Uyghur is a Turkic language spoken in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, by the Uyghur people. It is a language with two standard languages [ citation needed ] and several dialects. However, these are all mutually intelligible at large, in spite of the various differences. [1]
Various classifications of the dialects of Uyghur have been proposed through time. Today, however, it is widely accepted that there are three major dialect groups. This was originally introduced by E. R. Tenishev, but has since been modified by other linguists, like M. Osmanov, though the original classification by E. R. Tenishev remains the most widely accepted. [2]
The classification by E. R. Tenishev can be seen below. [2] [3]
Central | Dialect of Turpan |
---|---|
Dialect of Kucha | |
Dialect of Aksu | |
Dialect of Kashgar | |
Dialect of Yarkand | |
Southern | Dialect of Hotan |
Eastern | Dialect of Lopnur |
R. F. Hahn divides the Central branch further into a Northern and Southern branch, and includes the dialects of Taranchi, Ili and Hami as Northern Central dialects, and the dialects of Tarim, Dolan, Artux and Mughal as Southern Central dialects, also keeping the dialects proposed by E. R. Tenishev. And he also includes the dialects of Qiemo, Charqaliq and perhaps Kelpin in the Southern branch. [3]
The dialects included in the Central branch by R. F. Hahn are also included by M. Osmanov, although he also chooses to go further and divides the Southern branch into three sub-branches: a sub-branch including the dialect of Guma, a sub-branch including the dialects of Elchi and Karakax, and a sub-branch including the dialects of Cheriya, Keriya, Niya and Qiemo. [4]
A classification where all these modifications are present can be seen below.
Central | Northern | Dialect of Ürümqi |
---|---|---|
Dialect of Ili | ||
Dialect of Taranchi | ||
Dialect of Turpan | ||
Dialect of Kumul | ||
Southern | Dialect of Kashgar | |
Dialect of Dolan | ||
Dialect of Artush | ||
Dialect of Tarim | ||
Dialect of Mughal | ||
Dialect of Kucha | ||
Dialect of Yarkant | ||
Dialect of Aksu | ||
Southern | Branch #1 | Dialect of Guma |
Branch #2 | Dialect of Echi | |
Dialect of Qaraqash | ||
Branch #3 | Dialect of Cheriya | |
Dialect of Keriya | ||
Dialect of Niya | ||
Dialect of Qiemo | ||
Dialect of Hotan | ||
Eastern | Dialect of Lopnor |
The dialectal classification of E. R. Tenishev is based on four parameters: the quality of the phoneme /i/, metaphony, consonant assimilation and the conjugation of verbs in the future tense. M. Osmanov on the other hand has based his classification on two different parameters: the conjugation of the present-future tense and the form of the imperfect participle. [2]
The Central dialects are spoken by 90% of the Uyghur-speaking population, while the two other branches of dialects only are spoken by a relatively small minority. [5]
There are two standard languages of the Uyghur language in use which can be seen below.
The first is the standard language used in Xinjiang and is based upon the Northern Central dialect of Ürümqi, while the second is the standard language used primarily in Kazakhstan and is based upon the Northern Central dialect of Ili. Although the Soviet Union no longer exists, the label "Soviet" has remained in the name.
The differences between the two standard languages are mostly seen in the orthography, where Standard Xinjiang Uyghur uses an Arabic-derived alphabet, Uyghur Ereb Yéziqi, while Standard Soviet Uyghur uses a Cyrillic-derived alphabet, Uyghur Siril Yéziqi and in the lexicon where Standard Xinjiang Uyghur is heavily influenced by Chinese, in particular Mandarin Chinese, while Standard Soviet Uyghur is heavily influenced by Russian. [1] [3]
The Uyghurs, alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as the titular nationality of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwest China. They are one of China's 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities.
Kazakh is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch spoken in Central Asia by Kazakhs. It is closely related to Nogai, Kyrgyz and Karakalpak. It is the official language of Kazakhstan, and has official status in the Altai Republic of Russia. It is also a significant minority language in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, China, and in the Bayan-Ölgii Province of western Mongolia. The language is also spoken by many ethnic Kazakhs throughout the former Soviet Union, Germany, and Turkey.
Kyrgyz is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch spoken in Central Asia. Kyrgyz is the official language of Kyrgyzstan and a significant minority language in the Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, China and in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan. There is a very high level of mutual intelligibility between Kyrgyz, Kazakh, and Altay. A dialect of Kyrgyz known as Pamiri Kyrgyz is spoken in north-eastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. Kyrgyz is also spoken by many ethnic Kyrgyz through the former Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Turkey, parts of northern Pakistan, and Russia.
Chagatai, also known as Turki, Eastern Turkic, or Chagatai Turkic, is an extinct Turkic language that was once widely spoken across Central Asia. It remained the shared literary language in the region until the early 20th century. It was used across a wide geographic area including western or Russian Turkestan, Eastern Turkestan, Crimea, the Volga region, etc. Chagatai is the ancestor of the Uzbek and Uyghur languages. Turkmen, which is not within the Karluk branch but in the Oghuz branch of Turkic languages, was nonetheless heavily influenced by Chagatai for centuries.
There are several hundred languages in China. The predominant language is Standard Chinese, which is based on Beijingese, but there are hundreds of related Chinese languages, collectively known as Hanyu, that are spoken by 92% of the population. The Chinese languages are typically divided into seven major language groups, and their study is a distinct academic discipline. They differ as much from each other morphologically and phonetically as do English, German and Danish, but meanwhile share the same writing system (Hanzi) and are mutually intelligible in written form. There are in addition approximately 300 minority languages spoken by the remaining 8% of the population of China. The ones with greatest state support are Mongolian, Tibetan, Uyghur and Zhuang.
Uyghur or Uighur is a Turkic language written in a Uyghur Perso-Arabic script with 8–13 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Apart from Xinjiang, significant communities of Uyghur speakers are also located in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and various other countries have Uyghur-speaking expatriate communities. Uyghur is an official language of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; it is widely used in both social and official spheres, as well as in print, television, and radio. Other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang also use Uyghur as a common language.
Uyghur is a Turkic language with a long literary tradition spoken in Xinjiang, China by the Uyghurs. Today, the Uyghur Arabic alphabet is the official writing system used for Uyghur in Xinjiang, whereas other alphabets like the Uyghur Cyrillic alphabets are still in use outside China, especially in Central Asia, and Uyghur Latin is used in western countries.
The Tarim Basin is an endorheic basin in Xinjiang, Northwestern China occupying an area of about 888,000 km2 (343,000 sq mi) and one of the largest basins in Northwest China. Located in China's Xinjiang region, it is sometimes used synonymously to refer to the southern half of the province, that is, Southern Xinjiang or Nanjiang, as opposed to the northern half of the province known as Dzungaria or Beijiang. Its northern boundary is the Tian Shan mountain range and its southern boundary is the Kunlun Mountains on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The Taklamakan Desert dominates much of the basin. The historical Uyghur name for the Tarim Basin is Altishahr, which means 'six cities' in Uyghur. The region was also called Little Bukhara or Little Bukharia.
The East Turkestan Republic (ETR) was a short-lived satellite state of the Soviet Union in northern Xinjiang, which existed from 1944 to 1946. It is often described as the Second East Turkestan Republic to differentiate it from the First East Turkestan Republic (1933–1934), but "second" was never a part of its official name.
Salar is a Turkic language spoken by the Salar people, who mainly live in the provinces of Qinghai and Gansu in China; some also live in Ili, Xinjiang. It is a primary branch and an eastern outlier of the Oghuz branch of Turkic, the other Oghuz languages being spoken mostly in West and Central Asia. The Salar number about 105,000 people, about 70,000 (2002) speak the Salar language; under 20,000 are monolinguals.
Ili Turki is an endangered Turkic language spoken primarily in China, of the Karluk branch of Turkic. In 2007, it was reported that there were around 30 families using it in China. Speakers are shifting to Kazakh or Uyghur.
Lop, also known as Lopnor or Lopnur is a Turkic dialect spoken in the Lopnor region of Xinjiang, China. Lop speakers are officially classified as ethnic Uyghurs by the Chinese government.
The Karluk or Qarluq languages are a sub-branch of the Turkic language family that developed from the varieties once spoken by Karluks.
The Ili Rebellion was a separatist uprising by the Turkic peoples of northern Xinjiang against the Kuomintang government of the Republic of China, from 1944 to 1946. The Ili Rebellion began with the East Turkestan National Revolution, known in Chinese historiography as the Three Districts Revolution, which saw the establishment of the Second East Turkestan Republic. The leadership was dominated by Uyghurs but the population consisted mostly of Kazakhs.
This article covers the phonology of the Uyghur language. Uyghur, a Turkic language spoken primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region features both vowel harmony and vowel reduction.
Ibrahim Muti'i was a well-known linguist from Xinjiang, China. He is best known for his research on Uyghur language and culture. He is considered to have been one of the top scholars of his generation in Uyghur.
The Ili Turks are a Turkic ethnic group native to Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of northern Xinjiang, China. They speak the Ili Turki language, which belongs to the Karluk branch of the Turkic languages. The oral history of the Ili Turks says that they came from the Ferghana Valley of Uzbekistan. The Chinese government does not recognize the Ili Turks as a distinct ethnic group in censuses.
Xinjiang Mandarin is an umbrella term to geographically group three different varieties of Mandarin Chinese spoken in Xinjiang. Lanyin Mandarin is spoken in northern Xinjiang. Central Plains Mandarin (中原官话) is spoken in southern Xinjiang,. Beijing Mandarin is spoken in the most northern frontier Xinjiang by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps settled there since the 1950s.
Edkhyam Rakhimovich Tenishev was a Soviet and Russian linguist who specialized in Turkic and Mongolic languages. He was a doctor of philology, a professor, and a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union. He served as the head of the Department of Uralic and Altaic languages at the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He was editor-in-chief of the journal Советская тюркология(Soviet Turcology) ISSN 0131-677X and of the multi-volume publication Сравнительно-историческая грамматика тюркских языков .