Turkic sound changes

The orthography used to represent Turkic languages on this page is a phonemic system based on Turkish orthography. This is done to avoid focusing on the phonetic differences between different languages used. The IPA is used when describing the phonetics of Turkic languages.

Also see Turkic Sonority Constraints#Words that changed due to sonority

proto-Altaic to pre-proto-Turkic:

• ʒ, dʒ, d?, n? > j / #_ (?)

pre-proto-Turkic to proto-Turkic:

• no n, m, ŋ, l, r, z, š / #_
• p > ɸ > h / #_
• lenis/fortis merger
  • g > k
  • d > t
• sʲ → š / #_
• rʲ → z
• nʲ → nʲ
• j, dʲ, nʲ → j / #_

proto-Turkic to Sakha

The vowel stuff below is pulled from Saha Türk dili. But also see this article by Greg Anderson, which seems pretty thorough, and accurate for the most part. Vowels:

• aa > aa (qaan > xaan "khan", aaç > aas "open", taaş > taas "stone")
• ėė / ee > ie (kėėçe > kiehe "night", keep > kiep "kip, şekil", bėėr- > bier- "give", yėė- > sie- "eat", yėėl > siel "rüzgâr")
• ıı > ıı (ııð > ııt, tııð > tııt- kıız > qııs, qıın > kıın)
• ii > ii (biir > biir, tiiş > tiis, kiir- > kiir- "enter", iil > iil)
• oo > uo (bool- > buol- "be", yool > suol "road", yook > suox "not", oon > uon "ten")
• öö > üö (söök- > üöx- "swear", öögren- > üören- "learn", köök > küök "sky", töört > tüört "four")
• uu > uu (suun- > uun- "sunmak", uur- > uur- "vurmak", buuz > buus (muus) "ice", suub > uu "water")
• üü > üü (küüð- > küüt- "wait", süüt > üüt "milk", küüç > küüs "strength", yüüz > süüs "100")
• ağ / ab > ıa (tağ > tıa "forest", yağ > sıa, ağrığ > ıarıı "ağrı", yaðağ > satı "yayan")
• ağı > ıa (bağır > bıar, sağız > ıas)
• ağu > uo (ağuz > uosax "fresh milk", ağız > uos "lip")
• oğ / ob > uo (toburğaq > tuorax "toprak", oğul > uol "son", boğuz > buos "boğaz")
• uğ / ub > uu (uruğ > uruu "nesil, soy", sub > uu "water")
• iğ > ıı [> ii] (sarığ > arıı "fat", ağrığ > ıarıı, qıðığ > kıtıı "kıyı", kığ > kıı > kii "pislik, gübre")
• eg > ie (tegir- > tier "çevirmek, döndürmek", yegen > sien "yeğen")
• eg > ii / iy (beg > bii, teg- > tiy- "touch")
• ög > öö (tögen > tüön "döven")
• üg > üü (yügen > ügün > üün "dizgin", tüg > tüü (tüy), külüg > külüü "famous")
• ig > ii (elig > ilii "hand", tirilig > tirlig > tillii "living", sigik (<sigdik)> iik "sidik")

Consonant stuff:

• j > s (jeti > sette "seven", jool > suol "road")
• intervocalic s > t (-si, -sı, -su, sü > -te, -ta, -to, -tö (3rd sg. possessive suffix))
• word-initial s > Ø (saal > aal "raft", sen > en "you")
• non-intervocalic z, ʃ > s (kıız > qııs "girl", kaaʃ > xaas "eyebrow")
• intervocalic z, ʃ > h (kiʃi > kihi "person", uzun > uhun "long")
• intervocalic d > t (adak > ataq "foot", "kadıŋ > xatıŋ "birch")

Old Turkic phonology

Old Turkic has nine vowel qualities—a /a/, e /æ/, ė /e/, i /i/, ï /ɯ/, o /o/, ö /ø/, u /u/, ü /y/—distinct only in the first syllable of a word, collapsed into four classes elsewhere—a, e, ï, i.

The consonantal system distinguishes between unvoiced, voiced (with fricative variants) and nasal:

labial: p, v (β), m;

dental: t, d (δ), n;

palatal: č, y, ń;

velar: k (q, χ), g (γ), ŋ;

sibilant: s, š, z;

liquid: r, l.

General Persian Phonology

This should be here too, since early Kypchak saw the beginnings of heavy borrowings

proto-Turkic to proto-Kypchak:

Shared with Old Turkic

• V̆ > ∅
• h > ∅ / #_

Not shared with Old Turkic

• nʲ > j
• b > m / #_…n
• G > K / _#
• d > t / _#
• d > t / #_ (kind of, since most later borrowings did this, but later ones from Mongolic, esp. in Kazakh; proto-Tc didn't have #d)
• V > [-rd] / []σ_
• b > v / V _
• v > w
• gm > mg
• rg > rg
• rd > dr (sometimes? just Kazakh?)
• Vg/b/d changes:
  • aG > aw
  • ɯG > ɯw
  • iG > iw
  • oG > uw
  • eb/æb > ew
  • ub > uw
  • øg > øj
  • ød > øj
  • (d > ð > j / V_)
  • (g > w / V _)
• ew > (øj >) yj
• æ > e (more æ added by Persian loans)
• s > tʃ / _Vtʃ
• a > æ / _ X V[-back]
• f > w / V _
• f > p
• ŋ > g / σ[_

s_ç → ç_ç

• seç- → çeç-
• sıç- → çıç-
• saç → çaç

proto-Kypchak to Kazakh:

Shared with Nogay and Karakalpak, known, inclusive

• ʃ > s
• tʃ > ʃ
• j > dʒ / #_ (not Qara Nogay)
• dʒ > ʒ (not Qara Nogay or Central Nogay)
• ɯw > ɯ / _# (not when morpheme boundary between; i.e., never with -(u)w)

Remainder

• æ > e / #[]σ_
• æ > a / _{x,q}
• æw > ew (?)
• mg > ŋb
• rd > jr
• ʕ > G
• f > w / _]σ
• CC > CIC / _]σ (sometimes)
• h,x > q / σ[_
• (q > x / _]σ)
• h > ∅ / _]σ
• K > G / l_
• ∅ > O / #_{r}
• i → ij / #_]σ (insan → ijnsan, it → ijt)

Kazakh phonology

Kazakh consonant phonemes

	Bilabial		Labio- dental		Dental/ Alveolar		Post- alveolar		Palatal		Velar/ Uvular		Glottal
Plosives	p	b			t	d					k	ɡ
Nasals	m				n						ŋ
Fricatives			(f)	(v)	s	z	ʃ	ʒ	(ɕ)		(x)		h
Affricates									(ʨ)
Tap					ɾ
Approximant	w								j
Lateral approximants					l

Kazakh vowel phonemes

	Front		Back
	Unrounded	Rounded	Unrounded	Rounded
High	ɪ	ʉ	ə	ʊ
Diphthongal	i̯ɪ	u̯ʉ		u̯ʊ
Low	æ		ɑ

proto-Kypchak to Kyrgyz:

• jI > I (sometimes?)
• b > m / V_V (sometimes?)
• resulting in long vowels
  • ɯw/uw > uː
  • iw/yw > yː
  • aw > oː
  • ew, æw > øː
  • G > ∅ / V_V
• affecting mostly persian borrowings
  • æ > Aː
  • Vh > Vː
  • h > ∅
  • ʕ > ∅
• j > dʒ / #_
• x > q
• nj > jn
• ∅ > U / #_{l,r}
• eg > ig
• key > kiy

Kyrgyz phonology

Vowels

	front		central1	back
	unrounded	rounded		unrounded	rounded
Close	и [i]	ү [y]		ы [ɯ]	у [u] ю [ju]
mid	э [e] е [je]	ө [ø]			о [o] ё [jo]
open				а [ɑ] я [jɑ]

Consonants

Kirghiz consonant phonemes:

	Bilabial	Dental/ alveolar	Post- alveolar	Palatal	Velar/ uvular
plosive	п б [p] [b]	т д [t] [d]			к г [k]/[q] [g]/[ʁ]
nasal	м [m]	н [n]			ң [ŋ]
trill		р [r]
fricative	(ф) (в) ([f]) ([v])	с з [s] [z]	ш [ʃ]		х [χ]
affricate			ч ж [t​͡ʃ] [d​͡ʒ]
approximant		л [l]		й [j]

Scratch

/m/ vs. /b/ vs. /p/

gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Uzbek	Tatar	Turkish	Uyghur	Tuvan	Sakha	Chuvash	Halaj
before, ago	murun	burın	burun		—		burun
nose	murun	murın	burun		burun		burungaar	мурун
pistachio	miste	piste	pista		fıstık
knife	bıçaq	pışaq	pichoq		bıçak		bižek	bıhax
cook/boil/ripen	bış(ır)-	pis(ir)-	pish-		piş-		piş-
ice	muz	muz	muz	boz	buz	muz	muz	buus/muus	pъʷr
grey	boz	boz	bo'z	büz	boz	boz/bos
pepper	murç	burış	murch		—
corner	burç	burış	burch				муннук
moustache	murut	murt	murt	(murt)	—	burut		бытык
1000	miŋ	mıŋ	ming	meŋ	bin	miŋ	muŋ	muŋ	pin
neck	moyun	moyın	bo'yin	muyın	boyun	boyun	moyun	моонњу	mъj	būun
height/shore/self/body	boy	boy	bo'y		boy	boy	bot/bod-		pü	bod
syllable, joint	muun	buwın	bo'g'in		boğum (node)
tower	munara/burana	munara	minora		minare
screw	bura	bura	bura		bur-
brave		märt	mard		mert
cat	mışıq	mısıq	mushuk	pesi	pişik
a musical instrument	qomuz	qobız	qo'biz				xomuz	qomus/qamıs
holiday	mayram	mayram	bayram		bayram		bayram
tabacco/cigarette	tameki	temeki					taakpy	табах
grandchild	nebere	nemere	evara					сиэн
cotton	paxta	maqta	paxta
fly	çımın	şıbın	chivin	çeben	cibin	çivin		сарсырҕа
soap	samın	sabın	sovun				saman
straw, thorn	saman/samal	saban	somon		saman	saman	savaŋ		šъʷma	sabana
bowl/plate	tabaq	tabaq	tovoq				tavak
food, throat	tamaq	tamaq/tağam	tomoq
rag	çüpürök	şüperek/şüberek
grammatical stuff
I	men	men	men	män	ben	män		мин
this	bu(l)	bul	bu		bu	bu		бу
at this, here	mında				—			манна
Q	-BI	MA	mi	-mI	mI	-mu
NEG	-BA	-MA	-ma	-mA	-mA	-mA

/l/ vs /n/ vs /r/

gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Uzbek	Tatar	Turkish	Russian
duty	mildet	mindet
illness	ildet	indet	illat		illet
shirt	köynök	köylek	ko'ylak		gömlek
wall	dubal	duwal	devor(/devol)		duvar
level	deŋgeel	deŋgey
snow leopard	ilbirs	—	ilvirs			irbis
genealogy	şanjıra?	şejire	shajara

/s/ and /t/ to /ç/

gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Uzbek	Tatar	Turkish
mouse	çıçqan	tışqan	sichqon		sıçan
hair	çaç	şaş / şäş	soch	çäç	saç
barber	çaç taraç	şaş taraz	sartarosh		tıraş

Syllable codas

gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Uzbek	Tatar	Turkish	Uyghur
-CC
drunk (P)	mas	mas	mast		mest
friend (P)	dos	dos	do'st	dus/dust-	dost	dos()t
-rC
pepper	murç	burış	murch		—
corner	burç	burış
property, domain	mülk	mülik	mulk
forty	qırq	qırıq	qirq		kırk
freedom/will	erk	erik	erk
Turk	türk	türik	turk		türk
Turkic		türki
sign(ificance)/authority	barq
screaming		barq
explosion/lightning (A)			barq
backwards	ters	teris	ters		ters
big cat (P)	bars	barıs	bars
hot-tempered/touchy	qırs	qırıs(…)
back	art	art
four	tört	tört	to'rt	dürt	dört
~homeland	jurt		yurt		yurt
old	qart	qart	qart(ay/ang)
salty cheese balls	qurut		qurut			qurut
worm		qurt	qurt
outside	sırt	sırt
brittle	mort	mort	mo'rt
pear	almurut	almurt
-NC
square	ayant
sugar (P)	qant	qant	qand
attention	qunt
eagerness/resolve/zeal (A)			qunt
treasure	kenç	keniş
young					genç
crush, grind, pound	janç-	janış(ta)-	yanch-
fame	daŋq	daŋq	dong
peace/quiet	tınç	tınış	tinch
gender	jınıs	jınıs	jins
-lC
giant/hero	alp	alıp	alp
false (A)	qalp	qalt???	qalb		kalp
heart/soul			qalb		kalp
shape/form/position/pattern/? (A)	qalıp	qalıp, qalp-	qolib
people (A)	qalq	xalıq	xalq		halk
onomatopœia of tears?	melt
	qalt
a quick/sudden movement	jalt	jalt	yalt
?lose	joğot-	joğalt-	yo'qot-	yuğalt-		yoqat-
key	(kilit)	kilt	kalit		kilit
nation	ulut	ult	ulus
cloud	bulut	bult	bulut
other
younger sister	siŋdi	siŋli	singil	siŋil/siŋli-		siŋil/siŋli-
brown/dark	qoŋur	qoŋır	qo'ng'ir/gungurt

Metathesis

gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Uzbek	Tatar	Turkish	Uyghur	Tuvan	Sakha	Halaj	Chuvash
lung	öpkö	ökpe	o'pka	üpkä	öfke	öpkä	ökpe		hikkä	öpke/üpke
freckle	sepkil	sekpil	sepkil/sepkül	sipkel	sivil	säpkä/säpkü/säpgün	sekpil	ebir
cover/gate/door	qapqa(q)	qaqpa(q)	qap(q)aq/qobuğ	qapqa(q)	kapak	qopeqoq/qopqe	qaqpaq	xappax		xobъ
tabacco/cigarette	tameki	temeki					taakpy
river	dayra	darıya	daryo
world	düynö	düniye	dunyo
rain	jamğır	jaŋbır	yomg'ir	yaŋğır	yağmur	yamğur/yaŋmur		samıır		śomъr
hard work	emgek	eŋbek	emgak		emek
brand(→sign(→letter))	tamğa	taŋba	tamg'a
spin, turn around	aylan-	aynal-	aylan-

• Kg. жалаңаяк ~ жыңайлак
• Kz. ağılşın - English
• Tr. keçi - cf. eçki
• Kz. mağan/sağan/oğan/soğan/osığan/etc.
• Kg. ajıdaar, Kz. ajdaha, aydahar < ajdar-hā (?)

Possibly really old metathesis

• tamğa ← tağ-ma?
• qalpaq ← qap-la-q? qap-luğa/lıq?
• çordon ← çentro

Long-distance sibilant stuff

gloss	reconstructable	Classical Mongolian	Old Turkic	SE/NW Turkic	SW Turkic	NE Turkic	Chuvash
heel	*ägöçäk?	ösegei/ösügei ← **egösei	ägöçäk	*ökçä	*ökçä	*ääçäk
goat, kid	*ägüçe?	*esige ← **egise	äçkü	*äçki	*käçi		kaçaka
felt	*ägäçä??	*isegei ← **egese(i)			*käçä		kɘɕɕe

ı / jı discrepancy

gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Uzbek	Tatar	Turkish	Uyghur	Tuvan	Sakha	Halaj	Chuvash	Old Turkic	Karakhanid
song	ır (jır)	jır	jir	jır (ır)	jır (ır)		ır	ırıa			ır	ır/jır
cry	ıyla-	jıla-	yig'la-	yıla-	ağla-	ağla-	ı(j)ıla-				ığla-	ığla-/yığla-
tree/wood	jığaç	ağaş	yog'och		ağaç	yağaç		ɨ̃jaš	hağaç	jɨvъś	ığaç	yığaç
swift	ıldam	jıldam	ildam, ildam-jildam

Arabic words with w-

Arabic words that start with w

Arabic word	gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Uzbek	Tatar	Turkish
vazir	vezir	ubazir
vaqt?	time	(u)waqıt	waqıt	vaqt	vaqıt	vakit
waTan	homeland	ootan	otan	vatan	vatan	vatan
	representative	ökül	ökil	vakil	väkil	vekil
	occurrence	oquya	oqıyğa	voqea	vaqıyğa	vuku(at) ?

ë

• Kyrgyz butaq ‘branch’, Tuvan bùduq ‘twig’
• -I, Sakha -A
• aşıq/oşaq ??
• Kazakh a~ɯ problem

ŋ/ng/nk/etc

gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Uzbek
wheel	döŋgelek	döŋgelek/doŋğalaq	do'ngalak
round (circular), circle (n./adj.)	tegerek	döŋgelek	to'garak
round (spherical)	toğoloq	domalaq	dumaloq/yumaloq
something	bir deme	bir-deme
nothing	eç teke	eşteŋe
older brother's wife	jeŋe/jeŋeʃe	jeŋge/jeŋeşe
shadow	kölökö	köleŋke	ko'lanka
bell	qoŋğuroo	qoŋıraw	qo'ng'iroq
fan	jelpiŋgiç/jelpigiç	jelpigiş	yelpig'ich
woodpecker	toŋquldaq	toqıldaq

d/t

gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Uzbek
voice	dobuş?	dawıs
sound	dabış?	dabıs?	tovush/dovush?
sound (ling)	tıbış	dıbıs
wheel	döŋgölök	döŋgelek/doŋğalaq	do'ngalak
round (circular), circle (n./adj.)	tegerek	döŋgelek	to'garak
round (spherical)	toğoloq	domalaq	dumaloq/yumaloq
field	taala	dala	dala/tola (dial.)
moreover	dağı	tağı

Multiple words, similar origin?

• "sound/voice"
  • Kyrgyz dobuş (voice?), dabış (sound), tıbış (language sound)
  • Kazakh dawıs (voice), dabıs (same?), dıbıs (language sound)
  • Uzbek tovush/dovush (sound/voice)

• "wheel/round/cirlce" - Turkic words for round and high things
  • Kazakh döŋgelek (wheel, round/circular), doŋğalaq (wheel, dial.), domalaq (round/spherical)
  • Kyrgyz döŋgölök (wheel), tegerek (round/circular), toğoloq (round/spherical)
  • Uzbek do'ngalak (wheel), to'garak (round/circular), dumaloq/yumaloq (round/spherical)

• "new/anew/again/and" - Turkic words for new and again

Epenthetic vowels

gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Uzbek	Tatar	Turkish	Uyghur	Tuvan	Sakha	Chuvash	Halaj
bridge	köpürö	köpir	ko'prik
chest	kökürök	kökirek	ko'krak
neighbour	qoşuna		qo'shni

K/G

front/back differences

gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Tatar	Uzbek
hammer	balqa	balğa		bolg'a
currant	qarağat	qaraqat		qorag'at
blackberry	büldürkön	büldirgen

I/E

front/back differences

gloss	Kyrgyz	Kazakh	Tatar	Uzbek
mill	tegirmen	tiyirmen	tegermän	tegirmon
name (arabic?)	ısım	esim		ism
rarely	seerek	siyrek		siyrak
later	kiyin	keyin		keyin
mare	bee	biye		biya
baby	aldey	äldiy
some	kee	key
jaw	eek	iyek
toddler	nariste	närestey
story	aŋgeme	äŋgime
shoulder	iyin	iyin		egin
crop/grain	egin	egin		ekin

Other Stuff

• илбирс / ирбис
• ұқсас / окшош
• сөйле- / сүйлө-
• бидай / буудай
• ұлу / үлүл
• жиек / жээк // жиен / жээн
• жырғау / жыргал

Fate of word-final lenis series

		i	ü	e	ö	a	o	ı	u
b				*eb ‘house’					*sub ‘water’
				*tebe ‘camel’
d				*ed(-gü) ‘good’			*bod ‘stature’		*qud- ‘pour’
				*ede ‘master’		*adaq ‘foot’	*boda- ‘paint’
g						*tāğ ‘mountain’		-lIğ	*būg ‘steam’
				*yegen ‘nephew via sister’	*ögür ‘herd’ *ögey ‘unrelated’	*bağır ‘liver’	*soğul- ‘dry off’ oğul ‘son’ soğıq ‘cold’		*suğur ‘marmot’
Kyrgyz	b			üy					sū
				tȫ
	d			iygi			boy		quy-
				ē		ayaq	boyo-
	g					tō		-lŪ	bū
				jēn	üyür ögöy	bōr	sōl-/ūl/sūq		sūr
Altay	b			üy					sū
				tȫ
	d						boy
							poyo-
	g							-lU	tū
					ǖr öy		sōl-/sōq
Kazakh	b			üy					suw
				tüye
	d			iygi			boy		quy-
				iye		ayaq	boya-
	g					taw	-lI		buw
				jiyen	üyir ögey	bawır	suwal-/ul/suwıq		suwır
Chuvash	b			av-					şıv
				təʷve					səʷvəʷr
	d						pü		xıv-
						ura	pəʷve-
	g					tu			pəʷv
						pəʷver	sıval-//sive
Uyghur	b			öy					su
				tögä
	d						boy		quy-
						ayaq	boya-
	g					tağ		-liq	buğ
						beğir	soğaq
Uzbek	b			uy					suv
				tuya
	d						boy		quy-
						åyåq	boya-
	g					tåğ		-liq	buğ
					uyur ogey		såvuq		suğur
Turkmen	b			öy					suv
				düye
	d			eygi			boy		ğuy-
							boya-
	g					dāğ			būğ
					(ȫr-) ögey/övey		sovuq
Sakha	b								ū
				taba
	d			ütüö					kut-
						atax	butuy-
	g					tıa
					üör (egian)	bıar	uol-/
Tuvan	b			ög					suğ
				teve
	d			eki			bot
						adaq	budu-
	g					dağ
					ȫr	bār	sōl-/sōk
Khakas	b			ib					suğ
				tibe
	d						pos		xus-
						azax
	g					tağ
					ȫr ȫy		sōl-
Khalaj	b			häv					suw
	d						bod
						hadaq	boda-
	g					tāğ
							sovuq
Turkish	b			ev
				deve
	d			iyi			boy		(kuy-)
						ayak	boya-
	g					dā		-lI
					öyür üvey	bāır	sōul-/sōuk
Salar	b
				töje, töüvä, tüvi
	d			ī			(boy-)
							(boya-)
	g
						bağır	soχ
Shor	b
	d						(poz-)		(qus-)
	g
					ȫr ȫy		sōq
Sary Yugur	b
				te, ti
	d						poz		quz-
	g
						bağır	soq