Khalaj language
Turkic language spoken in western Iran / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Khalaj is a Turkic language spoken in Iran. Although it contains many old Turkic elements, it has become widely Persianized.[6][7] Khalaj has about 150 words of uncertain origin.[5]: 32
Khalaj | |
---|---|
خلج | |
Native to | Iran |
Region | Distributed throughout a number of villages in the Markazi Province from Qom to Ashtian and Tafresh[1] |
Ethnicity | Khalaj |
Native speakers | 19,000 (2018)[2] to 20,000[3] |
Dialects |
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Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | klj |
Glottolog | turk1303 |
ELP | Khalaj |
Map of the location of the Khalaj Language. | |
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. |
Surveys have found that most young Khalaj parents do not pass the language on to their children; only 5% of families teach their children the language.[2]
Khalaj language is a descendant of an old Turkic language called Arghu.[4][8] The 11th-century Turkic lexicographer Mahmud al-Kashgari was the first person to give written examples of the Khalaj language, which are mostly interchangeable with modern Khalaj.[7]
Gerhard Doerfer, who rediscovered Khalaj, demonstrated that it was an independent branch from Common Turkic.[8]