Kipchak
Northwestern Turkic
Geographic distribution	—
Ethnicity	Kipchaks
Linguistic classification	Turkic Kipchak
Subdivisions	Kipchak–Bolgar Kipchak–Cuman Kipchak–Nogay Kyrgyz–Kipchak
Language codes
Glottolog	kipc1239
Kipchak–Bolgar   Kipchak–Cuman   Kipchak–Nogay and Kyrgyz–Kipchak

The Kipchak languages (also known as the Kypchak, Qypchaq, or Northwestern Turkic languages) are a branch of the Turkic language family spoken by more than twelve million people in an area spanning from Lithuania to China.

The Kipchak languages share a number of features that have led linguists to classify them together. Some of these features are shared with other Turkic languages; others are unique to the Kypchak language family.

• Change of Proto-Turkic *d to /j/ (e.g. *hadaq > ajaq "foot")
• Loss of initial *h sound (preserved only in Khalaj. See above example.)

• Extensive labial vowel harmony (e.g. olor vs. olar "them") ^{[citation needed]}
• Frequent fortition (in the form of assibilation) of initial */j/ (e.g. *jetti > ʒetti "seven")
• Diphthongs from syllable-final */ɡ/ and */b/ (e.g. *taɡ > taw "mountain", *sub > suw "water")

The Kipchak languages may be broken down into three groups, based on geography and shared features:^[1]

• Kipchak–Bulgar (Uralian, Uralo-Caspian): Bashkir and Tatar
• Kipchak–Cuman (Ponto-Caspian): Karachay-Balkar, Kumyk, Karaim, Krymchak. Urum and Crimean Tatar appear to have a Kipchak–Cuman base, but have been heavily influenced by Oghuz languages.
• Kipchak–Nogay and Kyrgyz–Kipchak (Aralo-Caspian): Nogay (also Nogai or Nogay Tatar), Karakalpak, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz.

The language of the Mamluks in Egypt appears to have been a Kipchak language, probably one belonging to the Kipchak-Cuman group.

• Kipchak language
• Kipchaks
• Kipchaks in Georgia
• Cuman people
• Cuman language
• Cumania

• Johanson, Lars and Csató, Éva Ágnes (1998). The Turkic Languages. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-08200-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Menges, Karl H. (1995). The Turkic Languages and Peoples (2nd ed.). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 3-447-03533-1.