Can Turkish and Azerbaijani speakers understand Kyrgyz? In this episode we showcase some of the similarities and test the degree of mutual intelligibility between them. Instead of a list of words and sentences, Aktan from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan will read several sentences, along with a statement to see how well Fikret & Nurlan (Azerbaijani speakers) and Kuthan & Semih (Turkish speakers) will understand them
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Kyrgyz (Qirghiz) is part of the Kipchak branch of Turkic language family and 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 was originally written in the Turkic runes, later replaced by a Perso-Arabic alphabet, which continued until 1928 in the USSR, and remains in use in China. A Latin-script alphabet was in use until 1940, at which point Soviet authorities replaced the Latin script with Cyrillic alphabet.
The Turkish language, which is also referred to as Istanbul Turkish, is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, with most of its native speakers living in Western Asia, and significant group of speakers in Germany, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Northern Cyprus, Greece, the Caucasus, and other parts of Europe and Central Asia. Ottoman Turkish, which was a variation of the Turkish spoken today, influenced many parts of Europe during the time that the Ottoman Empire expanded. When the modern Turkish republic was established, one of Atatürk's Reforms consisted of changing the Ottoman Turkish alphabet with a Latin alphabet. Today, Turkish is recognized as a minority language in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Iraq, Macedonia, and Romania.
Azerbaijani (Azeri), which is also referred to as Azeri Turkish, is a member of the Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages. The majority of Azeri speakers live in Northwestern Iran, followed by the Republic of Azerbaijan, where it has official status, along with the federal subject of Dagestan in Russia.
The Turkic languages consist of over 35 different documented languages, originating from East Asia. Turkish has the highest number of native speakers out of all Turkic language. There is a high degree of mutual intelligibility among the various Oghuz languages, which include Turkish, Azerbaijani, Turkmen, Qashqai, Gagauz, Balkan Gagauz Turkish and Oghuz-influenced Crimean Tatar.
The sentences and paragraphs read in the video were:
1. мен бир жумадан кийин үйгө кетем
(I'm going home in a week)
2. Сени көргөнүмө абдан жыргадым
(I was very happy to see you)
3. Күн ысыкта дарбыз жегенди жакшы көрөм
(I like to eat watermelon in hot weather)
4. Быйыл кыш абдан суук болот,ошол үчүн отунду жана көмүрдү даярдайлык
(This winter will be very cold, so let's prepare firewood and coal)
5. Нооруз - жаз майрамы, жаңы башталыш деп жооп беришти улуулар. Бул күнү жаратылыш кышкы уйкудан ойгонуп, гүлдөр жайнап, жер жаңы түшүмгө даярдана баштайт. Бул адамдар менен жаратылыштын жана жаңы мүмкүнчүлүктөрдүн ортосундагы байланыштын мезгили.
(The elders answered that Nooruz is a spring holiday, a new beginning. On this day, nature wakes up from winter sleep, flowers bloom, and the earth begins to prepare for a new harvest. It is a time of connection between people and nature and new opportunities.)