Karachay-Balkar language

The Karachay-Balkar language (,  or , , Kabardian: Къарачайбзэ) 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.

Writing 
Historically the Arabic Alphabet had been used by first writers until 1924. Handwritten manuscripts of the Balkar poet Kazim Mechiev and other examples of literature have preserved to this day. First printed books in Karachay-Balkar language were published In the beginning of 20th century.

After the October Revolution as part of a state campaign of Latinisation Karachay and Balkar educators developed a new alphabet based on latin letters. In 1930s the official Soviet policy was revised and the process of Cyrillization the languages of USSR peoples was started. In 1937-38 the new alphabet based on Cyrillic letters was officially adopted.

Alphabet 
Modern Karachay-Balkar Cyrillic alphabet:

 * Not found in native vocabulary

Karachay-Balkar Latin alphabet:

Phonology 

Parentheses indicate allophones.

Grammar

Nominals

Cases

Possessive suffixes

Language example
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Karachay-Balkar:

Numerals

Loanwords
Loanwords from Ossetian, Kabardian, Russian, Arabic, and Persian are fairly numerous.

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

References

External links

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

Category:Agglutinative languages
Category:Kipchak languages
Category:Languages of Russia
Category:Kabardino-Balkaria
Category:Karachay-Cherkessia
Category:Languages of the Caucasus
Category:Western Kipchak