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Latin Alphabet Variants for Idil-Ural Tatar
Idil-Ural Tatar, as opposed to Crimean Tatar, is drowned in a controversy in regards to the issue of Latin alphabet. On one hand, there are multiple proposed versions of Latin alphabet. On the other hand, the Moscow authorities, in a move that constitutes a human rights violation, have lately outlawed any switch to Latin, or any other non-Cyrillic, alphabet. Attempts to solve this problem not in the interests of the language, but for the sake of reaching certain political goals, even if that hurts the language, and comes against its nature, are clearly discernable. A law regarding this issue that came out of Moscow is a sign of political games being played.
The majority of Latin alphabets proposed or used for Idil-Ural Tatar are as follows:
| İQTElif |
Cyrillic Alphabet |
Jaŋalif |
Yañalif2 |
Yañalif3 |
Zamanälif |
Inalif |
Inalif2 |
Without a name |
IPA |
| İQTElif |
Cyrillic Alphabet |
Jaŋalif |
Yañalif2 |
Yañalif3 |
Zamanälif |
Inalif |
Inalif2 |
Without a name |
IPA |
| A a | A a | A a |
A a | A a | A a |
A a | A a | A a |
ɑ, ʌ |
| B b | Б б | B b |
B b | B b | B b |
B b | B b | B b |
b |
| C c | Җ җ | Ç ç |
C c | C c | C c |
C c | C c | C c |
ʓ |
| Ç ç | Ч ч | C c |
Ç ç | Ç ç | Ç ç |
Ç ç | Ç ç | Ç ç |
ʆ, ʧ |
| D d | Д д | D d |
D d | D d | D d |
D d | D d | D d |
d |
| E e |
Ә ә | Ə ə |
Ə ə | Ä ä | Ä ä |
A' a' | A' a' | E e |
æ,ə |
| F f | Ф ф | F f |
F f | F f | F f |
F f | F f | F f |
f |
| G g | Г г | G g |
G g | G g | G g |
G g | G g | G g |
g |
| Ğ ğ |
Г г (гъ) |
Ƣ ƣ |
Ğ ğ | Ğ ğ |
Ğ ğ |
Gh gh | Gh gh |
Ğ ğ |
g |
| H h | Һ һ | H h |
H h | H h | H h |
H h | H h | H h |
h |
| I ı | Ы ы | Ь ь |
I ı | I ı | I ı |
Y y | I' i' | I ı |
ɯ |
| İ i | И и |
I i |
İ i | İ i | İ i |
I i | I i | İ i |
i |
| Í í |
Е е (Э э) |
E e |
E e |
E e |
E e |
E e |
E e |
Ê ê |
≈ ɪ (í) |
| J j | Ж ж |
Ƶ ƶ |
J j | J j | J j |
J j | Zh zh | J j |
ʒ |
| K k | К к |
K k |
K k | K k | K k |
K k | K k |
K k |
k |
| L l | Л л |
L l |
L l | L l | L l |
L l | L l | L l |
l |
| M m | М м |
M m |
M m | M m | M m |
M m | M m | M m |
m |
| N n | Н н |
N n |
N n | N n | N n |
N n | N n | N n |
n |
| Ñ ñ | Ң ң |
Ŋ ŋ | Ŋ ŋ |
Ñ ñ | Ñ ñ |
Ng ng | N' n' |
Ng ng |
ŋ |
| O o | О о |
O o |
O o | O o | O o |
O o | O o | O o |
o, o: |
| Ö ö | Ө ө |
Ɵ ɵ |
Ɵ ɵ | Ö ö | Ö ö |
O' o' | O' o' | Ö ö |
œ |
| P p | П п | P p |
P p | P p | P p |
P p | P p | P p |
p |
| Q q |
К к (къ) |
Q q | Q q | Q q | Q q |
Q q | Q q |
K k |
q |
| R r | Р р |
R r | R r | R r | R r |
R r | R r | R r |
r |
| S s | С с |
S s |
S s | S s | S s |
S s | S s | S s |
s |
| Ş ş | Ш ш |
Ş ş | Ş ş |
Ş ş | Ş ş |
Sh sh | Sh sh | Ş ş |
ʃ |
| T t | Т т |
T t |
T t | T t | T t |
T t | T t | T t |
t |
| U u | У у |
U u |
U u | U u | U u |
U u | U u | U u |
u |
| Ü ü | Ү ү |
У y |
Ü ü | Ü ü | Ü ü |
U' u' | U' u' | Ü ü |
y |
| V v | В в |
V v |
V v | V v | V v |
V v | V v | V v |
v |
| W w |
В в (у) |
W w |
W w | W w | W w |
W w | W w |
V v (u) |
w |
| X x | Х х |
X x |
X x | X x | X x |
Kh kh | X x |
H h |
x |
| Y y | Й й |
J j |
Y y | Y y | Y y |
J j | Y y | Y y |
j |
| Z z | З з |
Z z |
Z z | Z z | Z z |
Z z | Z z | Z z |
z |
| ' |
э |
' | ' | ' | ' |
| | ' |
ʔ |
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Í í |
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ɨɪ |
IQTElif: in loanwords optionally î can be used and it can be simplified to letter i, as in Turkish. For instance: xoquqî-xoquqi. Letters â and û are also used in loanwords and can be simplified to a and u. For instance: imlâ-imla.
Zamanälif: other alphabets use two letters and/or optionally use î in loanwords.This alphabet has alloted a separate letter for this for use in both Tatar and loanwords. For instance: cíıntıq instead of cıyıntıq.
Brief alphabet evaluations:
| Alphabet |
Disadvantages |
Advantages |
| İQTElif |
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This alphabet provides a consistent orthography with Crimean Tatar and, for instance, denotes the first vowel in the word Elifba with letter E. Turkish alphabet also denotes this vowel whose approximate IPA equivalent is æ with letter Ee, but some people could see this as a drawback.
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Letters Ee in loanwords are also preserved: for example, "element" is spelled the same as it is spelled in western languages. Since there is no equivalent Tatar phoneme for the phonemes usually represented by e in European languages, there is no necessity to have a separate letter for this phoneme, however, using letter é for this phoneme would not contradict IQTElif's principles. All of the other alphabets have an even worse disadvantage: denoting the vowel in the word tíl with e or ê. You can read the separate article for more detailed information.
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- As opposed to the other alphabets, the vowel in the word tíl is denoted with an appropriate letter, and therefore this alphabet is more correct from the viewpoint of phonetics.
- An orthography consistent with Crimean Tatar and other kindred languages is provided.
- Uses only conventional letters.
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| Cyrillic Alphabet |
- There are no letters for some Idil-Ural Tatar phonemes: in Cyrillic alphabet there are no letters for phonemes denoted in İQTElif with ğ, í, q, w, and '; in Jaŋalif and Yañalif2 an incorrect letter is used for the vowel in the word tíl: this vowel in Idil-Ural Tatar has no relation to e, because this vowel lies between Iı and İi in the phonetic continuum and is more narrow.
- Its isage in electronic environment is more difficult.
- Makes languages development in the globalized world more difficult.
- Separates from kindred languages.
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| Jaŋalif |
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| Yañalif2 |
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| Yañalif3 |
- An incorrect letter is used for the vowel in the word tíl: this vowel in Qazan Tatar has no relation to e, because this vowel lies between Iı and İi in the phonetic continuum, and is more narrrow.
- Separates from kindred languages.
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- Uses only conventional letters.
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| Zamanälif |
- An incorrect letter is used for the vowel in the word tíl: this vowel in Qazan Tatar has no relation to e, because this vowel lies between Iı and İi in the phonetic continuum, and is more narrrow.
- Separates from kindred languages.
- Using letter í instead of ıy in Tatar words doesn't benefit the language at all, but it has the effect of distancing from kindred languages.
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| Inalif |
- An incorrect letter is used for the vowel in the word tíl: this vowel in Qazan Tatar has no relation to e, because this vowel lies between Iı and İi in the phonetic continuum, and is more narrrow.
- No language, especially no language based on Latin alphabet, has a separate alphabet for the electronic environment, and Tatar language doesn't need such a separate alphabet either. Especially in this age, there are many different alphabets used in the electronic environment and Tatar language deserves the same alphabet that can be used in both electronic and other environments.
- Characterized by an awkward and hard-to-read orthography.
- Even the names have an inconsistency: should be Ina'lif and Ina'lif2, but not written that way.
- Separates from kindred languages.
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| Inalif2 |
| Without a name |
- An incorrect letter is used for the vowel in the word tíl: letter Êê doesn't match this vowel in Qazan Tatar, because this vowel lies between Iı and İi in the phonetic continuum, and is more narrrow.
- There are no special letters for phonemes ñ, q, x, w.
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- Uses only conventional letters.
- The usage of letter Ee makes the language somewhat closer to Crimean Tatar and other kindred languages.
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These alphabets have various drawbacks and advantages. Other disadvantages aside, as is seen, the majority of the alphabets separate Idil-Ural Tatar from Crimean Tatar and other kindred languages and don't correctly reflect the phonetic characteristics of the language: despite there not being any relation between the vowel in the word "tíl" and 'e', this vowel has been written as 'e' since the times of Stalin and the majority of the alphabets without asking whether that's right or wrong envision continuing writing it that way.
İQTElif, however, approaches this issue from the viewpoint of the nature and disposition of the language and envisions correcting this grave and harmful for the language error.
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