KAZAKH (Kazakhstan)

Family
Central-(Kipchak)-Turkish

Country
Kazakhstan

Language code
KAZ

Continent
Asia

Alternate language names
KAZAK, KAISAK, KOSACH, QAZAQ

Dialect names
NORTHEASTERN KAZAKH, SOUTHERN KAZAKH, WESTERN KAZAKH

Genetic affiliation
Altaic,Turkic, Western, Aralo-Caspian

Geographical region
Kazakhstan, northern Soviet Middle Asia and into western Siberia. Also in Germany

Population
6,556,000 in Kazakhstan (1979 cen- sus), 98% speak it as mother tongue; 1,111,718 in China (1990); 100,000 in Mongolia (1991); 3,000 in Iran (1982); 2,000 in Afghanistan; 600 or more in Turkey (1982); 8,000,000 total or more (1990 IBT)

Bilingual in
Russian, Uzbek

New Testament printings
1820-1910

Printings of whole books of Bible
1818-1989

Status
Work in progress

Remarks
Cyrillic script. Minor dialect differences. Increasing ethnic pride and feelings of Islamic brotherhood. Increasing education in Kazakh. Many speak Russian as second language. Semi-nomadic. The names 'Eastern Kirghiz' and 'Western Kirghiz' have been erroneously applied to Kazakh.

Subsistence type
Traditionally pastoralists, now agriculturalists, industrialists

Grammar typology
SOV

Radio use
Yes

Total speakers
8,000,000 or more

Religion
Sunni Muslim

Also in
Afghanistan, China, Iran, Turkey, Mongolia, Germany, Russia