ABSTRACT
Introduction The language varieties that are nowadays collectively referred to as Modem Uyghur, hazirqi zaman uyyur tili 'present time Uyghur language' , used to be known as Eastem Turki in the west. The collective ethnic label uyyur was introduced in 1921. Its choice was based on the assumption that the presentday Uyghurs are the direct descendants of the Old Uyghurs. The present-day Uyghurs are evidently of multi-ethnic, though assumedly of predominantly Turkic, descent. The language varieties they use are typologically separate from Old Uyghur.
