Qashqai language

The Qashqai language is closely related to Azerbaijani. However, some Qashqai varieties, namely the variety spoken in the Sheshbeyli tribe, share features with Turkish. In a sociopolitical sense, though, Qashqai is considered a language in its own right.

Phonology

Consonants

• Sounds // and // only occur as loan consonants from Persian and Arabic.
• Sounds /, , , / mainly occur phonemically before consonants, but may occur as aspirated before vowels or in word-final position as [].
• Sounds /, , / never occur in word-initial position, except in a few loan words.
• [] only occurs as an intervocalic allophone of // when occurring between two rounded vowels. It may also occur in vowel diphthongs as [].
• // and // can occur phonemically as [] and [] when preceding front vowels.
• // may occur as two allophones; as [] before front vowels, or as [] before back vowels.
• // can have two allophones; as [] in word-initial and word-medial positions, or as [] in word-final positions. In native words, // rarely occurs word-initially.

Vowels

• Vowels // and // are used rather infrequently.
• // only occurs as a word-final variant of //.
• // is always realized in word-final position as [].
• // can be realized as [] in non-initial positions.
• // mainly occurs as a centralized allophone [] when preceding palatal consonants.
• Vowel // is in free variation with its rounded equivalent //, when occurring in front syllables.