No Vowel Harmony in Suffixes
In standard Uzbek an ending keeps the same vowel after every word: kitoblar (books) and uylar (houses), maktabda (at school) and uyda (at home).
How It Works
Most Turkic languages practise vowel harmony: an ending changes its vowel to fit the word. Standard Uzbek lost this long ago through contact with Persian. Some regional dialects, such as Kipchak Uzbek and the Oghuz dialects of Khorezm, still use it, but the standard language, in books, on television and in this course, has one shape per ending:
- plural -lar: kitoblar, uylar, koʻllar (lakes)
- place -da: maktabda, uyda, koʻlda
- question -mi: choymi?, uymi?
What does change. Two things, neither of them about vowel harmony:
- An ending that starts with g becomes k after k and q after q: maktabga but bankka and qishloqqa. See to or toward: -ga and g-endings after k and q.
- Some endings have one shape after a consonant and another after a vowel: kitobim (my book) but onam (my mother). See my: -(i)m.
If you already know Turkish or Azerbaijani, this makes Uzbek easier: you only learn one vowel per ending.
Examples (5)
- Kitoblar stolda.
The books are on the table.
Word by Word: Books table-on.
-lar and -da keep the same vowel whatever the word.
- Uylar katta.
The houses are big.
Word by Word: Houses big.
Uy has the vowel u, but the plural is still -lar.
- Men uydaman.
I am at home.
Word by Word: I house-at-am.
-da does not become -de after uy.
- Biz maktabdamiz.
We are at school.
Word by Word: We school-at-are.
-da and -miz keep their vowels too.
- Koʻlda baliq bor.
There are fish in the lake.
Word by Word: Lake-in fish there-is.
Koʻl has the rounded vowel oʻ, and the ending is still -da.
Common Mistakes
Changing -lar to -ler, as in Turkish.
Uyler katta.Uylar katta.Standard Uzbek has no vowel harmony. The plural ending is always -lar.
Changing -da to -de after a front or rounded vowel.
Koʻlde baliq bor.Koʻlda baliq bor.The place ending is always -da in standard Uzbek: koʻlda, uyda, maktabda.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- -lar (koʻplik)The Plural Suffix -lar
Use the plural ending, which has one shape.
Level 1 - -da (oʻrin-payt kelishigi)In, At or on: -da
Use the place ending, which has one shape.
Level 1 - -ga/-ka/-qaTo or Toward: -ga
See the ending that changes after k and q instead.
Level 1 - G-Initial Endings After K and Q
See every g-ending change after k and q.
Level 3 - -(i)mMy: -(i)m
See an ending that changes after a vowel.
Level 1 - The Order of Endings
Put several endings together in the right order.
Level 2
Practice No Vowel Harmony in Suffixes in Bubblegum
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