Western Yugur
Turkic (Siberian)
Western Yugur (also Saryg Yugur) is a Siberian Turkic language spoken by roughly 3,600–5,000 Yugur people in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu, China. It is genealogically unrelated to Eastern Yugur, the Mongolic language spoken by another part of the same ethnic group, and is also distinct from modern Uyghur. Western Yugur is agglutinative, normally uses SOV word order, and preserves several archaic Turkic features while also showing long contact with Mongolic, Tibetan, and Chinese. It has no widely used native writing standard; scholarly works use Latin transcription, while speakers generally read and write Chinese. Intergenerational transmission is weakening, so the language is classified as threatened or shifting.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Western Yugur
Water
su
/su/
Fire
ot
/ot/
Sun
kün
/kʰyn/
Moon
aj
/aj/
Star
yiltus
/jɯltɯs/
Mother
ana
/ana/
Father
ata
/ata/
I
men
/men/
You
sen
/sen/
Name
at
/at/
Eye
kez
/kez/
Hand
ɨlɨɣ
/ɯlɯɣ/
Heart
jörek
/jørek/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
terik
/terik/
House
jü
/jy/
Dog
əʂt
/ɯʂt/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
ji
/ji/
Drink
ɨš
/ɯʃ/
One
per
/pɪr/
Two
šigɨ
/ʃiɣɯ/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
yaş
/jɑʂ/
Words compared
Compared with related Turkic (Siberian) languages
| Meaning | Western Yugur | Tofa | Karakhanid | Proto-Turkic | Old Turkic | Nogai | Kumyk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | su /su/ | суғ /suɣ/ | suw /suw/ | *sub /sub/ | 𐰽𐰆𐰉 /sub/ | сув /suv/ | сув /suv/ |
| Fire | ot /ot/ | от /ot/ | ot /ot/ | *ōt /ōt/ | 𐰆𐱃 /ot/ | от /ot/ | от /ot/ |
| Sun | kün /kʰyn/ | хүн /xyn/ | kün /kyn/ | *kün /kün/ | 𐰚𐰰𐰣 /kyn/ | күн /kyn/ | гюн /ɡyn/ |
| Moon | aj /aj/ | ай /aj/ | ay /aj/ | *āń /āń/ | 𐰀𐰖 /aj/ | ай /aj/ | ай /aj/ |
| Star | yiltus /jɯltɯs/ | сылдыс /sɯldɯs/ | yultuz /jultuz/ | *jultuz /jultuz/ | 𐰖𐰆𐰞𐱃𐰆𐰕 /jultuz/ | юлдыз /juldɯz/ | юлдуз /julduz/ |
| Mother | ana /ana/ | ийе /ije/ | ana /ana/ | *ana /ana/ | 𐰜𐰏 /øɡ/ | ана /ana/ | ана /ana/ |
| Father | ata /ata/ | ача /atʃa/ | ata /ata/ | *ata /ata/ | 𐰴𐰭 /qaŋ/ | атай /ataj/ | ата /ata/ |
| I | men /men/ | мен /men/ | men /men/ | *ben /ben/ | 𐰋𐰤 /ben/ | мен /men/ | мен /men/ |
| You | sen /sen/ | сен /sen/ | sen /sen/ | *sen /sen/ | 𐰾𐰤 /sen/ | сен /sen/ | сен /sen/ |
| Name | at /at/ | ат /at/ | at /at/ | *āt /āt/ | 𐰀𐱃 /at/ | ат /at/ | ат /at/ |
| Eye | kez /kez/ | карак /karak/ | köz /køz/ | *köz /köz/ | 𐰚𐰕 /køz/ | коьз /køz/ | гёз /ɡøz/ |
| Hand | ɨlɨɣ /ɯlɯɣ/ | хол /xol/ | qol /qol/ | *elig /elig/ | 𐰘𐰠𐰏 /eliɡ/ | къол /qol/ | къол /qol/ |
| Heart | jörek /jørek/ | чүрек /tʃyrek/ | yürek /jyrek/ | *jürek /jürek/ | 𐰚𐰭𐰠 /køŋyl/ | юрек /jyrek/ | юрек /jyrek/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | sevgü /sevɡy/ | — /—/ | 𐰽𐰋- /sæb/ | суьюв /syjyv/ | сюйюв /syjyv/ |
| Tree | terik /terik/ | ыъаш /ɯʔaʃ/ | ığač /ɯɣatʃ/ | *ïgač /ïgač/ | 𐰃𐰍𐰲 /ɯɣatʃ/ | терек /terek/ | терек /terek/ |
| House | jü /jy/ | өг /øɣ/ | ev /ev/ | *ēb /ēb/ | 𐰋 /æb/ | уьй /yj/ | уьй /yj/ |
| Dog | əʂt /ɯʂt/ | ыът /ɯʔt/ | it /it/ | *ït /ït/ | 𐰃𐱃 /it/ | ит /it/ | ит /it/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | piši /piʃi/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | мысык /məsəq/ | мишик /miʃik/ |
| Eat | ji /ji/ | чиир /tʃiːr/ | yi- /ji/ | *jē- /jē-/ | 𐰘𐰃- /je/ | аш /aʃ/ | ашамакъ /aʃamaq/ |
| Drink | ɨš /ɯʃ/ | иъжер /iʔʒer/ | ič- /itʃ/ | *ič- /ič-/ | 𐰃𐰲- /itʃ/ | иш /iʃ/ | ичмек /itʃmek/ |
| One | per /pɪr/ | бир /bir/ | bir /bir/ | *bīr /bīr/ | 𐰋𐰃𐰼 /bir/ | бир /bir/ | бир /bir/ |
| Two | šigɨ /ʃiɣɯ/ | ийи /iji/ | iki /iki/ | *eki /eki/ | 𐰃𐰚𐰃 /eki/ | эки /eki/ | эки /eki/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | salām /salaːm/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | ассаламу алейкум /asːalamu alejkum/ | ассаламу алейкум /asːalamu alejkum/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | tabug /tabuɡ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | сав бол /sav bol/ | савбол /savbol/ |
| Good | yaş /jɑʂ/ | эъки /eʔki/ | yaqšı /jaqʃɯ/ | *edgü /edgü/ | 𐰓𐰏𐰢 /ædɡy/ | яксы /jaksə/ | яхшы /jaχʃə/ |
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