Expressing time in Uyghur

(1) The general order is from the bigger unit to the smaller unit. e.g. June 18th, 2001 is (miladi) 2001-yili 6-ayniņ 18-küni

(2) To express how long something lasted, use the word saət preceeded by a cardinal number: bir saət, yerim saət

(3) To express time on the clock, use saət + cardinal number: saət on ikki, saət toqquz...

Exampes:

Saət qançə boldi? - What time is it?
Saət altə boldi. - It's six o'clock.
Saət səkkiz yerim boldi. - It's half past eight.

(4) To express the idea of 'about' 'around' a certain time, use the plural suffix -lar/lər:

Mən saət üçlərdə bazarğa barmaqçimən.
'I want to go to the bazar at around 3 o'clock.'

(5) The idea of minutes is expressed as hour+din/tin... (minutes) ötti, literally 'it passed x minutes from x o'clock'.

Saət ondin çarək ötti. - It's a quarter past ten.

Similarly, to express 'at x minute past x o'clock' you have to use the perfective verbal adjective:

Saət üçtin ottuz toqquz minut ötkəndə yər təwridi.
'The earthquake happened at 3.39.'

Saət yəttidin on minut ötkəndə körüşəyli.
'Let's meet at ten past seven.'

(6) 'To x o'clock' is expressed with the dative case -ğa/gə/qa/kə and the verb qalmaq:

Saət tötkə bəş minut qalğanda körüşməyli.
'Let's meet at five to four.'

Saət altigə on ikki minut qaldi.
'It's twelve minutes to six.'

Useful vocabulary:

saət - hour
minut - minute
sekunt - second
yerim -half
çarək - a quarter

ötmək - to pass
qalmaq - to remain (to)

qaçan - when, what time
saət qançə boldi? - what time is it?

ətigən - morning
ətigən, çüştin burun, çüştin awal - before noon, morning
çüş - noon
çüştin keyin - afternoon
keçə - evening
axşam, kəçqurun - night
yerim keçə - midnight

Uyghur grammar lessons- NUMBERS!!!

Finally we got down to this...

1   bir                                 20   yigirmə                          10,000   tümən
2   ikki                               30   ottuz                           1,000,000 milyon
3   üç                                  40   qirq
4   töt                                 50   əllik
5   bəş                                60   atmiş
6   altə                                70   yətmiş
7   yəttə                             80   səksən
8   səkkiz                           90   toqsan
9   toqquz                         100  yüz
10 on                               1000 miņ


Ordinal numbers in Uyghur are pretty jokes. You just attach -inçi to everything, all the way through. There isn't even vowel harmony to worry about!

Uyghur grammar lesson - perfective verbal adjective

Suffix -qan/ğan/kən/gən is used to form the perfective verbal adjective that corresponds to the Chinese -lede adjectives. In English it's a bit complicated because there doesn't exist one single common way of expressing this idea. But with the analogy of the present verbal adjective -digan, which normally translates as -ing, the perfective can be understood as 'having done...'. So when you use this structure in Uyghur, it is as if you could say 'the having laughed man', or 'the having left bus'. Sounds far better to say 'the man that laughed/has laughed' or 'the bus that has left', but English is cumbersome with the lack of a similar structure.

Sometimes English is less wordy, but less precise. For example, - bolğan is usually translated into an adjective in English: xapa bolğan adəm 'angry man' (lit. 'having become angry man'). In a lot of cases as in this one, 'present' concepts are actually expressed through 'past' means. This is not unique to Turkish, though. English does not have a clean-cut perfective. In languages that do, e.g. Greek and Persian, actions in the past tense have a present implication. If you 'have become angry', you are angry at the moment because the action of becoming was momentary. It happened, you reached the stage, and the stage of anger continues in the present.

More examples:

xapa bolğan əpəndi
angry having-become mister
'an angry gentleman'

tünügün bu yərgə kəlgən kişi
yesterday this place-to having-come person
'the person that came yesterday'

xoş degən awaz
good-bye having-said voice
'voice saying good-bye'


This form of the verb can end a sentence, but it remains non-personal, unless followed by the verb 'imək' (to be) in the past tense to specify the subject.

Tünügün telefon qilip degən idim.
Yesterday phonecall making having-said I-was
'I said it on the phone yesterday.'

Mən kutupxaniğa barğan.
I        library-to   having-gone
'I went to the library.'

Xuda asman bilən yərni yaratqan.
God   heaven with earth having-made
'God created the heaven and the earth.'

And finally, guess what? This 'adjectival form' can also be used as nouns! You can add suffixes such as -da and -liq to it to make funky words:

Nan yeginim yoq.
bread having-eaten-my there-isn't
'I don't have bread or anything to eat.'

Şundaq degəndə...
thus     speaking-at
'When saying this...'

Uniņ kəlgənliki, bizgə paydiliq idi.
His having-come-ness-his we-to beneficial was
'It was good for us that he came.'

Uyghur lesson - Parlaq mehmanxanisida

Dialog A



(telefon)

Kenji: Wəy !
Mehmanxana xizmətchisi: Wəy ! Yaxşimusiz?
K: Taksi buyrutmaqçi idim.
M. X.: Saət qançidə?
K: Ətə ətigən saət altidə.
M. X.: İsmiņiz nemə?
K: Kenji.
M. X.: Siz hazir qançinçi yataqta?
K: Səkiz yüz üçinçi yataqta.

Dialog B

Kenji: Taksi kəldimu?

M. X.: Saət qançigə buyrutqan?
K: Saət altigə.
M. X.: Mən bir təkşürüp baqay.

Dialog C

Kenji: Qandaq boldi?

M. X.: Saət altigə bizniņ başliq buyrutqan iken.
K: Hə meniņ ismim yoq mu? Tünügün telefon qilip degən idim.
M. X.: Kəçürüņ. İsmiņiz nemə?
K: İsmim Kenji.
M. X.: Woy ! Yaponluqlardimu “Kenji” degən isim barmu?
K: Nemə dediņiz?
M. X.: Memanxanimizniņ başliğiniņ ismimu Kenji.
K: Şundaqmu??

Dialogue A

(on the phone)
Kenji: Hello!
Hotel employee: Hello! How are you?
K: I want to book a taxi.
HE: At what time?
K: Six o'clock tomorrow morning.
HE: What's your name?
K: Kenji.
HE: And what's your room number now?
K: I'm in Room 803.

Dialogue B

Kenji: Is the taxi here yet?
HE: What time did you book for?
Kenji: Six o'clock.
HE: I'll check it up.

Dialogue C

Kenji: How was it?
HE: Our manager booked it for six o'clock.
K: Hey don't you have my name? I told you on the phone yesterday.
HE: I'm sorry. What's your name?
K: My name is Kenji.
HE: Oh no, are Japanese people all called 'Kenji'?
K: How do you mean? (lit. What did you say?)
HE: Our hotel manager is called Kenji as well.
K: Ah is he??

Sözlük - Vocabulary

xizmətçi: employee

təkşürmək: to check, to verify, to investigate

başliq: manager

Uyghur lesson - Döņköwrüktə

Dialog A

Kenji: Bu nemə? Yəydiğan nərsimu?
Rəyisə: Yaq. Yəydiğan nərsə əməs. Sopun.
Kenji: Uni nədə yasaydu?
Rəyisə: Kuchada.
Kenji: Awuçu? 
Rəyisə: Hə u öpkə-hesip. Uyğurlarniņ yərlik tamiqi.

Dialog B

Kenji: Bu yərniņ ismi nemə?
Rəyisə: Döņköwrük. Bu yər uyğurlarniņ muhim soda mərkəzliriniņ biri.
Kenji: Hə şundaqmu.
Rəyisə: Bu əņ yeņi wə əņ çoņ bazar. İsmi Dabaza.
Kenji: Woy! Bu yərdə Kentaki bilən Karrefur bar ikənğu?
Rəyisə: Əlwəttə.

Dialog C

Rəyisə: Bu soda saray qandaq ikən?
Kenji: Bək çoņ ikən. Nərsilərmu köp ikən.
Rəyise: Bu qandaq nərsə biləmsiz?
Kenji: Oyunçuqmu?
Rəyisə: Yaponiyidə yoqmu? Bu böşük.
Kenji: Nemə? Müşük?

Dialogue A

Kenji: What's this? Is it food (lit. eat-thing)?
Rayisa: No. It's not food. It's soap.
Kenji: Where is it made (lit. Where do they make it)?
Rayisa: In Kucha.
Kenji: And that one?
Rayisa: Oh that is öpkə-hesip, local food of the Uyghurs.

Dialogue B

Kenji: What's this place called?
Rayisa: Döņköwrük. This is one of the important commercial centres of the Uyghurs.
Kenji: Ah alright (lit. is it like that?).
Rayisa: This is the newest and the biggest bazar. It's called 'Dabaza' (Chinese name for the place, which means 'Big Bazar').
Kenji: Wow! This place even has Kentaki and Carrefour!
Rayisa: Of course.

Dialogue C

Rayisa: How's this department store (lit. commercial palace)?
Kenji: It's very big. There are a lot of things.
Rayisa: Do you know what this is?
Kenji: Is it a toy?
Rayisa: Don't you have it in Japan? This is a cradle.
Kenji: What? a cat?

Sözlük - Vocabulary

sopun: soap

nədə: where

yasamak: to make, to manufacture

yərlik: local

tamaq: food

isim: name

muhim: important

soda: commerce

mərkəz: centre

əņ: most

bilən: and, with

əlwəttə: of course

soda saray: commercial centre, shopping centre, department store

nərsə: thing

köp: many, much

bilmək: to knoü

oyunçuq: toy

Yaponiye: Japan

böşük: cradle

müşük: cat

Uyghur lesson - Ayrodromda

First lesson from Eling Eling!. I hope my readers enjoy it as much as I did.

Dialog A

Mulazimətçi: Yaxşimusiz? Belitiņiz?
Kenji: Mana.
M: Bu ikki nomur oxşaş əməs.
K: Nemə? Qaysi nomur?
M: Bu nomurlar.
K: Apla. Kəçürüņ.

Dialog B

Alim: Çamidinimni tapalmidim.
Mulazimətçi: Bu chamadançu?
A: Yaq, bu əməs.

Dialog C

Kenji: Kəçürüņ! Bu sizniņ çamidiniņizmu?
Alim: Həə. Buçu?
K: Hə, bu meniņ.
A: İkkisi bək oxşaş ikən.
K: Şundaq.

Dialogue A

Security guard: Hello. Your ticket?
Kenji: Here.
S: These two numbers aren't the same.
K: What? Which numbers?
S: These numbers.
K: Oh dear. I'm sorry!

Dialogue B

Alim: I can't find my luggage.
Security guard: Is it this bag?
A: No not this one.

Dialogue C

Kenji: Excuse me! Is this your suitcase?
Alim: Yes. And this one?
K: Oh this is mine.
A: They look very similar to each other.
K: Yes.

Sözlük - Vocabulary

ayrodom: airport

mulazimətçi: security guard

belət: ticket

mana: here, over here

nomur: number

oxşaş: same, identical

əməs: is not, değil in Turkish

nemə: what

kəçürüņ: excuse me, sorry

çamadan: luggage, suitcase

bək: very

şundaq: so, in this way, yes

Uyghur grammar note - Present aorist tense

The present aorist tense in Uyghur is used to describe habitual, repetitive actions or actions scheduled to take place in the immediate future. It can be compared to the Turkish -r present tense. Although sometimes rendered into English as -ing, it does not emphasise on the action in progression at the present moment. If you really want to make a big deal, there's a present continuous tense characterised by the affix -iwat, corresponding directly and strictly to the English present continuous as used in 'I am watching TV at the moment', that is to say, not as in 'I am studying at this unversity' which is more or less the same thing as 'I study at this university, or 'I am going to the cinema this afternoon' which is more or less the same thing as 'I'll go to the cinema this afternoon'.

To be honest, personally I think this tense is pretty jokes. The formation is so easy that if you can't do it correctly, you shouldn't learn Turkic languages. Because:

verb root + i/y + personal endings

The personal endings are basically almost intact personal pronouns, except for first person plural and third person (sg. and pl. again share the same ending), which receive a little bit of understandable modification. The rule for i/y alternation is simple: if the verb root ends in a consonant, it's an i , if a vowel a y. Not that it makes a lot of difference in speech. In fact either way you are going to hear a high front vowel between the verb root and the personal ending. It's only in orthography that you can see the distinction, really.

Now let's move on to the personal endings:

   Singular                         Plural                         

mən   -mən                      biz   -miz

sən      -sən                      silər  -silər

siz       -siz                       

u          -du                        ular  -du

Don't you just LOVE Uyghur (Chagatay conjugation is the same, by the way)? It's basically like saying 'go-I, go-you, go-he, go-we, go-you, go-they' in English!! Even the seemingly irregular bits can be rationalised: b -> m is a classic Turkic thing. Compare Turkish ben and Uyghur mən, Uzbek men. And Uyghur bu (this) and mundaq (this way, thus). The phonetic distance between b and m isn't much at all: they are both bilabial, voiced stops. The only difference is that m is nasal and b isn't. So m here can be seen as a weakened version of b. And b has all the rights to be weakened - it is now the onset of a suffix. As for the intrusive d in the third person which has disturbed the otherwise beautiful regularity, I guess it's just because it sounds a bit silly to say iu. Turkic languages don't really allow diphthongs. For ease of pronunciation, extra sounds are usually inserted.

Let's conjugate two verbs now:

çiqmaq: to come out, to go out, to appear, to happen, to produce

mən  çiqimən               biz  çiqimiz

sən     çiqisən               silər çiqisilər

siz      çiqisiz

u         çiqidu                 ular  çiqidu

işləmək: to work

mən  işləymən             biz  işləymiz

sən     işləysən             silər işləysilər

siz      işləysiz

u         işləydu              ular  işləydu

I think this has covered all. Peace.

Uyghur lesson - Biz Mərkəziy Millətlər Uniwersiteti'da oquymiz

Məhmət: Silər qaysi məktəptə oquysilər?
Polat: Biz Mərkəziy Millətlər Uniwersiteti'da oquymiz. Sizçə?
M: Mən Beyciņ Uniwersiteti'da oquymən. Siz qaysi fakultetta oquysiz?
P: Azsanliq Millətlər Til-Ədəbiyati Fakulteti'da oquymən.
M: Dostiņiz siz bilən bir fakultettimu?
P: Yaq, dostum Çət Əl Tili Fakulteti'da oquydu.
M: Siz kəspiņizni yaxşi körəmiz?
P: Kəspimni intayin yaxşi körimən. Bundin keyin kəsiptə çoqum tirişçanliq körsitimən.
M: İkkiņlar yurtdaşmu?
P: Həə, ikkimiz bir yərlik, bək yaxşi ötimiz. Biz daim billə dərs təkrarlaymiz. Öginiştə bir-birimizgə yardəm berimiz. Turmuşta öz ara köņül bölimiz. Mən uniņdin çət əl tili öginimən, u məndin Uyğur Tili öginidu.


Alim: Raziyə, siz ətə nemə iş qilisiz?
Raziyə: Çüştin burun doxturğa barimən. Doxturdin zukam dorisi alimən. Çüştin keyin poştixaniğa* barimən. Öyümgə xalta salimən. Kəçtə sinipğa kəçlik muzakirigə çiqimən. Siz nemə iş qilisiz?
A: Çüştin burun bazarğa çiqimən. Yumşaq detal, yumşaq diska, maus qatarliq nərsilərni setiwalimən. Çüştin keyin internet toriğa çiqimən. Elektronluq yollanma arqiliq dostumğa süritimni əwətimən. Uçur körimən. Elektronluq oyun oynaymən.
R: Uniņdin keyin nemə iş qilisiz?
A: Uniņdin keyin tağamniņ öyigə barimən.

* The orthography is پوچتىخانا (poçtxana) but it's pronounced as poştxana.

Məhmət: Which university do you go to (lit. Which university do you study at)?
Polat: We are at Central Ethnic University (a university in Beijing, China that is supposed to specialise in ethnic minority studies). What about you?
M: I'm at Pekin University (or Beijing University. Pekin University was and is still sometimes taken to be the official name of the best university in China, which was founded towards the end of the Qing Dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of China). Which faculty are you in?
P: I'm studying in the Faculty of Ethnic Minority Languages and Literature.
M: And your friend is with you in the same faculty?
P: No, my friend is in the Faculty of Foreign Languages. Do you like your subject (or major, as the Americans call it...)?
M: I like my subject very much. From now on I'll work very hard for my course (lit. henceforth in my subject I diligently make effort).
P: Are you two from the same town (lit. fellow townsmen)?
M: Yes, we two are from the same place, and we get along very well. We often revise our lessons together. We help each other in our studies. We take care of each other in everyday life. I learn foreign languages from him and he learns Uyghur from me.

Alim: Raziya, what are you doing tomorrow?
Raziya: In the morning I'm going to the doctor's. I'll take some medicine from him for my cold. In the afternoon I'm going to the post office. I'll send a parcel to my family. In the evening I'm attending the evening study session. What are you doing?
A: In the morning I'm going to the shops. I'm going to buy softwares, softdisks, a mouse and things like those. In the afternoon I'm going on the Internet to email my friend some photos (lit. send my friends photos via email). I'll read some news and play computer games.
R: And after this what are you going to do?
A: After this I'll go to my uncle's house.

Sözlük - Vocabulary

arqiliq: through, via, by means of

əwətmək: to send, to send out (people)

bundin keyin: from now on, henceforth

bir-biri: each other

billə: together

poştxana: post office

tağa: uncle (either maternal or paternal)

turmuş: life

tirişçanliq: diligent

tirişçanliq körsətmək: to make an effort, to work/study hard

çət əl: foreign country, foreign countries, overseas

çət əl tili: foreign language

çiqmaq: to come out, to appear, to happen, to produce, to go up

xalta: packet, package, parcel

daim: often

dora: medicine

zukam: cold (illness)

sürət: photo, picture

kəçlik muzakirə: night study session (something university students do in China)

körsətmək: to point out, to show, to make someone see, to recommend

köņül bölmek: to take care of

maus: mouse (İT)

elektronluq oyun: computer game

oyun: game

uçur: information, news

öz ara: each other, one another (adv.)

ögənmək: to study

elektronluq yollanma: email

internet tori: Internet

-ğa yardəm bərmək: to help (+ dative)

yərlik: local, of this place

yurtdaş: fellow townsman, someone from hometown, compatriot

yumşaq detal: software

yumşaq diska: softdisk (no one uses them now...)

Uyghur grammar note - the past simple

I just realised I haven't posted any grammar lessons. Now here it is, the easy peasy past simple. The formation is simple as the same suggests: verb root + (mi - negative particle) + D (past sign, alternating between d/t depending on the phonetic context) + personal ending + (mu - interrogative particle)


Mi and mu never changes. D changes to d after a vowel or a voiced consonant, and to t after a voiceless consonant. Now the variable bits: the personal endings:

                                          Singular                                  Plural

First person:         -im  -üm  -um                                -uq
Second person:     -iņ   -üņ   -uņ                 -iņlar  -üņlar  -uņlar
Second person:             -iņiz
   (formal)
Third person:                  -i                                                -i

Anyone familiar with Turkish will notice from the paradigm some significant differences between Uyghur and Turkish. The most striking difference is the incompleteness of the vowel harmony in Uyghur. The really 'harmonised' persons are the first singular and the second singular and plural (put in red). The vowel of the formal second person singular and third person (sg. and pl.) is fixed on i, whereas that of first person plural is fixed on u. Moreover, the plural ending -lar in the second person plural ending doesn't seem to phonetically agree to the preceding vowel either.

In any Turkish grammar book with paradigms one will usually spot four varieties of a harmonised vowel slot: i, ı, ü and u. In Uyghur, one doesn't. But it's only in the orthography. In the actual pronunciation, there is a distinction between the high front vowel i and it's centralised version ı, which, however, are rendered the same orthographically as 'ى' and here in transliteration, 'i'. They are allophones to each other and a native speaker is supposed to know naturally where to pronounce it as i and where as 'ı'. The rules are rather complicated and will be included in a detailed discussion on Uyghur phonology I'll publish in future. But the general rule is that when there are 'back' consonants, such as q, ğ and x, or back and low vowels, such as a, o, u, around, i is realised as ı if not further harmonised into u. In other cases it's realised as i, if not harmonised into ü. In fact, the harmonisations i -> ü and ı -> u do occur where the orthography doesn't represent it sometimes. But it's not the subject of discussion of this post. Uyghur phonetic changes are very complicated and they involve a lot of deletion, lenition, devoicing, tensing and laxing, which explains why you never hear a good, clear 'ikki' but always a 'shki' or even 'shke'. As I said, this is not the subject of discussion today. I'll post something in the future, hopefully soon.

Now no waffling, let's conjugate some verbs:

ötmek: to past, to spend (time)

mən   öttüm                        biz     öttuq
sən      öttüņ                        silər   öttüņlar
siz       öttiņiz
u          ötti                              ular   ötti

oqumaq: to read, to study

mən   oqudum                    biz      oquduq
sən      oquduņ                    silər    oquduņlar
siz       oqudiņiz
u          oqudi                          ular    oqudi

barmaq: to go

mən   bardim                      biz     barduq
sən      bardiņ                      silər   bardiņlar
siz       bardiņiz
u          bardi                           ular   bardi

Uyghur lesson - Köçət tikiş

Alim: Ülüşkün silər yataqta yoq, nəgə kəttiņlar?
Polat: Ülüşkün biz Ğərbi Tağ'qa əmgəkkə barduq. U yərdə tağqa köçət  tiktuq.
Alim: Ğərbi Tağ nədə, yiraqmu?
Polat: Ançə yiraq əməs, bu yərdin aptobus bilən bir saətlik yol.
Alim: Köçətni qandaq tiktiņlar?
Polat: Bəzi sawaqdaşlar köçət toşudi. Bəzi sawaqdaşlar orək kolidi. Yənə bəzi sawaqdaşlar köçətlərgə su quydi. Adil, Qəysər wə mən üçimiz topa toşuduq.
Alim: Çarçidiņlarmu?
Polat: Həə, biraq çarçaş hes qilmiduq. Çünki bu qetimqi əmgək köņüllük həm əhmiyiətlik boldi. Sawaqdaşlar herip-çarçaştin, capadin qorqmidi. Tağniņ mənzirisi bilən hawasi sawaqdaşlarğa bək yaridi. Ular öziniņ əmgiki bilən təbiətniņ qoynidin huzurlandi.
Alim: Əmgək saət qançigiçə dawamlaşti?
Polat: Çüştə məktəpkə qaytmiduq. Çüşlük tamaqni  bir dehqaniņ öyidə yeduq. Tamaqtin keyin dawamliq  əmgək qilduq. Saət tötkiçə işliduq.

Alim: You weren't in your room two days ago, where did you go?
Polat: We went to work in West Hill. We planted trees there.
Alim: Where is West Hill, is it far?
Polat: Not that far, it's an hour's bus ride. (lit. From that place by bus it's an hour's way)
Alim: How did you plant the trees?
Polat: Some people (lit. classmates) transported the trees, some dug holes and some watered the trees (lit. some poured water to the trees). Adil, Qaysar and I the three of us transported earth.
Alim: Did you get tired?
Polat: Yes, but we didn't feel tired. Because this time the work (lit. this time's work) was enjoyable (lit. happy) and meaningful. The classmates were not afraid of the fatigue and the hardship. They liked the scenery and the weather on the hill very much (lit. the hill's scenery and the weather pleased them very much). They enjoyed their own work and being surrounded by nature (lit. the embrace of nature. This is such a Chinese way of saying things. I don't think it'd come up in the book if it hadn't been compiled to fit the Chinese taste).
Alim: When did you work until (lit. When did the work last until)?
Polat: We didn't go back to school at noon. We had lunch (lit. noon food) in a farmer's house. After lunch we kept on working until four o'clock.

Sözlük - Vocabulary

ançə yiraq əməs: not that far

əmgək: labour, work

əhmiyətlik: meaningful

bu qetimqi: this time (adj.)

tağ: mountain

təbiət: nature

topa: earth, soil

toşumaq: to transport

tikmek: to plant

capa: toil, hard labour, hardship, suffering

çarça: fatigue

çünki: because

dawamlaşmaq: to last, to continue

dərəx: tree

saətlik: hourly

qorqmaq: to be afraid of, to be scared of

qoyun: embrace

quymaq: to pour

kətmek: to go

kolamaq: to dig

köçət: sapling, young tree

mənzirə: scenery

huzurlanmaq: to enjoy

herip-çarçaş: toil, labour, suffering

hes qilmek: to feel

orək: hole

ülüşkün: the day before yesterday, to days ago

yaramaq: to please, to suit

*Sorry guys for putting up such a communist dialogue. Well, it's from the textbook I got in China. I eliminated the last bit of the dialogue because it was obscenely, ridiculously and obnoxiously communist. It was basically about this girl getting praised by everyone because she had excellent performance in planting trees. Typical model-making of any communist regime. I also modified one bit of the dialogue to make it sound less absurd. In the original, when Alim asked Polat if they were tired, Polat gave a confident 'No'. As everyone knows, in any communist regime labour is considered to be honorable and works saints. An ideal communist worker, or labourer, should not fear hardship or feel tired. Feeling tired is a sign of weakness and people are suspicious of anyone that complains about workload and will readily accuse them of evading the labour and their responsibilities, which is, of course, deemed as a threat to production and therefore to progress.  However, it is an absurd wishful thinking to expect anyone not to feel the fatigue of labour. People are not machines.

A sworn opponent of communism and of the cultural genocide the Han Chinese inflict on the Uyghurs, I find the double assimilation (to Han culture, reflected by certain structures as seen in the dialogue, and to communism) exemplified by the fictitious dialogue absolutely repulsive. The dialogue insinuates that it is one episode of what would be the ideal life under the peaceful, 'harmonious', Han-dominated communist regime. Yet the book is not without value. In fact the communism in the book is far more attenuated compared to other textbooks (not that there are many) published in China. It teaches one a lot of useful words and structures; grammar and phonology are presented in a clear and user-friendly way. In fact I think it's the first Uyghur textbook in China to give a thorough, yet step-by-step overview of the language. And most importantly, the writer of the book is a native Uyghur. So the quality of the language (except for some adjustments made to suit the Chinese habit of talking) is guaranteed. Despite occasional communist elements here and there I think I'll continue with this book and publish lessons from it here.

We can only make do with what we have in want of better books in the West, or in China, perhaps.

Uyghur lesson - Töt pəsil

Muəllim: Arzigül, siz töwəndiki soallarğa Uyğurçə cawab beriņ.
Arzigül: Maqul, qeni soraņ.
M: Bir yil qançə ay?
A: Bir yil on ikki ay.
M: Bir yil qançə pəsil, ular qaysilar?
A: Bir yil töt pəsil, yəni bahar, yaz, küz, qiş.
M: Bir yil qançə kün?
A: Bir yil üç atmiş bəş kün.
M: Bir ay qançə kün?
A: Bir ay ottuz kün.
M: Bir ay qançə həptə?
A: Bir ay töt həptə. Bir həptə yəttə kün.
M: Bügün küngə nemə?
A: Bügün küngə düşənbə. Yəni həptigə bir.
M: Ətə küngə nemə?
A: Ətə küngə səyşənbə.
M: Ögünlükke küngə nemə?
A: Ögünlükke küngə çarşənbə.
M: Bügün ayğa nəççə?
A: Bügün ayğa on səkkiz.
M: Ətə ayğa nəççə?
A: Ətə ayğa on toqquz.
M: Pəyşənbə ayğa qançə?
A: Pəyşənbə ayğa yigirmə bir.
M: Sizniņ tuğulğan küniņiz, qançinçi ayniņ, qançinçi küni?
A: Meniņ tuğulğan künim, ikkinçi ayniņ on bəşinçi küni.
M: Yeņi yil bayrimiçu?
A: Yeņi yil bayrimi birinçi ayniņ birinçi küni.
M: Yaxşi, olturuņ.

Teacher: Arzigül, answer the following questions in Uyghur.
Arzigül: OK, ask me.
T: How many months are there in a year?
A: There are twelve months.
T: How many seasons are there in a year and what are they?
A: There are four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter.
T: How many days does a year have?
A: A year has three hundred and fifty-six days.
T: How many days are there in a month?
A: A month has thirty days.
T: How many weeks are there in a month?
A: There are four weeks in a month, and a week has seven days.
T: What day is today?
A: Today is Monday, that is to say the first day of the week.
T: What day is tomorrow?
A: Tomorrow is Tuesday.
T: What day is the day after tomorrow?
A: The day after tomorrow is Wednesday.
T: What's the date today?
A: It's the 18th.
T: What's the date tomorrow?
A: It's the 19th.
T: What's the date on Thursday?
A: It's the 21st.
T: When's your birthday? (lit. Your birthday is in which month, on which date?)
A: My birthday is the 25th of February.
T: When is New Year's Day?
A: New Year's Day is the first of January.
T: Good, sit down.

Sözlük - Vocabulary

ögünlükkə: the day after tomorrow
töwəndiki: following

pəsil: season

tuğulğan kün: birthday

cawab bərmək: to answer

soramaq: to ask

The four seasons: bahar, yaz, küz, qiş

The twelve months of the year: birinçi ay, ikkinçi ay, üçinçi ay, tötinçi ay, bəşinçi ay, altinçi ay, yəttinçi ay, səkkizinçi ay, toqquzinçi ay, oninçi ay, on birinçi ay, on ikkinçi ay

The days of the week:

1. The Persian way (from Sunday to Saturday): yəkşənbə, düşənbə, səyşənbə, çarşənbə, pəyşənbə, cümə, şənbə

2. The Chinese way (from Monday to Sunday. In China the first day of the week is commonly considered to be Monday. And indeed, in Chinese, they are named numerically: First Day of the Week, Second Day of the Week etc): (həptiniņ) bir küni, ikki küni, üç küni etc

The days: ülüşkün the day before yesterday, tünügün yesterday, bügün today, ətə tomorrow,  ögünlükkə the day after tomorrow

Useful phrases:
... küngə/həptigə nemə/nəççə? (asking about the day)
... həptiniņ nəççinçi küni? (asking about the day)
... ayğa/çeslağa qançə/nəççə? (asking about the date)
... qançinçi ay/kün? (which month/day?)

Uyghur lesson - Nərsə-kerək setiweliş

Polat: Adil, bügün yəkşənbə, biz dərs təkrarlimayli. Ətə çüştin keyin təkrarlayli. Hazir kitabxaniğa barayli.
Adil: Tapşuruqlarniçu?
P: Tapşuruqlarni ətə çüştin burun işləyli.
A: Maqul, maņayli əmisə.

(The two arrive at the bookshop)

P: Adil, mawu kitabqa qaraņ, bu bək yaxşi kitab, bu kitab sizdə barmu?
A: Yaq, məndə yoq. mən birni setiwalaymu?
P: Yaq, setiwalmaņ, meniņ yatiqimda birsi bar. Şuni mən sizgə ariyət berey.
A: Maqul, almay əmisə. Mawu 'Uyğurçə - Xənzuçə Luğət' sizniņçə qandaq?
P: Yaman əməs, yaxşi!
A: Maņa birsi lazim. Birni setiwalay.
P: Maqul, setiweliņ. Mən mawu 'Nəsriddin Əpəndi Lətipiliri'ni alay.
A: Biz əmdi yataqqa qaytayli.
P: Hazir kəçlik tamaq waqtiğa xeli waqti bar. Yataqqa qaytmayli. Magizinğa barayli. Mən özəmgə qişliq kiyim alay.
A: Maqul, bürüņ əmisə, kiyim-keçəklər magiziniğa barayli.

(In the clothes shop...)

Pirkazçik: Bu çapan bək esil, yeņi pasun, keliņ birni eliņ!
Polat: Bu çapan qançə pul?
Pk: Yüz som.
P: Başqa rəņliki barmu?
Pk: Qara, aq, külrəņliri bar.
P: Qarini alay.

(He pays.)

P: Xoş, rəhmət sizgə!
Pt: Heçqisi yoq.

Polat: Adil, today's Sunday. Let's not revise our lessons. Let's do it tomorrow afternoon. Now let's go to the bookshop.
Adil: What about the homework?
P: We'll do that tomorrow morning.
A: OK, let's go then.

P: Adil, look at this book. This is a really good book. Do you have it?
A: No, I don't. I'll buy one then?
P: No, don't buy it. I have one in my room. I'll lend it to you.
A: OK, I won't get it then. How's 'Uyghur-Chinese Dictionary' in your opinion?
P: Not bad. It's good!
A: I need one. I'll buy one.
P: OK, you'll get it. I'll get this 'Stories of Nasreddin Efendi'.
A: Let's go home now.
P: We still have a lot of time till dinner. Let's not go back now. Let's go to the shops. I need to get winter clothes for myself.
A: OK let's do this. Let's go to the clothes shop.

Salesperson: This coat is very good, latest fashion, come get one!
Polat: How much is this coat?
S: A hundred yuan.
P: Do you have other colours?
S: We have black, white and grey.
P: I'll take the black one.

P: Good. Thank you very much.
S: No problem!

Sözlük - Vocabulary

ariyət almaq: to borrow

ariyət bərmək: to lend

aq: white

almaq: to take, to buy

əmisə: if so, so, then

barmaq: to go

pason: fashion, style, cut

təkrarlamaq: to revise

çapan: overcoat

çüştin keyin: afternoon (lit. noon after)

çüştin burun: morning (lit. noon before)

rəņlik: colourful
setiwalmaq: to buy

som: yuan (Chinese unit of currency)

sizniņçə: according to you, in your opinion

qaramaq: to look

qara: black

qaytmaq: to return

qişliq: winter (adj.)

kəşlik: evening (adj.)

külrəņ: grey

kiyim: clothes

kiyim-keçək: clothes, clothing

lazim: necessary

nərsə-kerək: things

hazir: now

öz: self

esil: excellent. of good quality

yürmək: to go, to walk

yüz: hundred

Uyghur lesson - Ata-anaņniņ ümidini yərdə qoyma!

Moma: Qizim, buyaqqa kəl, gepimni aņla! Silərniņ yeņi məktipiņlar qandaq?
Nəwrə: Bək yiraq, biraq məktəpniņ oquş şaraiti xeli yaxşi.
M: Tamaq, yataq şaraitiņlar yaxşimu?
N: Yaman əməs, yatiqimiz çoņ, aşxanimizda hər xil millitçə tamaqlar bar.
M: Yatiqiņlar məktəpniņ nəridə?
N: Qizlar yataq binasiniņ üçinçi qəwitidə.
M: Yatiqiņlarda qançə oquğuçi bar?
N: Bizniņ yataqta töt oquğuçi bar.
M: Yatiqiņlarda nemilər bar?
N: Yatiqimizda töt kariwat, bir çoņ üstəl, töt orunduq, bir kitab cazisi, kitab cazisida kitab, jurnal, xatirə dəptərlirimiz bar.
M: Kompyoter, telewizor, telefonlar barmu?
N: Həə, bularniņ həmmisi bar.
M: Yənə nemilər bar?
N: Yatiqimizda yənə çaydan, çelək, das, süpürgə qatarliq nərsilər bar. Uniņdin başqa yənə hərqaysimizniņ löņgə, sopun, çiş çotkisi, çiş pastisi wə kuruşka qatarliq nərsilirimiz bar.
M: Qizim, oquş pursitini qədirle, çoqum yaxşi oqu, ata-anaņniņ ümidini yərdə qoyma!

Grandma: My girl, come here and listen to my words! How's your new school?
Granddaughter: It's very far, but the academic atmosphere is very good. (lit. the study's environment is very good)
G: Are the food and accomodation good?
GD: Not bad. Our bedroom is big, and in the canteen there are all kinds of ethnic food.
G: Whereabouts in the school is your dormitory?
GD: Girls' dormitory is on the third floor of the building.
G: How many students are in your room?
GD: We have four people.
G: What does your room have?
GD: In our room there are four beds, a big table, four chairs, a bookshelf, on the bookshelf there are books, newspapers, and notebooks.
G: Do you have a computer, a TV and a phone?
GD: Yes, we have every one of those.
G: What else?
GD: In our room there are also a kettle, a bucket, a washing basin, a broom and so on. In addition to those each one of us have a towel, a soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a mug and things like these.
G: My girl, you must cherish the opportunity to study, study really well and don't disappoint your parents (lit. don't put your parents' hope aside)!

Sözlük - Vocabulary

ata-ana: parents

aņlamaq: to listen to

buyaqqa: to here, hither

biraq: but, however

pursət: opportunity

çaydan: kettle

çoqum: really, certainly, surely

çelək: bucket

çiş: tooth

çiş çotkisi: toothbrush

xatirə dəptər: notebook, diary

xeli: quite, very

das: washing basin

sopun: soap

süpürgə: broom

şarait: environment, atmosphere

qatarliq: and so on, etc

qədirləmək: to cherish

qəwət: floor, level

qoymaq: to put, to place

kariwat: bed

kəlmək: to come

kuruşka: mug, glass

kitab cazisi: bookshelf

gəp: words, talking

löņgə: towel

milliçə: ethnic

nərsə: thing

nəwrə: grandchild

hər xil: all kinds

hərqaysi: every, each

oqumaq: to read, to recite, to sing

oquş: study (n.)

uniņdin başqa: aside these, in addition to these

üstəl: table

ümit: hope

çiş pastisi: toothpaste

yaman əməs: not bad

yiraq: far