Ili Turki is an endangered Turkic language spoken primarily in China, of the Karluk branch of Turkic. In 2007, it was reported that there were around 30 families using it in China. Speakers are shifting to Kazakh or Uyghur.

Geographic distribution

Ili Turki is spoken in China's Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture along the Ili River and its tributaries and in Yining. There may be some speakers in Kazakhstan. Ili Turki has no official status in either country.

Classification

Ili Turki appears to belong to the Karluk group of Turkic languages, although it exhibits a number of features that suggest a Kipchak substratum. A comparison of Ili Turki's Karluk and Kipchak features is shown below:

Phonology

Consonants

Vowels

Vocabulary