ABSTRACT : The aim of this study was to examine whether the use of communication strategies can be explained by such factor as the native language of the learner. To be more specific, an attempt was made to find out which communication strategies learners with Turkic languages backgrounds use in communicating in English as a foreign language. Also, the study tried to examine if differences in native language background played any part in communication use preferences. The participants were three groups of learners from Eastern Mediterranean University, English Preparatory School (EMUEPS): Azeri learners of English, Turkish learners of English who are from Turkey, and Turkish Cypriot learners of English. Our rationale for this quest can be explained by some considerations. First of all, although there have been attempts to investigate the issue of communications from comparative perspective, it is the first time, as far as we know, an attempt has been make to involve three idioms simultaneously. Secondly, it is the first time, an attempt has been made to involve three idioms which genealogically belong to the same proto-language: Turkic. Finally, it should be borne in mind that even though all the learners belong to the same proto-language, their context of previous experience of learning English and cultural surroundings are different. Based on the qualitative descriptive method of analysis, we used such techniques as picture description and specifically designed tasks involving a native speaker measuring the eligibility level. The data analysis has revealed some points. First of all, subjects from all three native language backgrounds employed communication strategies. However, there were similarities and differences in terms of their communication strategies inventories and frequencies of their use. For instance, out of the 363 total number of communication strategies, 34,44% was used by Azeri students while 30,85% and 34,71% were used students from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and The Republic of Turkey, respectively. It was found out that the most frequently used strategies by Azeri students when fulfilling the verbal task were borrowings, self-rephrasings, fillers, self-repetitions. On the other hand, they used self-repetitions, direct appeal for help, self-repairs, code switching more than the others. In fact, self-repetitions and direct appeals for help were the most frequently used communication strategies when describing pictures in English. Self-rephrasing, using all-purpose words, fillers and mimes were found to be the most frequently used communication strategies used by Turkish Cypriots in describing pictures in Turkish. Turkish Cypriots preferred using such strategies as self-repairs, code switching, direct appeal for help more often when describing pictures in English. For students from the Republic of Turkey, the most frequently used communication strategies in picture descriptions in their native language were using mimes and all-purpose words. They preferred using code switching and self-repairs in most cases when dealing with the target language.