Gagauz language

Not to be confused with Balkan Gagauz Turkish.
Gagauz
Gagauz dili
Gagauzça
Gagauz in Latin and Cyrillic scripts
Pronunciation[ɡɑɡɑˈuzt͡ʃɑ]
Native toMoldova, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey
RegionGagauzia
EthnicityGagauz
Native speakers
148,720 (total speakers), 115,000 (in Moldova) (2014)[1]
Turkic
Latin (Gagauz alphabet, current)
Cyrillic (historical)
Greek (historical)[2]
Official status
Official language in
Gagauzia (Moldova)
Recognised minority
language in
Language codes
ISO 639-3gag
Glottologgaga1249
ELPGagauz
Linguaspherepart of 44-AAB-a
Gagauz is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (2010)
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Gagauz (gagauz dili or gagauzça) is a Turkic language spoken by the Gagauz people of Moldova, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey and it is an official language of the Autonomous Region of Gagauzia in Moldova. Gagauz belongs to the Oghuz branch of Turkic languages, alongside Azerbaijani, Turkmen, and Turkish. Gagauz is a distinct language from Balkan Gagauz Turkish to some degree.[5][6]

Though it was established as a written language in 1957, Gagauz was not used in schools until 1959.[7] Gagauz is a language derived from Balkan Gagauz Turkish; Balkan linguistics was the first to view the consequences of language contact as normal rather than corrupt.[8] The term "Gagauz language" and the identification of one's language as "Gagauz" were established concurrently with or even after the creation of national self-awareness.[9] About 150,000 Gagauz resided in Moldova in 1986, where they lived in settlements within the Comrat, Ceadîr-Lunga and Vulcănești Rayons.[10] Along with the majority of the Gagauz living in Moldova, there are four cities in Bulgaria in which the Gagauz reside.[11]

  1. ^ Gagauz at Ethnologue (23rd ed., 2020) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Ciachir, M. (1933). Basarabialâ gagauzlarân istoriassi. Chișinău. p. 133.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ What languages does the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages apply to?
  4. ^ "Про затвердження переліку мов національних меншин (спільнот) та корінних народів України, яким загрожує зникнення". Official webportal of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. 7 June 2024.
  5. ^ Lewis, M. Paul, ed. (2009). "Language Family Trees: Altaic, Turkic, Southern, Turkish". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  6. ^ Higgins, Andrew (2023-10-04). "'Our Language Is Dying'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  7. ^ Menz, Astrid (2000). "Indirectivity in Gagauz". In Johanson, Lars; Utas, Bo (eds.). Evidentials: Turkic, Iranian and Neighbouring Languages. Mouton de Gruyter. p. 103. ISBN 978-3-11-080528-4.
  8. ^ Friedman, Victor A. (2011). "The Balkan Languages and Balkan Linguistics". Annual Review of Anthropology. 40: 275–291. doi:10.1146/annurev-anthro-081309-145932. JSTOR 41287733.
  9. ^ Kvilinkova, E. N. (2013). "The Gagauz Language Through the Prism of Gagauz Ethnic Identity". Anthropology & Archeology of Eurasia. 52: 74–94. doi:10.2753/AAE1061-1959520105. S2CID 144122722.
  10. ^ Varsahr, A. M.; Spitsyn, V. A.; Bychcovscaya, L. S.; Kravchuk, O. I. (2001). "To the research of the gene pool of the Gagauz population of Moldavia". Anthropologischer Anzeiger. 59 (1): 11–17. doi:10.1127/anthranz/59/2001/11. JSTOR 29540987. PMID 11360805.
  11. ^ Chinn, Jeff; Roper, Steven D. (1998). "Territorial Autonomy in Gagauzia". Nationalities Papers: The Journal of Nationalism and Ethnicity. 26 (1): 87–101. doi:10.1080/00905999808408552. S2CID 154359743.