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==History and terminology==
==History and terminology==
At some point, after East Old Turkic period <ref>{{cite book |last1=Johanson |first1=Lars |title=Turkic |date=2021 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=295}}</ref>, Oghuz languages diverged from other Common Turkic varieties. The ancestor of Oghuz languages is a matter of debate {{Citation needed|reason=Lars Johanson (2021) and other studies of classification and periodization of Turkic languages do not mention such a debate|date=June 2025}}. The language of the oldest stone monuments such as [[Orkhon inscriptions]], and documents such as [[Old Uyghur]] manuscripts are rather the ancestor of [[Karluk languages|Karluk]] and [[Kipchak languages|Kipchak]] Turkic languages {{Citation needed|reason=Both inscriptions and manuscripts contain Oghuzisms and other languages such as Western Yugur also show affinity to Old Turkic texts, why only these two and what kind of differences|date=June 2025}}. Oghuz languages apparently originate from the language of the people known as "Western Turgut" in Chinese annals {{Citation needed|reason=What kind of linguistic attestation to "Western Turgut" people exist?|date=June 2025}}. [[Old Anatolian Turkish|Old Anatolian]] and [[Ottoman Turkish|Old Ottoman]] languages, known as [[Middle Turkic languages|Middle Turkic]], is the oldest clearly distinguished stage of the Oghuz group of Turkic languages.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Robbeets |first1=Martine |title=The Oxford Guide to the Transeurasian Languages |date=2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=393}}</ref>
The ancestor of Oghuz languages is a matter of debate. The language of the oldest stone monuments such as [[Orkhon inscriptions]], and documents such as [[Old Uyghur]] manuscripts are rather the ancestor of [[Karluk languages|Karluk]] and [[Kipchak languages|Kipchak]] Turkic languages. Oghuz languages apparently originate from the language of the people known as "Western Türküt" in Chinese annals. [[Old Anatolian Turkish|Old Anatolian]] and [[Ottoman Turkish|Old Ottoman]] languages, known as [[Middle Turkic languages|Middle Turkic]], would be the most ancient within the Oghuz group of Turkic languages.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Robbeets |first1=Martine |title=The Oxford Guide to the Transeurasian Languages |date=2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=393}}</ref>
The term "Oghuz" is applied to the southwestern branch of the [[Common Turkic languages]]. It is in reference to the [[Oghuz Turks]], who migrated from the [[Altay Mountains]]<ref name="danver">{{cite book |last1=Danver |first1=Steven |title=The Native People of the World, An Encyclopedia of Groups, Cultures and Contemporary Issues, Volume 1–3 |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780765682222 |page=565}} "Historically, all of the Western or Oghuz Turks have been called Turkmen or Turkomen... In the 7th century C.E., they migrated from their ancestral homeland in the Altay mountains westward..."</ref> to [[Central Asia]] in the 8th century and further expanded to the [[Middle East]] and to the [[Balkans]] as separate tribes.
The term "Oghuz" is applied to the southwestern branch of the [[Common Turkic languages]]. It is in reference to the [[Oghuz Turks]], who migrated from the [[Altay Mountains]]<ref name="danver">{{cite book |last1=Danver |first1=Steven |title=The Native People of the World, An Encyclopedia of Groups, Cultures and Contemporary Issues, Volume 1–3 |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780765682222 |page=565}} "Historically, all of the Western or Oghuz Turks have been called Turkmen or Turkomen... In the 7th century C.E., they migrated from their ancestral homeland in the Altay mountains westward..."</ref> to [[Central Asia]] in the 8th century and further expanded to the [[Middle East]] and to the [[Balkans]] as separate tribes.

Revision as of 11:39, 29 June 2025

This article is about a major branch of the Turkic languages. For other uses, see Oghuz.
Not to be confused with Oghuric languages.
Oghuz
Southwestern Turkic
Geographic
distribution		Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Europe
EthnicityOghuz Turks
Linguistic classificationTurkic
Subdivisions
Language codes
Glottologoghu1243  (Oghuz)
  Turkish   Gagauz   Azerbaijani   Qashqai   Chaharmahali   Turkmen   Khorasani   Salar

The Oghuz languages are a sub-branch of the Turkic language family, spoken by approximately 108 million people. The three languages with the largest number of speakers are Turkish, Azerbaijani and Turkmen, which, combined, account for more than 95% of speakers of this sub-branch.

Kara-Khanid scholar Mahmud al-Kashgari, who lived in the 11th century, stated that the Oghuz language was the simplest among all Turkic languages.[1]

Swedish turcologist and linguist Lars Johanson notes that Oghuz languages form a clearly discernible and closely related bloc within the Turkic language family as the cultural and political history of the speakers of Oghuz languages has linked them more closely up to the modern age. Western Oghuz languages are highly mutually intelligible with each other and the Crimean Tatar language, which, though genetically Kipchak Turkic rather than Oghuz, has been heavily influenced by Turkish over several centuries.[2]

History and terminology

The ancestor of Oghuz languages is a matter of debate. The language of the oldest stone monuments such as Orkhon inscriptions, and documents such as Old Uyghur manuscripts are rather the ancestor of Karluk and Kipchak Turkic languages. Oghuz languages apparently originate from the language of the people known as "Western Türküt" in Chinese annals. Old Anatolian and Old Ottoman languages, known as Middle Turkic, would be the most ancient within the Oghuz group of Turkic languages.[3]

The term "Oghuz" is applied to the southwestern branch of the Common Turkic languages. It is in reference to the Oghuz Turks, who migrated from the Altay Mountains[4] to Central Asia in the 8th century and further expanded to the Middle East and to the Balkans as separate tribes.

Classification

The Oghuz languages currently spoken have been classified into three categories based on their features and geography: Western, Eastern, and Southern.

Proto-Turkic Common Turkic Oghuz
Salar
Western
Eastern
Southern

Two further languages, Crimean Tatar and Urum, are Kipchak languages, but have been heavily influenced by the Oghuz languages.

The extinct Pecheneg language was probably Oghuz, but as it is poorly documented, it is difficult to further classify it within the Oghuz family; it is therefore usually excluded from classification.[5]

Features

The Oghuz languages share a number of features that have led linguists to classify them together. Some of the features are shared with other Turkic languages, and others are unique to the Oghuz family.

Swedish turcologist and linguist Lars Johanson notes that Oghuz languages form a clearly discernible and closely related bloc within the Turkic language family as the cultural and political history of Oghuz Turks has linked them more closely up to the modern age when compared to other Turkic subgroups.[6]

Shared features

Unique features

  • Voicing of stops (e.g. Anatolian Turkish gök < Ottoman گوك gök < Proto-Turkic kȫk, "sky"; Anatolian dağ < Ottoman طاغ dağ < Proto-Turkic tāg "mountain")
  • Loss of q/ɣ after ɯ/u (e.g. quru < quruq, "dry", sarɯ < sarɯɣ, "yellow")
  • Change in form of participial from -gan to -an

Comparison

The remarkable similarity between Oghuz languages may be demonstrated through a sentence, which employs a verbal noun in the dative as a link between the main verb and auxiliary. This feature is universally shared by all Oghuz languages.[7] Turcologist Julian Rentzsch uses this particular sentence in his work titled "Uniformity and diversity in Turkic inceptive constructions":[8]

English: ‘The dead man rose, sat down and began to speak.’

  • Turkish: Ölü doğrulup oturdu ve konuşmaya başladı.
  • Turkmen: Öli ýerinden galyp oturdy-da, geplemäge başlady.
  • Azerbaijani: Ölü durub oturdu və danışmağa başladı.
  • Khorezmian Turkic: Öli turıp otırdı dan, gəpləməyə başladı.
  • Gagauz: Ölü oturdu da bašladï lafetmää.

See also

References

  1. ^ D. T. Potts, (2014), Nomadism in Iran: From Antiquity to the Modern Era, p. 177
  2. ^ "Language Materials Project: Turkish". UCLA International Institute, Center for World Languages. February 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  3. ^ Robbeets, Martine (2020). The Oxford Guide to the Transeurasian Languages. Oxford University Press. p. 393.
  4. ^ Danver, Steven (2015). The Native People of the World, An Encyclopedia of Groups, Cultures and Contemporary Issues, Volume 1–3. Routledge. p. 565. ISBN 9780765682222. "Historically, all of the Western or Oghuz Turks have been called Turkmen or Turkomen... In the 7th century C.E., they migrated from their ancestral homeland in the Altay mountains westward..."
  5. ^ Баскаков, Н. А. Тюркские языки, Москва 1960, с. 126–131.
  6. ^ Johanson, Lars (1998). The Turkic Languages. Routledge. p. 2. ISBN 0-415-08200-5.
  7. ^ Julian Rentzsch, "Uniformity and diversity in Turkic inceptive constructions", Johannes Gutenberg University, p. 270
  8. ^ Julian Rentzsch, "Uniformity and diversity in Turkic inceptive constructions", Johannes Gutenberg University, pp. 270–271

Further reading

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