Karachay-Balkar language facts for kids

The Karachay-Balkar language (Къарачай-Малкъар /Qarachay-Malqar/) is a Turkic language spoken by the Karachays and Balkars people. It is mainly used in two regions of Russia: Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. About 400,000 people speak this language.

What is the Karachay-Balkar Language?

The Karachay-Balkar language belongs to the Turkic language family. This family includes many languages spoken across Central Asia, Siberia, and parts of Europe. Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Kazakh are other well-known Turkic languages.

Who Speaks Karachay-Balkar?

The language is spoken by two closely related groups of people: the Karachays and the Balkars. These groups live in the Caucasus Mountains region of Russia. They share a similar culture and history.

Karachay and Balkar Dialects

The Karachay-Balkar language has two main ways of speaking, called dialects. These are the Karachay dialect and the Balkar dialect. The main difference between them is how they pronounce certain sounds. For example, some sounds might be pronounced slightly differently in each dialect.

Where is Karachay-Balkar Spoken?

The main areas where Karachay-Balkar is spoken are two republics within Russia:

• Kabardino-Balkaria: This is where most Balkar people live.
• Karachay-Cherkessia: This is where most Karachay people live.

These regions are located in the beautiful Caucasus Mountains, which form a natural border between Europe and Asia.

How is Karachay-Balkar Written?

The Karachay-Balkar language is mostly written using the Cyrillic alphabet. This is the same alphabet used for the Russian language. However, in the past, and sometimes even today, the Latin alphabet has also been used.

Images for kids

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  A version of the Koran written in the Karachay-Balkar language.

See also

In Spanish: Idioma karachái-bálkaro para niños