Altay language
Encyclopedia
Altay is a language of the Turkic
group of languages. It is an official language of Altai Republic
, Russia
. The language was called Oyrot prior to 1948. There were ca. 67,900 people speaking this language in 2002.
and contact with surrounding languages, the classification of Altay within the Turkic languages has often been disputed. Because of its geographic proximity to the Shor
and Khakas language
s, some classifications place it in a Northern Turkic sub-group.
Due to certain similarities with Kyrgyz
, it has been grouped with the Kypchak languages
. A more recent classification by Talat Tekin places Southern Altay in its own sub-group within Turkic and groups the Northern Altay dialects with Lower Chulym
and the Kondoma dialect of Shor
.
(Southern Altay) and Altai Krai
(Northern Altay).
, Altay is an official language of the Altai Republic. The official language is based on the Southern dialect spoken by the group called the Altay-kiži, however in the few years it has also spread to the Northern Altai Republic.
The voiced palatal plosive
/ɟ/ varies greatly from dialect to dialect, especially in initial position. Form of the word јок "no" include [coq] (Kuu dialect) and [joq] (Kumandy). Even within dialects this phoneme varies greatly.
from 1928–1938, but has used the Cyrillic alphabet
(with the addition of 4 extra letters: ) since 1938.
Pronouns in the various dialects vary considerably. For example, the pronouns in the Qumandin dialect follow.
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
group of languages. It is an official language of Altai Republic
Altai Republic
Altai Republic is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is . Population: -Geography:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The language was called Oyrot prior to 1948. There were ca. 67,900 people speaking this language in 2002.
Classification
Due to its isolated position in the Altay MountainsAltay Mountains
The Altai Mountains are a mountain range in East-Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their sources. The Altai Mountains are known as the original locus of the speakers of Turkic as well as other members of the proposed...
and contact with surrounding languages, the classification of Altay within the Turkic languages has often been disputed. Because of its geographic proximity to the Shor
Shor language
The Shor language is a Turkic language spoken by about 10,000 people in the Kemerovo Province in south-central Siberia. In the history of the Turkic states and China, Shors played an important role, mostly connected with their offshoot Shatuo. Presently, not all ethnic Shors speak Shor, and the...
and Khakas language
Khakas language
Khakas is a Turkic language spoken by the Khakas people, who mainly live in the southern Siberian Khakas Republic, or Khakassia, in Russia...
s, some classifications place it in a Northern Turkic sub-group.
Due to certain similarities with Kyrgyz
Kyrgyz language
Kyrgyz or Kirgiz, also Kirghiz, Kyrghiz, Qyrghiz is a Turkic language and, together with Russian, an official language of Kyrgyzstan...
, it has been grouped with the Kypchak languages
Kypchak languages
The Kypchak languages , are a major branch of the Turkic language family spoken by more than 12 million people in an area spanning from Lithuania to China....
. A more recent classification by Talat Tekin places Southern Altay in its own sub-group within Turkic and groups the Northern Altay dialects with Lower Chulym
Chulym language
Chulym , also known as Chulim, Chulym-Turkic, Küerik, Chulym Tatar or Melets Tatar is the language of the Chulyms. The name the people use to refer to themselves, and also to their language, is Ös, literally ‘self’ or ‘own’...
and the Kondoma dialect of Shor
Shor language
The Shor language is a Turkic language spoken by about 10,000 people in the Kemerovo Province in south-central Siberia. In the history of the Turkic states and China, Shors played an important role, mostly connected with their offshoot Shatuo. Presently, not all ethnic Shors speak Shor, and the...
.
Geographical distribution
Altay is spoken primarily in the Altai RepublicAltai Republic
Altai Republic is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is . Population: -Geography:...
(Southern Altay) and Altai Krai
Altai Krai
Altai Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul...
(Northern Altay).
Official status
Along with RussianRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Altay is an official language of the Altai Republic. The official language is based on the Southern dialect spoken by the group called the Altay-kiži, however in the few years it has also spread to the Northern Altai Republic.
Dialects
Altay is usually divided into Northern and Southern dialects, which are then further broken down into a number of sub-dialects. The breakdown of these dialects is as follows:- Southern Altay
- Altay proper
- Mayma
- Telengit
- Tölös
- Chuy
- Teleut
- Altay proper
- Northern Altay
- Tuba
- Kumandy
- Turachak
- Solton
- Starobardinian
- Chalkan (also called Kuu, Lebedin)
Consonants
| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar Alveolar consonant Alveolar consonants are articulated with the tongue against or close to the superior alveolar ridge, which is called that because it contains the alveoli of the superior teeth... |
Palatal | Velar Velar consonant Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum).... |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosives | p | b | t | d | c | ɟ | k | ɡ | ||
| Nasals Nasal consonant A nasal consonant is a type of consonant produced with a lowered velum in the mouth, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. Examples of nasal consonants in English are and , in words such as nose and mouth.- Definition :... |
m | n | ŋ | |||||||
| Fricatives | s | z | ʃ | ʒ | x | ɣ | ||||
| Tap Flap consonant In phonetics, a flap or tap is a type of consonantal sound, which is produced with a single contraction of the muscles so that one articulator is thrown against another.-Contrast with stops and trills:... |
ɾ | |||||||||
| Approximant | j | |||||||||
| Lateral approximants |
l | |||||||||
The voiced palatal plosive
Voiced palatal plosive
The voiced palatal plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨⟩, a barred dotless ⟨j⟩ , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is J\.The sound does not exist as a phoneme in English, but is...
/ɟ/ varies greatly from dialect to dialect, especially in initial position. Form of the word јок "no" include [coq] (Kuu dialect) and [joq] (Kumandy). Even within dialects this phoneme varies greatly.
Vowels
There are eight vowels in Altay. These vowels may be long or short.| Short | Long | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | Open | Close | Open | ||
| Front | Unrounded | i | e | iː | eː |
| Rounded | y | ø | yː | øː | |
| Back | Unrounded | ɯ | a | ɯː | aː |
| Rounded | u | o | uː | oː |
Writing system
The language was written with the Latin alphabetLatin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
from 1928–1938, but has used the Cyrillic alphabet
Cyrillic alphabet
The Cyrillic script or azbuka is an alphabetic writing system developed in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 10th century AD at the Preslav Literary School...
(with the addition of 4 extra letters: ) since 1938.
Pronouns
Altay has six personal pronouns:| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Altay (transliteration) | English | Altay (transliteration) | English |
| мен (men) | I | бис (bis) | we |
| сен (sen) | you (singular) | слер (sler) | you (plural, formal) |
| ол (ol) | he/she/it | олор (olor) | they |
Pronouns in the various dialects vary considerably. For example, the pronouns in the Qumandin dialect follow.
| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Altay (transliteration) | English | Altay (transliteration) | English |
| мен (men) | I | пис (pis) | we |
| сен (sen) | you (singular) | снер (sner) | you (plural, formal) |
| ол (ol) | he/she/it | анар (anar) | they |
See also
- Telengits, TeleutsTeleutsTeleuts are a Turkic people people living in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia. According to the 2002 census, there were 2650 Teleuts in Russia. Their language is classified as a southern dialect within the group of dialects which is called Altay language....
(names of related ethnic groupEthnic groupAn ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
s) - Altay Tatars
- Turkic peoplesTurkic peoplesThe Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...