Kazakh
Kazakh / Qazaq tılı / қазақша (ISO 639-3: kaz)
VALID SCRIPTS: Cyrillic, Latin, Arabic (No official status)
TONAL: No
Alphabet (IPA):
Alphabet (Latin):
Info
The history of the Kazakh language is closely tied to the history of the Kazakh people, who have lived in the region for centuries. Kazakh is a member of the Turkic language family, which also includes languages such as Turkish , Azerbaijani , Uzbek , and Kyrgyz .
The Turkic languages have their origins in North or Central Asia, where a group of tribes spoke a common language known as Proto-Turkic. Over time, this language evolved into a number of distinct Turkic languages, including Kazakh.
Kazakh was first written using the Arabic script, but in 1929, the Soviet Union mandated the use of the Latin script for Kazakh, along with other Turkic languages in the region. In 1940, however, the Soviet government switched Kazakh to the Cyrillic script, which is still used today alongside a new Latin script, approved in 2021.
Kazakh has been influenced by neighboring languages throughout its history. For example, during the Mongol Empire, Mongolian had a significant impact on the Kazakh language. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Persian was a dominant language in Central Asia, and many Persian words were borrowed into Kazakh.
Kazakh has been influenced by neighboring languages throughout its history. For example, during the Mongol Empire, Mongolian had a significant impact on the Kazakh language. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Persian was a dominant language in Central Asia, and many Persian words were borrowed into Kazakh.