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Kypchak
Geographic distribution:	Kypchak-Bolgar   Kypchak-Cuman   Kazakh-Nogay
Genetic classification:	Turkic  Kypchak
Subdivisions:	Kypchak-Bolgar Group Kypchak-Cuman Group Kazakh-Nogay Group

The Kypchak languages (also known as the Kipchak, Qypchaq, or Northeastern Turkic languages), are a major branch of the Turkic language family spoken by more than 12 million people in an area spanning from Lithuania to China.

Contents 1 Linguistic Features 1.1 Shared Features 1.2 Unique Features 2 Classification 3 See also 4 References

The Kypchak languages share a number of features that have led linguists to classify them together. Some of these features are shared with other Turkic languages; others are unique to the Kypchak language family.

• Change of Proto-Turkic *d to /j/ (e.g. *hadaq > ajaq "foot")
• Loss of initial *h sound (preserved only in Khalaj. See above example.)

• Extensive labial vowel harmony (e.g. olor vs. olar "them")
• Frequent affrication of initial /j/ (e.g. *jetti > ʒetti "seven")

The Kypchak languages may be broken down into three groups, based on geography and shared features:

• Kypchak-Bolgar (Uralo-Caspian), including Bashkir and Tatar (including Siberian Tatar, Mishar Tatar, Astrakhan Tatar, Baraba Tatar, etc.)

• Kypchak-Cuman (Ponto-Caspian), including Karachay-Balkar, Kumyk, Karaim, Krymchak, and the extinct Cuman and Kipchak languages. Urum and Crimean Tatar appear to have a Kypchak-Cuman base, but have been heavily influenced by Oghuz languages.

• Kazakh-Nogay, including Kazakh, Karakalpak, and Nogay

Literary Kyrgyz has been heavily influenced by the Kypchak languages, especially Kazakh, but it appears that it belongs in a separate family with Altay.

The Uzbek language's Kypchak dialect contains the remainder of Kypchak languages that were once spoken in Uzbekistan, and there is a dialect continuum between Uzbek and Kazakh.

The language of the Mamluks in Egypt appears to have been a Kypchak language, probably one belonging to the Kypchak-Cuman group.

• Kipchaks

• Johanson, Lars and Csató, Éva Ágnes (1998). The Turkic Languages. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-08200-5. 

• Menges, Karl H. (1995). The Turkic Languages and Peoples. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 3-447-03533-1. 

Altaic languages
Turkic languages • Mongolic languages • Tungusic languages • Buyeo languages* Notes: *A hypothetic language family that includes Korean and the Japonic languages.

v • d • e Turkic languages
Bolgar	Bolgar† | Chuvash | Hunnic† | Khazar†
Uyghur	Old Turkic† | Aini²| Chagatay† | Ili Turki | Lop | Uyghur | Uzbek
Kypchak	Baraba | Bashkir | Crimean Tatar¹ | Cuman† | Karachay-Balkar | Karaim | Karakalpak | Kazakh | Kipchak† | Krymchak | Kumyk | Nogay | Tatar | Urum¹|Altay | Kyrgyz
Oghuz	Afshar | Azerbaijani | Crimean Tatar¹ | Gagauz | Khorasani Turkish | Ottoman Turkish† | Pecheneg† | Qashqai | Salar | Turkish | Turkmen | Urum¹
Khalaj	Khalaj
Northeastern	Chulym | Dolgan | Fuyü Gïrgïs | Khakas | Northern Altay | Shor | Tofa | Tuvan | Western Yugur | Sakha / Yakut
Notes: ¹Listed in more than one group, ²Mixed language, †Extinct