Azerbaijani language

Azerbaijani or Azeri (/æˈzɛəri, ɑːˈ-, əˈ-/ a(h)-ZAIR-ee, ə-), also referred to as Azerbaijani Turkic or Azerbaijani Turkish (Azərbaycan türkcəsi, آذربایجان تۆرکچه‌سی, Азәрбајҹан түркҹәси), is a <a href="/facts/Turkic_languages/RXqsmfgh">Turkic language</a> from the <a href="/facts/Oghuz_languages/pvQk67uf">Oghuz</a> sub-branch. It is spoken primarily by the <a href="/facts/Azerbaijanis/nXFAmaLb">Azerbaijani people</a>, who live mainly in the <a href="/facts/Azerbaijan/Ho5joRTJ">Republic of Azerbaijan</a>, where the North Azerbaijani <a href="/facts/Variety_(linguistics)/QyllMQha">variety</a> is spoken, while <a href="/facts/Iranian_Azerbaijanis/G5r9Cw99">Iranian Azerbaijanis</a> in the <a href="/facts/Azerbaijan_(Iran)/m0hNEXRu">Azerbaijan</a> region of <a href="/facts/Iran/24yukge8">Iran</a>, speak the South Azerbaijani <a href="/facts/Variety_(linguistics)/QyllMQha">variety</a>. Azerbaijani is the only <a href="/facts/Official_language/yCH2URym">official language</a> in the Republic of Azerbaijan and one of the 14 official languages of <a href="/facts/Dagestan/luq7F4vT">Dagestan</a> (a <a href="/facts/Federal_subjects_of_Russia/f2oIKgbo">federal subject of Russia</a>), but it does not have official status in Iran, where the majority of <a href="/facts/Iranian_Azerbaijanis/G5r9Cw99">Iranian Azerbaijani</a> people live. Azerbaijani is also spoken to lesser varying degrees in Azerbaijani communities of <a href="/facts/Georgia_(country)/ccBF8bBE">Georgia</a> and Turkey and by <a href="/facts/Azerbaijani_diaspora/GtyJ4umD">diaspora</a> communities, primarily in Europe and North America.
Although there is a high degree of <a href="/facts/Mutual_intelligibility/h1SbX0wN">mutual intelligibility</a> between both forms of Azerbaijani, there are significant differences in <a href="/facts/Phonology/qWAsvnok">phonology</a>, <a href="/facts/Lexicon/MxfVm3gl">lexicon</a>, <a href="/facts/Morphology_(linguistics)/fWkzsYE8">morphology</a>, <a href="/facts/Syntax/6PxSV98p">syntax</a>, and sources of <a href="/facts/Loanword/PWGYczgY">loanwords</a>. The <a href="/facts/Standard_language/1AV0uont">standardized form</a> of North Azerbaijani (spoken in the Republic of Azerbaijan and Russia) is based on the <a href="/facts/Shirvan/ahQsTV1a">Shirvani</a> dialect, while South Azerbaijani uses a variety of regional dialects. Since the Republic of Azerbaijan's independence from the <a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto">Soviet Union</a> in 1991, Northern Azerbaijani has used the Latin script. On the other hand, South Azerbaijani has always used and continues to use the <a href="/facts/Perso-Arabic_script/GB5gsj1F">Perso-Arabic script</a>.
Azerbaijani is closely related to <a href="/facts/Turkmen_language/83a4zv7w">Turkmen</a>, <a href="/facts/Turkish_language/C5X56Ijp">Turkish</a>, <a href="/facts/Gagauz_language/sjAx9TD1">Gagauz</a>, and <a href="/facts/Qashqai_language/oN5YUsvo">Qashqai</a>, being mutually intelligible with each of these languages to varying degrees.

Azerbaijani language open-in-new

Azerbaijani language