Uzbek
Altaic family · Turkic branch · Eurasia
Uzbek is an SOV language, like 564 of the 1,376 languages WALS codes for basic word order.
The closest grammar profile to Uzbek in the atlas belongs to Tamil, a Dravidian language: the two agree on 34 of the 44 features both have coded.
Of its word-order pairings, the one Uzbek shares with the fewest languages is Order of Relative Clause and Noun: “Relative clause precedes noun (RelN)”, the value of 141 of the 824 languages coded.
The least common value coded for Uzbek is “Person-number stem with a nominal plural affix” on Plurality in Independent Personal Pronouns, held by 22 of the 261 languages coded.
Compared with English, Uzbek has the same value on 24 of the 52 features both are coded for (46%).
Contrast Uzbek with Tamil or with any other language
Inside the Altaic family
Uzbek matches the most frequent Altaic value on 43 of the 52 features where at least three other members of the family are coded (83%). Among the 15 Altaic languages profiled here, that rate ranks sixth from the top.
Closest profiles
Languages that share the most coded values with Uzbek; the count is out of the features both languages are coded for.
The rest of the profile
WALS codes Uzbek for 52 of the 144 profile features used on this site. The remaining 49 are listed here, grouped by topic; within each group the value Uzbek shares with the fewest languages comes first.
Sounds 1
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| The Velar Nasal | Velar nasal, but not initially | 87 of 469 |
Word structure 1
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Prefixing vs. Suffixing in Inflectional Morphology | Predominantly suffixing | 406 of 969 |
Nouns and pronouns 11
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Comitatives and Instrumentals | Mixed | 33 of 322 |
| Ordinal Numerals | One-th, two-th, three-th | 41 of 321 |
| Conjunctions and Universal Quantifiers | Formally similar, not involving interrogative expression | 33 of 116 |
| Position of Pronominal Possessive Affixes | Possessive suffixes | 355 of 902 |
| Position of Case Affixes | Case suffixes | 452 of 1,031 |
| The Associative Plural | Associative plural marker also used for additive plurals | 104 of 236 |
| Coding of Nominal Plurality | Plural suffix | 513 of 1,066 |
| Number of Genders | None | 145 of 257 |
| Sex-based and Non-sex-based Gender Systems | No gender system | 145 of 257 |
| Systems of Gender Assignment | No gender system | 145 of 257 |
| Indefinite Pronouns | Interrogative-based indefinites | 194 of 326 |
Noun phrases 1
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Noun Phrase Conjunction | AND-languages: 'and' and 'with' are not identical | 131 of 234 |
Verbs: tense, mood, evidence 7
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| The Prohibitive | Normal imperative + normal negative | 113 of 496 |
| Situational Possibility | Affixes on verbs | 63 of 234 |
| Imperative-Hortative Systems | The language has a maximal system, but not a minimal one | 133 of 375 |
| Epistemic Possibility | Other | 91 of 240 |
| Overlap between Situational and Epistemic Modal Marking | No overlap | 105 of 207 |
| The Morphological Imperative | Second singular and second plural | 292 of 548 |
| Position of Tense-Aspect Affixes | Tense-aspect suffixes | 667 of 1,131 |
Word order 10
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Order of Adjective and Noun | Modifying adjective precedes noun (AdjN) | 373 of 1,367 |
| Position of Polar Question Particles | No question particle | 355 of 884 |
| Order of Numeral and Noun | Numeral precedes noun (NumN) | 479 of 1,154 |
| Order of Demonstrative and Noun | Demonstrative word precedes noun (DemN) | 542 of 1,225 |
| Order of Object and Verb | Object precedes verb (OV) | 712 of 1,518 |
| Order of Degree Word and Adjective | Degree word precedes adjective (DegAdj) | 227 of 481 |
| Order of Genitive and Noun | Genitive-noun (GenN) | 685 of 1,249 |
| Order of Adverbial Subordinator and Clause | Initial subordinator word | 398 of 659 |
| Position of Interrogative Phrases in Content Questions | Interrogative phrases not obligatorily initial | 615 of 902 |
| Order of Subject and Verb | Subject precedes verb (SV) | 1,192 of 1,496 |
Simple clauses 15
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Polar Questions | Interrogative verb morphology | 164 of 955 |
| Predicative Possession | Locational Possessive | 48 of 240 |
| Subtypes of Asymmetric Standard Negation | In other grammatical categories: Subtype A/Cat | 82 of 297 |
| Nominal and Locational Predication | Identical | 117 of 386 |
| Negative Morphemes | Negative affix | 395 of 1,157 |
| Predicative Adjectives | Predicative adjectives have nonverbal encoding | 132 of 386 |
| Symmetric and Asymmetric Standard Negation | Symmetric and asymmetric standard negation: Type SymAsy | 130 of 297 |
| Zero Copula for Predicate Nominals | Zero copula is possible | 175 of 386 |
| Comparative Constructions | Locational Comparative | 78 of 167 |
| Applicative Constructions | No applicative construction | 100 of 183 |
| Other Roles of Applied Objects | No applicative construction | 100 of 183 |
| Expression of Pronominal Subjects | Pronominal subjects are expressed by affixes on verbs | 437 of 711 |
| Antipassive Constructions | No antipassive | 146 of 194 |
| Productivity of the Antipassive Construction | no antipassive | 146 of 186 |
| Nonperiphrastic Causative Constructions | Morphological type but no compound type | 254 of 310 |
Vocabulary 3
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Hand and Arm | Identity: a single word denotes both 'hand' and 'arm' | 228 of 617 |
| Tea | Words derived from Sinitic cha | 110 of 230 |
| Finger and Hand | Different | 521 of 593 |