Spoken Gagauz: The town of Kıpçak

Gagauz written language began to develop on the basis of spoken language in the XX century. Most of the grammatical research and articles on the Gagauz language have been based on written texts. Since the writing tradition is new, the spoken language is the main form of Gagauz. Most of today's speakers have not received training in their native language at school, so they generally do not have a good command of the written language. This study was carried out to determine the typical characteristics of Gagauz language spoken in Kıpçak town (Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, Republic of Moldova). Based on the material compiled during field research in Kıpçak, a sound inventory of the spoken language was made, its phonemes and variants were determined, the suprasegmental units of language were discussed, and the sound changes were described. Lexicological features of the spoken language were revealed, and a classification of words copied from different languages was made. Vowel reduction in unstressed syllables, variations in vowel length (occurring for a variety of reasons), syllable and sound omissions, various sound alternations, and suprasegmental units such as duration, pause, and stress which make a difference in meaning, are the phonetic and phonological features of the spoken language. One of the main characteristics that distinguishes the spoken language from the standard written language is the widespread use of words and structures copied from foreign languages, especially Russian. Key Words: Gagauz, spoken language, town of Kıpçak, phonology, lexicology