Peace Corps Kyrgyz Language Manual

The language manual for Kyrgyz was designed for the specific language instruction needs of Peace Corps personnel in Kyrgyzstan. It begins with a brief introduction to the Kyrgyz language, stressing the points at which the Kyrgyz system differs from English, and outlining the Kyrgyz sound system.

It then presents 15 topical lessons, each containing sample dialogues from everyday life, relevant vocabulary, phonetic drills, exercises for practicing common phrases, expressions, and structures, grammar rules, exercises for practicing dialogues, self-directed exercises in everyday conversation and grammar, dialogues based on the grammatical structures and new vocabulary and leading to mastery of the particular vocabulary and structures in natural conversation, and a reference grammar.

Lesson topics include:
-greetings;
-family;
-food;
-housing;
-transportation;
-buying items at the kiosk,
-buying items in the bazaar;
-grocery shopping;
-department store shopping;
-post office;
-personal appearance;
-health;
-weather;
-daily routine;
-and the work environment.

Kyrgyz is a language of the Turkic language family and one of the main official languages of Kyrgyzstan, the other one being Russian. It is a member of the Kazakh-Nogai subgroup of the Kypchak languages, and modern day language convergence has resulted in an increasing degree of mutual intelligibility between Kyrgyz and Kazakh. Kyrgyz is spoken by about 4 million people in Kyrgyzstan, China, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Russia. Kyrgyz was originally written in the Turkic runes, gradually replaced by an Arabic alphabet (in use until 1928 in USSR, still in use in China). Between 1928 and 1940, the Latin-based Uniform Turkic Alphabet was used.

In 1940 due to general Soviet policy, a Cyrillic alphabet eventually became common and has remained so to this day, though some Kyrgyz still use the Arabic alphabet. When Kyrgyzstan became independent following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, there was a popular idea among some Kyrgyz people to make transition to the Latin alphabet (taking in mind a version closer to the Turkish alphabet, not the original alphabet of 19281940), but the plan has not been implemented yet.

Kyrgyz is spoken in: Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

Kyrgyz is also called: Kara, Kara-Kirgiz, Ke'erkez, Kirghiz, Kirghizi, Kirgiz