kir ISO 639

кыргыз тили‎ (Kyrgyz tili), кыргызча‎ (Kyrgyzcha) Autonyms

Kyrgyz

  • Geography

    KG Widespread.
  • Language Cloud

A language of Kyrgyzstan

kir
Kara-Kirgiz, Kirghiz, Kirgiz
кыргыз тили‎ (Kyrgyz tili), кыргызча‎ (Kyrgyzcha)
4,510,000 in Kyrgyzstan (2018). Ethnic population: 3,800,000 (2009 census). Total users in all countries: 5,132,100.
Widespread.
Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
1 (National). Statutory national language (2010, Constitution, Art 5 (1)).
Turkic, Western, Aralo-Caspian
Northern Kyrgyz, Southern Kyrgyz. Lexical similarity: 53% with Chuvash [chv]; 55% with Yakut [sah]; 59% with Turkish [tur] and Tuvan [tyv]; 62% with Northern Azerbaijani [azj]; 69% with Khakas [kjh] and Turkmen [tuk]; 73% with Southern Altai [alt]; 74% with Karachay-Balkar [krc]; 76% with North Uzbek [uzn]; 78% with Bashkort [bak] and Uyghur [uig]; 80% with Tatar [tat]; 91% with Kazakh [kaz].
SOV; postpositions; no articles; case-marking (7 cases); verb affixes mark person, number; passives; tense; 19 consonant and 8 vowel phonemes; non-tonal; stress on final syllable; vowel harmony.
L1 for 98% of Kyrgyz. The Ichkilik are a Kyrgyz-speaking people of non-Kyrgyz origin. Also use Russian [rus].
Schools in Kyrghyz. Newspapers. Radio. TV. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1995–2004.
Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab], used in China. Cyrillic script [Cyrl], not used in Afghanistan. Latin script [Latn], used in Turkey.
The names Eastern Kyrghyz and Western Kyrghyz have been erroneously applied to Kazakh. Increasing education. Muslim, Buddhist.
OLAC resources in and about Kyrgyz
Kyrgyz
750 in Afghanistan (2000). 450 in the Great Pamir; a few in Badakhshan.
Badakhshan province: Wakhan district, Great Pamir and Little Pamir valleys.
5 (Dispersed)
Afghan Kyrgyz do not read Cyrillic script.
Non-indigenous. Muslim.
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Kyrgyz
160,000 in China (2000 census). 60,000 Northern Kirghiz, 40,000 Southern Kirghiz (Shearer and Sun 2002). Older adults monolingual. Ethnic population: 187,000 (2010 census).
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region: Akqi, Akto, Baicheng, Tekes, Wuqia, Wushi, and Zhaosu counties.
Southern Kyrgyz, Northern Kyrgyz.
2 (Provincial)
Vigorous. All domains. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Also use Mandarin Chinese [cmn]. Also use Uyghur [uig]. Used as L2 by Sarikoli [srh].
Literacy rate in L1: 80%–85%. Literacy rate in L2: 59%. Taught in a few primary and secondary schools, though this is in decline; taught as subject in some schools.
Muslim, traditional religion.
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Kyrgyz
9,050 in Germany (2020 census), based on nationality.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Kyrgyz
17,200 in Kazakhstan (2009 census). Ethnic population: 23,300 (2009 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Kyrgyz
80,300 in Russian Federation (2010 census). Ethnic population: 103,000 (2010 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Kyrgyz
71,400 in Tajikistan (2017). Ethnic population: 152,000 (2017).
Kuhistoni Badakhshon region and Regions of Republican Subordination.
5 (Dispersed)
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Kyrgyz
1,400 in Turkmenistan (Leclerc 2019b), based on ethnicity.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Kyrgyz
Kars and Van provinces.
5 (Dispersed)
Non-indigenous. Refugees from Afghanistan; now Turkish citizens. Muslim.
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Kyrgyz
282,000 in Uzbekistan (2019).
Andijon, Farg’ona, and Namangan regions: scattered.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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