Azerbaijani language

Spoken in

• Altaic languages Turkic languages Oghusische languages Westoghusisch Azerbaijani

Az

Aze

Aze ( macro language )

Included Single Languages:

• AZJ ( Nordaserbaidschanisch )
• Azb ( Südaserbaidschanisch )

The Azerbaijani language (proper names Azərbaycan dili, Azəricə, Azərbaycanca ) belongs to the southwestern Turkic languages ​​. It is the official language in Azerbaijan and the closest relative of the Turkish. The modern Azerbaijani literary language based on the Baku dialect, which is heavily influenced by Turkish. Azerbaijani is today with about 14 million native speakers, the most important Turkic in Iran.

• 6.1 Uniform Turkish alphabet ( 1929-39 )
• 6.2 First variant of the Cyrillic alphabet ( 1939-57 )
• 6.3 Final version of the Cyrillic alphabet (until 1991 )
• 6.4 Creating a new Turkish alphabet (since 1991 /92)
• 6.5 Südaserbaidschanisch

• 9.1 encyclopedias

Written languages

The written until 1929 in perso - Arabic alphabet literary language of Azerbaijan is inseparably connected with the Ottoman Turkish. The Ottoman texts are often identical to their Azerbaijani counterparts.

With the introduction of the unified Turkish alphabet, which was introduced in 1922 during a Muslim congress in Baku, Azerbaijani 1929-1938 / 39 was written in Latin letters. With the introduction of a compulsory Russian lessons that Azerbaijan has been transliterated from no later than 1939 in a modified Cyrillic alphabet.

With the beginning of the collapse of the Soviet Union (1988 /89) the Azerbaijan SSR was oriented more to the west, and thus towards the NATO partner Turkey. As the first Turkstaat on the floor of the former USSR in 1991 led an authentic Latin -based writing system.

Alternative designations

Until about 1936, the Azerbaijani was incorrectly referred to generally as " Tatar ". The Azerbaijanis themselves called their language then only Turki (Turkish), Azeri (pronounced Azeri ) or Azerbaijani Turkish.

In the Soviet Union called the language " Азәрбајҹанҹа " ( Azerbaijani ).

After 1989, the language was alternately as " Azərbaycan Türkcəsi " (Azerbaijan - Turkish or Azerbaijani Turkish) and referred to as " Türkcə " or " Turquoise " (Turkish ). They were followed after 1990, the terms " Azərbaycanca " ( Azerbaijani ), " Türk dili " ( Turkish language ), " Azərice " ( Azeri or Azeri ). In Iran, the Azeri is called آذربایجانجا Azərbaycanca ( Azerbaijani ).

Also by the Russians was spoken until 1992 only by " Azeri -Turkish ," which had its counterpart in the Azerbaijani Azəri Türkcəsi. This term is used today, however, only by the Turkish Turkish Studies continue.

Dissemination

Azeri is spoken in Azerbaijan, Iran ( Iranian Azerbaijan), Turkey and in many countries of the former Soviet Union. In Turkey, let all the dialects of the ancient province of Kars expected to Azerbaijan. So in the census ( 1979) in the area of ​​present-day Republic of Azerbaijan gave 5.78 million people as a native language Azerbaijani and about 27% of minorities as a second language. In addition, this language was also spoken by around 860,000 people in the territory of the former USSR: 300 474 in Georgia, 282 713 in Russia (90 % in Dagestan ) 84 590 78 460 in Armenia and Kazakhstan. The estimated 180000-400000 Turkmen people of Iraq are mostly regarded as Speaker of Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani is now generally divided into two main blocks: the " Nordaserbaidschanische " ( Azerbaijani Quzey Azərbaycan Türkcəsi " nordaserbaidschanisches Turkish " and Şimal Azərbaycan Türkcəsi " Northern Azerbaijan - Turkish " ), which is the state language of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In addition, the " Südaserbaidschanische " ( Azerbaijani Güney Azərbaycan Türkcəsi " südaserbaidschanisches Turkish " and Cənub Azərbaycan Türkcəsi " Southern Azerbaijan - Turkish " ) is in Iran today as a minority language spoken.

The main difference between the two versions is that the Nordaserbaidschanische been heavily influenced by Russian and the Südaserbaidschanische from the Persian.

The nordaserbaidschanische variant is the mother tongue of around 7.5 million people, 4 million more are bilingual. It is divided into numerous dialects which radiate far south and in the west: Quba, Derbent, Baku, Şemaxa, Saliani, Lənkorən, Qazax, Airym, Borcala, Terekeme, Qızılbaş, Nuqa, Zaqatalı ( Mugalı ) Kutkas, Erevan, Naxçevan, Ordubad, Qirovabad, Shusha ( Qarabaq ) and Qarapapax.

The Südaserbaidschanische is spoken 14 to 17 million people, or about 20-24 % of the Iranian population. This figure also includes the approximately 290,000 Afshar, 5000 Aynallu, 7500 Bahārlu, 1000 Moqaddam, 3500 Nafar, 1000 Pişagçi, 3000 Qajar, 2000 Qaragozlu and 65,000 Şahsavani (1978 ) are included. Of these, by the Iranian government around 9.8 million will be recognized as " Azerbaijani minority." Also the Südaserbaidschanische is divided into numerous dialects: Aynallu ( Inallu, Inanlu ) Qarapapak, Təbriz, Afsari ( Afşar, Afshar ), Şahsavani ( Şahseven ) Moqaddam, Bahārlu ( Khamseh ) Nafar, Qaragozlu, Pişagçi, Bayat and Qajar. Controversial, however, is the linguistic affiliation of the so-called " Khorasan Turks" in northeastern Iran. From a linguistic point that language is Turkmen and Uzbek between the modern and can probably be considered a transitional dialect between two Turkic languages ​​.

Around 5,000 spokesman for the Südaserbaidschanischen live today in Afghanistan. Are the ethnic group of Iraqi Turkmens who referred to their home state as " Iraq Turk" and a head number between 900,000 (UN data) and 2.5 million ( self-reported ) are estimated, and the 30,000 Turks in Syria ( 1961) generally as Speaker of the Südaserbaidschanischen. The discrepancy between the statements made in Iraq is due to the colonial experience, ie the Ottoman Empire: Turkish was in many parts of the country as their language, just inside the Kurdish nobility and the urban population, so that one of the actual number of Turkmen and Turkish-speaking people must be different; especially in cities such as Kirkuk, Mosul and Arbil was Turkish vernacular and was only with the founding of the state of Iraq slowly through Arabic, later by Kurdish, displaced, so that the actual number of Turkish people exceeds the two million mark, while the number of Turkmen is to be set lower than.

As an independent Azerbaijan -Turkish dialects are the languages ​​of the Teimurtaş, which is also known as " Teimuri ", " Timuri " or " Taimouri " in Māzandarān. This comes from Uzbek- Turkmen root, and approximately 7,000 speakers lead back to the Mongol ruler Timur. The ethnic group of Salçug ( Kerman province ) are considered descendants of the Seljuks, while the origin of the Qaşqai is not fully understood. But is well established that their ancestors were mostly oghusischer origin.

2010 it is estimated the number of Azerbaijani speakers to a total of 23-30 million. According to the CIA Handbook about 16.33 million living in Iran. This is supposed to be the most credible indication. Other sources depending on the political perspective to higher or lower numbers. Ethnologue and some language researchers such as Ernst Kausen go but also by about 23 million native speakers in Iran, where there are 40 million worldwide speakers if you count the number of second speaker.

Several hundred Südaserbaidschaner live in Jordan, where they are attributed to the " Turks". However, they refer to themselves as " Turkmen ".

The Azerbaijani language was also adopted by the representatives of some national minorities as Lezgins and Talischen as a cultural language. The Azerbaijan became the basis for the language development of the Central Asian Turkic languages ​​related. The Azerbaijani grammar became the basis of the Uzbek and especially the Turkmen. Also, the Kazakh and Kyrgyz was influenced in the 1930s greatly from Azerbaijan.

The Language Code "is az or aze ( ISO 639). The code from ISO 639-2 is AZE.

Classification options

The Azerbaijan is classified sometimes different. So lists the " Fischer Lexicon languages ​​" (1961), the Azerbaijani as follows:

• Turkic languages western branch Bolgarische group

• Oghusisch - Turkmen
• Oghusisch - Bolgarisch
• Oghusisch - Seljuk Azerbaijani

In contrast, the divided " Metzler Lexikon Sprache " (1993), the Azerbaijani as follows:

• Turkic languages Southwest Turkish ( Oghusisch ) Azerbaijani

The current rating is listed in the article Turkic languages ​​.

History and alphabets

The Azerbaijani was formed together with the Ottoman in the 11th century out. It was written in the Perso- Arabic alphabet. The Arabic alphabet was used in Azerbaijan until the 1920s.

From 1813 Persia was forced to cede as a result of the Russo- Persian frontier wars in the Caucasus, the former Persian province of Arran and northern parts of the province of Azerbaijan to the victorious Russian Empire. After certain Ottoman territories in the region fell to Russia, there were massive resettlement of Armenians ( from the Ottoman Empire and of Arran ) in the Christian Russian occupied territories of the former Persian province of Armenia and the Azerbaijan - Turks from Armenia and other areas into the now filled by Russians province of Arran. Thus, the Azerbaijan Turks were now as a people between two states - divided - Russia and Persia. To expand Russian territorial claims against Iran, the province Arran was also renamed to " Azerbaijan ", while the southern part, the historical Azerbaijan, remained in Persian possession. The northern areas, the former (from Russia annexed ) Province of Arran, now forms the state of Azerbaijan. The southern regions of Azerbaijan today is divided into three Iranian provinces (see: Azerbaijan in Iran ).

With Now that the separation of the northern dialects of Azerbaijani -Turkish - of them went in the subsequent period the " New Azerbaijan " out - remained the southern language area on the sound level of the ancient Azerbaijan -Turkish.

1922 developed Azerbaijani reform forces a Latin alphabet they Uniform Turkish alphabet or Yeni Yol ( " new way") called. This alphabet they made in 1923 in Baku a Turcologists Congress before. This alphabet was so well developed that it has been made ​​mandatory for all non-Slavic languages ​​of the USSR until 1930. With the acquisition, the Südaserbaidschanische became independent to a certain extent, as it is now even more came under Persian influence, and it retained the Arabic alphabet.

But in the course of compulsory imported Russian lessons had to be written off in 1940 in a modified Cyrillic alphabet Azerbaijani.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Turkey -Turkish alphabet was introduced by a law adopted on December 25, 1991 Law in Azerbaijan, which was supplemented with 5 additional characters. This alphabet is called now - works as well as in neighboring Turkey - "New Turkish alphabet ". The representatives of all Turkic countries had decided at a meeting in Ankara ( 1990) to draw up for the Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan within 15 years a Latin alphabet, which should be closely linked to the modern Turkish alphabet.

On 1 August 2001, by a decree of the President Heydər Əliyev alone the Latin alphabet for the official correspondence binding and the Cyrillic script - finally abolished - over the protests of Russia and the Russian minority in the country.

In the Russian Dagestan, where about 130,000 Azerbaijanis live, also has the Azerbaijani language as a recognized minority language in official status, there is, however, still be written in the Cyrillic alphabet.

And pan-Turkish militant Südaserbaidschaner use today in addition to the Arab and the modern Turkey and Azerbaijan Latin alphabets.

Azerbaijani alphabet

Styles of writing

Uniform Turkish alphabet ( 1929-39 )

Butun insanlar ləƶaqət və huqyqlarƅna gɵrə azad vǝ bǝrabǝr doƣylyrlar. Onarƅn şuurlarƅ vǝ vicdanlarƅ var vǝ bir - birlǝrinǝ munasibǝtdǝ qardaålƅq rynhynda davranmalƅdƅrlar.

First variant of the Cyrillic alphabet ( 1939-57 )

Бүтүн йнсанлар ләяагәт вә һүгуларьна ҝөрә азад вә бәрабәр доғулурлар. Онлрьн шүурларь вә виҹданларь вар вә бир - бирләринә мүнасибәтдә гардашльг рунһунда давранмальдьрлар.

Final version of the Cyrillic alphabet (until 1991 )

Бүтүн йнсанлар ләјагәт вә һүгуларына ҝөрә азад вә бәрабәр доғулурлар. Онлрын шүурлары вә виҹданлары вар вә бир - бирләринә мүнасибәтдә гардашлыг рунһунда давранмалыдырлар.

New Turkish alphabet (since 1991 /92)

Bütün insanlar ləyaqət və hüquqlarına göre azad və bərabər doğulurlar. Onların şüurları və vicdanları var və bir - birlərinə münasibətdə qardaşlıq ruhunda davranmalıdırlar.

Südaserbaidschanisch

بوتون اينسانلار حيثييت و حاقلار باخيميندان دنك ( برابر ) و اركين ( آزاد ) دوغولارلار. اوس ( عقل ) و اويات ( ويجدان ) ييهسيديرلر و بير بيرلرينه قارشى قارداشليق روحو ايله داورانماليدرلار.

Bütün insanlar heysiyyət və haqlar baxımından dənk ( bərabər ) və doğularlar ərkin ( azad ). Us ( əql ) və uyat ( vicdan ) yiyəsidirlər və bir birlərinə qarşı qardaşlıq ruhu ilə davranmalıdırlar.

(Article 1 of the Human Rights)

Teaching

In the 1980s and 1990s, numerous publications and dictionaries created by the German researchers Nemat Rahmati Azerbaijan ( Azerbaijani Chrestomatie, Azerbaijani -German Dictionary, Tapmacalar ), Yusif Xalilov ( German - Azerbaijani dictionary ).

2004 was the German - Azerbaijani dictionary of Yazdani, a Berlin Türkologen. The Baku Germanist Amina Aliyeva published the first textbook of the German for Azerbaijanis in Azerbaijani language.

Today, the Azerbaijani taught at German universities in Bochum, Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt am Main. The University of Vienna also offered from 2001 to 2003 the introduction into Azeri ( taught by Nasimi Aghayev ) to.