ðɪs ɪz pˈɑːɹtli dˈuː tə ðə dˈɪfɪkˌʌlti ɪn aɪdˈɛntᵻfˌaɪɪŋ wˈɜːd bˈaʊndɚɹiz, bˌʌt ðə ɡɹˈeɪɾɪst dˈɪfɹənsᵻz tədˈeɪ ɑːɹ dˈuː tə ðə kˈɑːntɹæst bᵻtwˌiːn ðə tɹɐdˈɪʃənəl ɐnˈæləsˌɪs ʌv bˈʌlɡɚɹ æz ɐ tˈɜːkɪk lˈæŋɡwɪdʒ ænd hɪstˈoːɹiən pˈɛɾɚ dˈɑːbɹɛvz ɹˈiːsəntli ɐdvˈænst pɹəpˈoʊzəl ðˌɐɾɪt wʌz ɐn ɪɹˈeɪniən, mˈoːɹ spəsˈɪfɪkli pæmˈiəɹi lˈæŋɡwɪdʒ.
This is partly due to the difficulty in identifying word boundaries, but the greatest differences today are due to the contrast between the traditional analysis of Bulgar as a Turkic language and historian Petar Dobrev's recently advanced proposal that it was an Iranian, more specifically Pamiri language.