Oghuz languages
The Oghuz languages are a sub-branch of the Turkic language family, spoken by approximately 108 million people. The three languages with the largest number of speakers are Turkish, Azerbaijani and Turkmen, which, combined, account for more than 95% of speakers of this sub-branch.
| Oghuz | |
|---|---|
| Southwestern Turkic | |
| Ethnicity | Oghuz Turks |
| Geographic distribution | Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Europe |
| Linguistic classification | Turkic
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Glottolog | oghu1243 (Oghuz) |
Turkish Gagauz Azerbaijani Qashqai Chaharmahali Turkmen Khorasani Salar | |
Kara-Khanid scholar Mahmud al-Kashgari, who lived in the 11th century, stated that the Oghuz language was the simplest among all Turkic languages.
Swedish turcologist and linguist Lars Johanson notes that Oghuz languages form a clearly discernible and closely related bloc within the Turkic language family as the cultural and political history of the speakers of Oghuz languages has linked them more closely up to the modern age. Western Oghuz languages are highly mutually intelligible with each other and the Crimean Tatar language, which, though genetically Kipchak Turkic rather than Oghuz, has been heavily influenced by Turkish over several centuries.