[10] While initially thought to be closely related to Azerbaijani, linguistic studies, particularly those done by Gerhard Doerfer, led to the reclassification of Khalaj as a distinct non-Oghuz branch of the Turkic language family.

[11] Evidence for the reassignment includes the preservation of the vowel length contrasts found in Proto-Turkic (PT),[12] word-initial *h, and the lack of the sound change *d > y characteristic of Oghuz languages.

[16][17] Khalaj is spoken mainly in Markazi Province in Iran distributed throughout a number of villages from Qom to Ashtian and Tafresh.

[citation needed] The linguistic difference between the most distant dialects is not smaller (or even bigger) than Kazan Tatar and Bashkir or between Rumelian Turkish and Azerbaijani.

[22][23] However, Alexis Manaster Ramer challenges both the interpretation that Khalaj features three vowel lengths and that Proto-Turkic had the same three-way contrast.

A table of basic case endings is provided below: The equative can also be expressed by the words täkin, täki and other forms.

Verbs consist of long strings of morphemes in the following array: Due to Persian influence, Khalaj has, like Qashqai, lost converb constructions of the form -Ib/-Ip.