A new criterion in the classification of kipchak dialects of Turkish: Vocal anaptyxes

Abstract

The classification of the Turkish dialects, which are spread over a large geography, dates back to very early times. In the 11th century, Mahmut Kashgari tried to compare Turkish dialects in the Divan Lugati't-Türk according to certain criteria. But the classification of Turkish dialects has been scientifically based on the use of comparative linguistic methods from the beginning of the 19th century. With both qualitative and distinctive phonological and formal criteria, Turkish dialects have been classified in different studies today. However, some distinctive features have not been included in the dialect classification. This study is centered on vowel insertions between the word-final consonant pairs and their origins in the historical and contemporary Kipchak Turkish dialects. © 2017 Hacettepe University 1. All rights reserved.