Elements of vocabulary Rana Demiriz's books and their place in Turkish language teaching

Language is a multidimensional system that provides understanding between people. It is possible for people to express themselves and understand what is expressed through language. At this point, the main element of language is words. The word is the mental equivalent of objects. The mental imagery of objects is formed with words. These images enable to form thoughts and establish a connection between thoughts. In this respect, the vocabulary elements of a language gain importance. The elements of vocabulary show the development of a language, its power of expression and the presence of advanced thought. Vocabulary is composed of elements such as idioms, doubling, proverbs, terms, slang and relationship words. Words provide the diversification and enrichment of the meaning networks established in the brain. The richness of these networks in a human brain shows the richness of the world of thought and the power of expression. The more words a child encounters, the richer his/her world of thought and expression will become. At this point, making use of children's literature products is important for teaching Turkish. In this study, the elements of vocabulary in Rana Demiriz's books were analysed. The aim is to examine the elements of vocabulary used and to reveal their frequency of use, their distribution and their place in Turkish language teaching. In this study, document analysis method, one of the qualitative research approaches, was used. The data of the study were obtained from the books titled Ayasofya'da Bir Gece (2023), Endülüs'te Bir Hafta (2019), Sarayda Bir Yıl (2020), Rüzgâra Fısıldayan Kadınlar (2022). The vocabulary elements in the study materials were handled and classified in the sub-categories determined. The frequencies and distributions of idioms, proverbs, relationship words, stereotypes, terms, dilemmas, foreign words, filler words and slang words used under these headings were discussed. As a result of this study, it was determined that 34,50% of the novels named 'Ayasofya'da Bir Gece', 36,52% of the novels named 'Endülüs'te Bir Hafta', 32,26% of the novels named 'Sarayda Bir Yıl' included foreign words. When foreign words were analysed, foreign words of Western origin were considered. In the novel named 'Rüzgâra Fısıldayan Kadınlar', it was determined that idioms were mostly used (30,20%). When the frequency of the elements of vocabulary used in the author's novels were analysed, it was found that idioms, proverbs, relationship words, stereotypes, terms, dilemmas, foreign words, filler words and slang words, respectively. When the distribution of the vocabulary elements used in total in the author's novels is analysed, it is seen that foreign words, idioms, doublings, term words, relationship words, filler words, phrases, slang words, proverbs are used respectively. It is thought that the author's novels can be used in vocabulary teaching. In particular, the author's novels can be used to make students realise foreign words, idioms, doublings, terms and relationship words. Methods and techniques such as gap-filling, drama, taboo, group work, individual work and their place in Turkish teaching are discussed in relation to learning outcomes.