Kyrgyz language

Kyrgyz (Kyrgyz: Кыргызча, Qırğızça; Russian: Киргизский язык, Kirgizskiy yazyk; also spelled as Kirghiz, Kirgiz and Qirgiz, is a Turkic language spoken in Central Asia. Kyrgyz is the official language of Kyrgyz Republic and a significant minority language in the Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, China and in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province of Tajikistan. Kyrgyz is also spoken by many ethnic Kyrgyz through the former Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan, Russia. Kyrgyz belongs to the Kipchak branch of Turkic language family. There is very high degree of mutual intelligibility between Kazakh and Kyrgyz.

Not to be confused with Fuyu Kyrgyz language.
Kyrgyz
Кыргыз, قىرعىز تئلى‎, Kyrgyz
Pronunciation[qɯɾʁɯzˈtʃɑ]
[qɯɾˈʁɯz tiˈli]
Native toKyrgyzstan (official), Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Xinjiang
EthnicityKyrgyz
Native speakers
4.3 million (2009 census)[1]
Turkic
Kyrgyz alphabets (Cyrillic script, Perso-Arabic script, formerly Latin script, Kyrgyz Braille)
Official status
Official language in
 Kyrgyzstan
Language codes
ISO 639-1ky
ISO 639-2kir
ISO 639-3kir
Glottologkirg1245[2]
Linguasphere44-AAB-cd
This chart demonstrates how vowels shift left or right in order to abide by Kyrgyz grammar rules.

Kyrgyz was originally written in the Turkic runes,[3] gradually replaced by a Perso-Arabic alphabet (in use until 1928 in USSR, still in use in China). Between 1928 and 1940 a Latin-script alphabet, the Uniform Turkic Alphabet, was used. In 1940 due to general Soviet policy, a Cyrillic alphabet eventually became common and has remained so to this day, though some Kyrgyz still use the Arabic alphabet. When Kyrgyzstan became independent following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, there was a popular idea among some Kyrgyz to switch to the Latin script. Although the plan has not yet been implemented, it remains in occasional discussion.[4]

History

The Khitan Liao State defeated the Ancient Kyrgyz in 925 and expelled them from Mongolian steppes. Ancient Kyrgyz spoke the tongue closer to modern Khakas which belongs to Siberian sub branch of Common Turkic. Some Ancient Kyrgyz elites fleeing from Mongolia settled in Altai and East Turkestan where they mixed with local Kipchaks.

As a result of Mongol conquest, Kyrgyz tribesmen started to migrate from Altai and East Turkestan to Tien Shan in 13th century after series of revolts against Yuan authorities. As Chaghatai Ulus subjects, Kyrgyz tribes converted to Islam. Farsi and Arabic vocabulary enriched the Kyrgyz but to a much lesser extent than Kazakh, Uzbek and Uighur. In contrast, a great number of Mongolian loanwords are found in the Kyrgyz lexicon.

Chaghatai Turki was used as a literary language.

Kyrgyz shares similarities with various sub branches of Common Turkic - Kipchak, Karluk (due to Chaghatai Turki and language convergence) and Siberian sub branch (Kyrgyz ancestry)

Comparison with Kazakh

Kazakh and Kyrgyz may be better seen a mutually intelligible dialects or varieties of a single tongue which are regarded as separate languages for sociopolitical reasons. They differ mainly phonetically while the lexicon and grammar are much the same, although both have standardized written forms that may differ in some ways. Until the 20th century, both languages used a common written form of Chaghatai Turki [5].

While both languages share common loan words from Farsi and Arabic, Kyrgyz lexicon includes much wider range of Mongolian loanwords. List of words in Kyrgyz from Mongolian absent in Kazakh vocabulary:

Жаргал - жыргал, бэлэг - белек, хайгуул - кайгуул, болзол - болжол, мохоо - макоо, нарийн - нарын, унаа - унаа, шалтаг - шылтоо.


Phonology
Main article: Kyrgyz phonology
Kyrgyz vowel phonemes[6]
Front Back
unrounded rounded unrounded rounded
Close i y ɯ u
Mid e ø o
Open (a) ɑ

/a/ appears only in borrowings from Persian or when followed by a front vowel later in the word (regressive assimilation), e.g. /ajdøʃ/ 'sloping' instead of */ɑjdøʃ/.[7] Note that in most dialects, its status as a vowel distinct from /ɑ/ is questionable.[8]

Vowel Harmony (Peace Corps Method)
Left Shift (<) Right Shift (>) Shift Direction
а ы Straight Across Left-Right Shift
о у ("y" Left-shifts up-diagonally to "a")
е й Straight Across Left-Right Shift
ө (э) ү Straight Across Left-Right Shift

The United States Peace Corps trains its volunteers using a "Left-Right Shift" method when carrying out language training in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Kyrgyz consonant phonemes[9]
Labial Dental/
alveolar		 Post-
alveolar		 Dorsal
Nasal m n ŋ
Plosive voiceless p t k
voiced b d ɡ
Affricate voiceless (t͡s) t͡ʃ
voiced d͡ʒ
Fricative voiceless (f) s ʃ (x)
voiced (v) z
Approximant l j
Trill r
  • /f, v, t͡s, x/ occur only in foreign borrowings.[9]

Writing system
Main article: Kyrgyz alphabets

The Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan use a Cyrillic alphabet, which uses all the Russian letters plus ң, ө and ү.

In Xinjiang of China, an Arabic alphabet is used.

Although the Latin script is not in official use, some Kyrgyz texts are written in the Turkish variant of the Latin alphabet which was designed by Pamukkale University, and uses Turkish spelling norms e.g. for diphthongization (ey, ay etc.) and with the addition of J corresponding to Russian Ж (/zh/). Native Kyrgyz sound values are almost identical to Turkish, the exceptions being the velar nasal /ŋ/ and the voiceless uvular stop /q/ which do not exist in Turkish. In these cases they are written as "ñ" and "q" respectively.

Cyrillic Latin IPA English
Бардык адамдар өз беделинде жана укуктарында эркин жана тең укуктуу болуп жаралат. Алардын аң-сезими менен абийири бар жана бири-бирине бир туугандык мамиле кылууга тийиш.Bardıq adamdar öz bedelinde jana uquqtarında erkin jana teñ uquqtuu bolup jaralat. Alardın añ-sezimi menen abiyiri bar jana biri-birine bir tuuğandıq mamile qıluuğa tiyiş.bɑrdɯq ɑdɑmdɑr øz bedelinde d͡ʒɑnɑ uquqtɑrɯndɑ erkin d͡ʒɑnɑ teŋ uquqtuː boɫup d͡ʒɑrɑɫɑt ‖ ɑɫɑrdɯn ɑɴsezimi menen ɑbijiri bɑr d͡ʒɑnɑ biribirine bir tuːʁɑndɯq mɑmile qɯɫuːʁɑ tijiʃAll human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Morphology and syntax

Case

Nouns in Kyrgyz take a number of case endings that change based on vowel harmony and the sort of consonant they follow (see the section on phonology).

Case Underlying form Possible forms "boat""air""bucket""hand""head""salt""eye"
Nominative — кемеабачелекколбаштузкөз
Genitive -NIn -нын, -нин, -дын, -дин, -тын, -тин, -нун, -нүн, -дун, -дүн, -тун, -түн кеменинабанынчелектинколдунбаштынтуздункөздүн
Dative -GA -га, -ка, -ге, -ке, -го, -ко, -гө, -кө кемегеабагачелеккеколгобашкатузгакөзгө
Accusative -NI -ны, -ни, -ды, -ди, -ты, -ти, -ну, -нү, -ду, -дү, -ту, -тү кемениабанычелектиколдубаштытуздукөздү
Locative -DA -да, -де, -та, -те, -до, -дө, -то, -тө кемедеабадачелектеколдобаштатуздакөздө
Ablative -DAn -дан, -ден, -тан, -тен, -дон, -дөн, -тон, -төн кемеденабаданчелектенколдонбаштантузданкөздөн

Normally the decision between the velar ([ɡ ~ ɣ], [k]) and uvular ([ɢ ~ ʁ] and [χ ~ q]) pronunciation of ⟨г⟩ and ⟨к⟩ is based on the backness of the following vowel—i.e. back vowels imply a uvular rendering and front vowels imply a velar rendering—and the vowel in suffixes is decided based on the preceding vowel in the word. However, with the dative suffix in Kyrgyz, the vowel is decided normally, but the decision between velars and uvulars can be decided based on a contacting consonant, for example банк /bank/ 'bank' + GA yields банкка /bankka/, not /bankqa/ as predicted by the following vowel.

Pronouns

Kyrgyz has eight personal pronouns:

Personal pronouns
Singular Plural
Kyrgyz (transliteration)EnglishKyrgyz (transliteration)English
Мен (Men)IБиз (Biz)We
Сен (Sen)You (singular informal)Силер (Siler)You (plural informal)
Сиз (Siz)You (singular formal)Сиздер (Sizder)You (plural formal)
Ал (Al)He/She/ItАлар (Alar)They

The declension of the pronouns is outlined in the following chart. Singular pronouns (with the exception of сиз, which used to be plural) exhibit irregularities, while plural pronouns don't. Irregular forms are highlighted in bold.

Declension of pronouns
Singular Plural
1st2nd inf2nd frm3rd1st2nd inf2nd frm3rd
Nom менсенсизалбизсилерсиздералар
Acc менисенисиздианыбиздисилердисиздердиаларды
Gen менинсенинсиздинанынбиздинсилердинсиздердиналардын
Dat магасагасизгеагабизгесилергесиздергеаларга
Loc мендесендесиздеандабиздесилердесиздердеаларда
Abl менденсенденсизденанданбизденсилерденсиздерденалардан

In addition to the pronouns, there are several more sets of morphemes dealing with person.

Morphemes indicating person
pronounscopulaspresent tensepossessive endingspast/conditionalimperative
1st sg мен-mIn-mIn-(I)m-(I)m-AyIN
2nd sg сен-sIŋ-sIŋ-(I)ŋ-(I)ŋ—, -GIn
2nd formal sg сиз-sIz-sIz-(I)ŋIz-(I)ŋIz-GIlA
3rd sg ал—-t-(s)I(n)—-sIn
1st pl биз-BIz-BIz-(I)bIz-(I)K-AyIK
2nd pl силер-sIŋAr-sIŋAr-(I)ŋAr-(I)ŋAr
2nd formal pl сиздер-sIzdAr-sIzdAr-(I)ŋIzdAr-(I)nIzdAr
3rd pl алар—-(I)şAt-(s)I(n)—-sIn, -IşsIn

Verbs

Verbs are conjugated by analyzing the root verb: 1) determine whether the end letter is a vowel or consonant 2) add appropriate suffix while following vowel-harmony/shift rules.

Simple-Present Tense Conjugations (Peace Corps)
Per. Pronoun Vowel Consonant
1st sg Мен -м -м
2nd sg Сен -йс<ң -йс<ң
2nd formal sg Сиз -йс<з -йс<з
3rd sg Ал -йт -йт
1st pl Биз -йб>з -<б>з
2nd pl Силер
2nd formal pl Сизлер
3rd pl Алар

Demonstrative pronouns

Subordinate clauses

To form complement clauses, Kyrgyz nominalises verb phrases. For example, "I don't know what I saw" would be rendered as "Мен эмнени көргөнүмдү билбейм" (Men emneni körgönümdü bilbeym): I what-ACC.DEF see-ing-1st.SG-ACC.DEF know-NEG-1st.SG, or roughly "I don't know my having seen what," where the verb phrase "I saw what" is treated as a nominal object of the verb "to know." The sentence above is also an excellent example of Kyrgyz vowel harmony; notice that all the vowel sounds are front vowels.

Several nominalisation strategies are used depending on the temporal properties of the relativised verb phrase: -GAn(dIK) for general past tense, -AAr for future/potential unrealised events, and -A turgan(dɯq) for non-perfective events are the most common. The copula has an irregular relativised form экен(дик) which may be used equivalently to forms of the verb бол- be (болгон(дук), болоор). Relativised verb forms may, and often do, take nominal possessive endings as well as case endings.

See also

Notes and references
  1. Kyrgyz at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Kirghiz". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  3. Кызласов И. Л., Рунические письменности евразийских степей (Kyzlasov I.L. Runic scripts of Eurasian steppes), Восточная литература (Eastern Literature), Moscow, 1994, pp. 80 on, ISBN 978-5-02-017741-3, with further bibliography.
  4. Latin alphabet. "Kyrgyzstan has to switch to Latin alphabet since 2040, MP". Информационное Агентство Кабар.
  5. Robert Lindsay. "Mutual Intelligibility Among the Turkic Languages". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. Kara (2003:10)
  7. Washington (2007:11)
  8. Washington (2006b:2)
  9. Kara (2003:11)

Bibliography
  • Kara, Dávid Somfai (2003), Kyrgyz, Lincom Europa, ISBN 978-3-89586-843-6
  • Krippes, Karl A. (1998). Kyrgyz: Kyrgyz-English/English-Kyrgyz: Glossary of Terms. Hippocrene Books, New York. ISBN 978-0-7818-0641-1.
  • Library of Congress, Country Studies, Kyrgyzstan.
  • Comrie, Bernard. 1983. The languages of the Soviet Union. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Beckwith, Christopher I. 1987/1993. "The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia." Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  • Tchoroev, Tyntchtykbek. 2003. The Kyrgyz.; in: The History of Civilisations of Central Asia, Vol. 5, Development in contrast: from the sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century /Editors: Ch. Adle and Irfan Habib. Co-editor: Karl M. Baipakov. – UNESCO Publishing. Multiple History Series. Paris. – Chapter 4, p. 109–125. (ISBN 978-92-3-103876-1).
  • Washington, Jonathan North (2006b), Root Vowels and Affix Vowels: Height Effects in Kyrgyz Vowel Harmony (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-01-13, retrieved 2007-04-12
  • Washington, Jonathan North (2007), Phonetic and Phonological Problems in Kyrgyz: A Fulbrighter's plans for gathering data in the field (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-13, retrieved 2015-06-29
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