turkish equivalents of Arabic words, while Nûbehara Biçûkan included Kurdish equivalents of the same. Given that both dictionaries were written in the 17th century, similarities and differences in methods of foreign language teaching for young children were studied in accordance with the bahrs of the works. Discussed in different parts of the study, the works were examined, and compared where necessary, in terms of the methods they follow for foreign language teaching. Efforts and objectives in teaching Arabic were studied through the said works. With reference to the general structure of education and syllabuses in Infants' schools of Ottoman period, the language teaching methods in beginner's level Arabic teaching were identified in relevant parts of the works. It can be said that the systems implemented in Turkish and Kurdish speaking regions are not exactly identical in general, however, the main objectives in education are aligned with each other. The influence of the works both in the period in which they were written and afterwards were examined. The works studied were compared, and their place in native language and foreign language teaching were examined in the context of modern language teaching methods. Key Words: Sübha-i Sıbyan, Nûbehara Biçûkan, Foreign Language Teaching, Dictionaries in Verse, Infants' Schools.