Karachay-Balkar

| mapcaption = Map of Turkic-speaking groups in Kabardino-Balkaria

| altname = Mountain Turkic

thumb|Karachay–Balkar-language version of the [[Quran|Koran]]

Karachay–Balkar (, ), often referred to as the "mountaineer language" (, ) by its speakers, is a Turkic language spoken by the Karachays and Balkars in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, European Russia, as well as by an immigrant population in Afyonkarahisar Province, Turkey. It is divided into two dialects: Karachay-Baksan-Chegem, which pronounces two phonemes as and and Malkar, which pronounces the corresponding phonemes as and . The modern Karachay–Balkar written language is based on the Karachay–Baksan–Chegem dialect. The language is closely related to Kumyk.

Phonology

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ Vowels

! !! Front !! Back

! Close

! Mid

!Open

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+Consonants

After the October Revolution, initially as part of the soviet policy of standardization of school curriculum and public education, the standard Arabic alphabet for Karachay-Balkar was refined once more, in the 2nd edition of "Ana tili" (آنا تیلی) being published by Ismail Akbaev in 1921.

Later, as part of a new state campaign of Latinization Karachay and Balkar educators developed a new alphabet based on Latin letters, being officially adopted in 1924.

In the 1930s, the official Soviet policy was revised and the process of Cyrillization of Soviet languages was started. In 1937–38 the new alphabet based on Cyrillic letters was officially adopted, which remains the official alphabet for Karachay-Balkar up till today.

Cyrillic alphabet

Modern Karachay–Balkar Cyrillic alphabet:

{| class="wikitable"

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | А а

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Б б

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | В в

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Г г

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Гъ гъ

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Д д

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Дж дж (1)

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Е е (2) [je]/

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ё ё (3) /[jo]

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ж ж (1)

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | З з

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | И и

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Й й

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | К к

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Къ къ /

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Л л

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | М м

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Н н

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Нг нг (4)

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | О о

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | П п

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Р р

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | С с

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Т т

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | У у (5) /

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | Ф ф

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Х х (6) //

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | Ц ц

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ч ч

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ш ш

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | Щ щ

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | Ъ ъ

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ы ы

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | Ь ь

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Э э (2)

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ю ю (3) /[ju]

| style="width:5em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Я я (3) /[ja]

Notes

In Kabardino-Balkaria, ж is written instead of дж, corresponding to the dialectical variation in the pronunciation.
Word-initially, the letter е would be pronounced as [je], whereas the letter э would be pronounced as e. The letter э is not used in the middle or end of words, in native Karachay-Balkar words.
The letters ё, ю, and я are pronounced as vowels , , and respectively in native Karachay-Balkar words, but are pronounced as [jo], [ju], and [ja] in Russian loanwords.
Karachay-Cherkessia, they write нъ instead of нг.
In some publications, especially during the Soviet period, the letter у́ or ў is used for the sound .
The letter х can have a variety of pronunciations. In native Karachay-Balkar words, it is pronounced as . In Russian loanwords, as , and in loanwords of Arabic or Persian origin, as either or .

In a new project approved in May 1961, the alphabet was modified to reduce the use of digraphs and non-orthodox usage of Russian letters, featuring the unique letters Ғ ғ, Җ җ, Қ қ, Ң ң, Ө ө, Ў ў, Ү ү. It was nullified and the normal Cyrillic alphabet was restored in 1964.

Latin alphabet

Karachay–Balkar Latin alphabet:

{| class="wikitable"

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | A a

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | B в

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | C c

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ç ç

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | D d

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | E e

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | F f

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | G g

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ƣ ƣ

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#d0dead" | H h (1)

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | I i

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | J j

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | K k

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Q q /

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | L l

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | M m

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | N n

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ꞑ ꞑ

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | O o

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ө ө (2)

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | P p

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | R r

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | S s

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ş ş (3)

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ꞩ ꞩ (4)

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | T t

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ь ь

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | U u

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | V v

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | W w (4)

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Y y

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | X x (1) //

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#d0dead" | Xh xh (1)

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Z z

| style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | Ƶ ƶ

Notes

The letter h was included at first to represent loanwords of Arabic and Persian origin containing the letters 'ھ and ح, having the sound . The letter x initially represented the sound , either Arabic and Persian loanwords containing the letter خ or Russian loanwords containing the letter х. The digraph xh was included to represent native Karachay-Balkar sound , which was occasionally written in Karachay Arabic alphabet as حۤ. These letters were merged into the single letter x in 1924. The letter h was added again in 1924, but removed again in 1934.
The letter ө was initially proposed to be œ.
The sound was initially to be written as sh.
The letters ꞩ and w were added in 1934.

In the 1990s, with the fall of the Soviet Union, efforts were made to revert Karachay-Balkar to the Latin alphabet. Specifically, a newspaper named "Üyge igikik" was published during the 1990s. The alphabet of the publication was very similar to modern Turkish and it contained the following letters:

A a, B b, C c, Ç ç, D d, E e, F f, G g, Ğ ğ, H h, İ i, I ı, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ö ö, P p, Q q, R r, S s, Ş ş, T t, U u, Ü ü, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Arabic alphabet

Prior to 1925, for centuries, the Perso-Arabic script was the basis of the literary language among Karachay-Balkar. Be it in he form of Ottoman Turkish in the Caucasus and among the diaspora in Turkey, or be it the Cuman language, the Turkic lingua franca of the Caucasus and Southern Russia for a few centuries, and more closely related to Karachay-Balkar itself.

From the early 20th century, there was attempts to bring the writing closer to the spoken dialects and languages among the Karachay and Balkar. As mentioned, the first successful national attempt at standardization of the alphabet was done in 1916.

Sample text

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Karachay–Balkar:

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! In Cyrillic

! Transliteration

! Translation

| Бютеу адамла эркин болуб эмда сыйлары бла хакълары тенг болуб тууадыла. Алагъа акъыл бла намыс берилгенди эмда бир-бирлерине къарнашлыкъ халда къараргъа керекдиле.

| Bütew adamla erkin bolub emda sıyları bla haqları teñ bolub tuwadıla. Alağa aqıl bla namıs berilgendi emda bir-birlerine qarnaşlıq halda qararğa kerekdile.

| All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

! In Cyrillic (1961-1964)

! Yañalif

! Perso-Arabic script(Before 1926)

| Бүтеу адамла эркин болуб эмда сыйлары бла хақлары тең болуб туўадыла. Алаға ақыл бла намыс берилгенди эмда бир-бирлерине қарнашлық халда қарарға керекдиле.

| Byteu adamla erkin ʙoluʙ emda sьjlarь ʙla xalqlarь teꞑ ʙoluʙ tuuadьla. Alaƣa aqьl ʙla namьs ʙerilgendi emda ʙir-ʙirlerine qarnaşlьq xalda qararƣa kerekdile.

|dir="rtl"|

Bibliography

Chodiyor Doniyorov and Saodat Doniyorova. Parlons Karatchay-Balkar. Paris: Harmattan, 2005. .
Steve Seegmiller (1996) Karachay (LINCOM)

References

</references>

External links

Russian-Karachay-Balkar On-Line Dictionary (a)
Russian-Karachay-Balkar On-Line Dictionary (b)
"Заман" newspaper
"Къарачай" newspaper
"Минги Тау" magazine