Lezgian language

Lezgian /ˈlɛzɡiən/,[4] also called Lezgi or Lezgin, is a Northeast Caucasian language that belongs to the Lezgic languages. It is spoken by the Lezgins, who live in southern Dagestan, northern Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and other countries. Lezgian is a literary language and an official language of Dagestan. It is classified as "vulnerable" by UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.[5]

Lezgian
лезги чӏал lezgi č'al[1]
Pronunciation[lezɡi tʃʼal]
Native toNorth Caucasus
RegionSouthern Dagestan, western Caspian Sea coast, central Caucasus
EthnicityLezgins
Native speakers
633,610 (2010)[2]
Northeast Caucasian
  • Lezgic
    • Samur
      • Eastern Samur
        • Lezgi–Aghul–Tabasaran
          • Lezgian
Official status
Official language in
 Russia
Language codes
ISO 639-2lez
ISO 639-3lez
Glottologlezg1247[3]

Geographic distribution

In 2002, Lezgian was spoken by about 397,000 people in Russia, mainly Southern Dagestan, and in 1999 by 178,400 people in mainly the Qusar, Quba, Qabala, Oghuz, Ismailli and Khachmaz (Xaçmaz) provinces of northeastern Azerbaijan. Lezgian is also spoken in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Germany and Uzbekistan by immigrants from Azerbaijan and Dagestan.

There are also small populations in the Balikesir, Yalova, Izmir, Bursa regions in Turkey. The Lezgian people are concentrated mainly in Kirne (Ortaca) village of the Balikesir region.

The total number of speakers is about 800,000.[6]

There are nine languages in the Lezgic language family, namely: Lezgian, Tabasaran, Rutul, Aghul, Tsakhur, Budukh, Kryts, Udi and Archi. These languages have the same names as their ethnic groups.

Some of its dialects are considered very different from the standard form, including the Quba dialect spoken in Azerbaijan.[6]

Phonology

Vowels
Vowels of Lezgian[7]
Front Central Back
plain rounded
Close i (и)y (уь) ɨ (ы) u (у)
Mid e (е; э) (ə) o (o)
Open a (а)
  • /a/ has two main allophones: [ɑ] and [ʌ]; the former prevails in closed syllables (especially before uvulars and /r/), the latter in open syllables.
  • /a/ is very often rounded after labialized consonants, which may then lose their labialization.
  • /e/ is open ([ɛ]) in stressed syllables
  • if a vowel plus /n/ sequence is not followed by a vowel, the /n/ may be deleted and the vowel nasalized. Thus /zun/ ('I') can be pronounced [zũ].

Consonants

There are 54 consonants in Lezgian. Characters to the right are the letters of the Lezgian Cyrillic Alphabet. Note that aspiration is not normally indicated in the orthography, despite the fact that it is phonemic.

Consonants of Lezgian[8]
Labial Dental (Post)-
alveolar		 Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
plain lab. plain lab. plain lab.
Nasal /m/ м /n/ н
Plosive voiced /b/ б /d/ д /g/ г /gʷ/ гв
voiceless /p/ п /t/ т /tʷ/ тв /k/ к /kʷ/ кв /q/ къ /qʷ/ къв /ʔ/ ъ
aspirated /pʰ/ п /tʰ/ т /tʷʰ/ тв /kʰ/ к /kʷʰ/ кв /qʰ/ хъ /qʷʰ/ хъв
ejective /pʼ/ пӀ /tʼ/ тӀ /tʷʼ/ тӀв /kʼ/ кӀ /kʷʼ/ кӀв /qʼ/ кь /qʷʼ/ кьв
Affricate voiced /dz/ дз /dʒ/ дж
voiceless /t͡s/ ц /t͡sʷ/ цв /t͡ʃ/ ч
aspirated /t͡sʰ/ ц /t͡sʷʰ/ цв /t͡ʃʰ/ ч
ejective /t͡sʼ/ цӀ /t͡sʷʼ/ цӀв /t͡ʃʼ/ чӀ
Fricative voiced /v/ в /z/ з /zʷ/ зв /ʒ/ ж /ʁ/ гъ /ʁʷ/ гъв
voiceless /f/ ф /s/ с /sʷ/ св /ʃ/ ш /x/ хь /xʷ/ хьв /χ/ х /χʷ/ хв /h/ гь
Approximant /l/ л /j/ й /w/ в
Trill /r/ р

Alphabets
Main article: Lezgin alphabets

Lezgian has been written in several different alphabets over the course of its history. These alphabets have been based on three scripts: Arabic (before 1928), Latin (1928–38), and Cyrillic (1938–present).

The Lezgian Cyrillic alphabet is as follows:[9]

А Б В Г Гъ Гь Д Е Ё Ж З И Й К Къ Кь Кӏ Л М Н О П Пӏ Р С Т Тӏ У Уь Ф Х Хъ Хь Ц Цӏ Ч Чӏ Ш Щ Ъ Ы Ь Э Ю Я
а б в г гъ гь д е ё ж з и й к къ кь кӏ л м н о п пӏ р с т тӏ у уь ф х хъ хь ц цӏ ч чӏ ш щ ъ ы ь э ю я

The Latin alphabet was as follows:

A a Ä ä B b C c Č č Ch ch Čh čh D d
E e F f G g Gh gh H h I i J j K k
Kh kh L l M m N n Ꞑ ꞑ O o Ö ö P p
Ph ph Q q Qh qh R r S s Š š T t Th th
U u Ü ü V v X x X́ x́ Y y Z z Ž ž

Grammar

Lezgian is unusual for a Northeast Caucasian language in not having noun classes (also called "grammatical gender"). Standard Lezgian grammar features 18 grammatical cases,[10] produced by agglutinating suffixes, of which 12 are still used in spoken conversation.

Cases

The four grammatical cases are:[8]

  • Absolutive case (basic form of the word, no ending): marks the subject of an intransitive verb and the direct object of a transitive sentence. It is also used to mark a nominal predicate (who or what something turns into/becomes) and as a vocative.
  • Ergative case (various endings; the most common are: -ди, -a or -е; [-di, -a or e], which are added to the Absolutive): marks the subject of transitive verbs, and the subject of some compound intransitive verbs.
  • Genitive case (ending -н [-n]; added to the Ergative): marks possession. It is also used with the meaning 'of'. The genitive case precedes the noun that it modifies.
  • Dative case (ending -з [-z]; added to the Ergative): usually marks the indirect object of sentences, that is the recipient of an action. It is also used to mark the subject of some verbs (mainly about emotions) and to express a point of time and direction.
  • There are fourteen Locative cases:
    • Adessive case (ending -в [-v]; added to the Ergative): marks the object of some verbs to mean 'by', 'to', 'with'.
    • Adelative case (ending -вай [-vaj]; added to the Ergative): expresses movement from somewhere. It is also used with the verb 'to be able' and to express an accidental action.
    • Addirective case (ending -вди [-vdi]; added to the Ergative): used as an instrumental case, but also sometimes used with its original meaning, 'in the direction of', and more rarely 'near by'.
    • The Postessive case (ending -хъ [-qh]; added to the Ergative): means 'behind', 'at', 'toward', 'in exchange for', and 'with.' In a construction with the verb ава (ava), it expresses possession.
    • Postelative case (ending -хъай [-qhaj]; added to the Ergative): can either mean 'from' or the cause of fear or shame.
    • Postdirective case (ending -хъди [-qhdi]; added to the Ergative): rarely used case, meaning 'toward(s)'.
    • Subessive case (ending -к [-k]; added to the Ergative): means either 'below' or 'participates'.
    • Subelative case (ending -кай [-kaj]; added to the Ergative): means either 'from below', 'from', '(from) against', 'with' or 'out of' (partitive). It is also used to mark Y in the construction 'X becomes out-of-Y' and can express the topic of a sentence ('about') or the cause of emotions.
    • Subdirective case (ending -кди [-kdi]; added to the Ergative): expresses cause (never motion under), and can mean 'because' or 'of' (when in sentences such as 'the man died of a disease'.
    • Inessive case (endings -а or -е [-a or -e]; added to Absolutive): means 'at', 'in' or 'during/whilst'.
    • Inelative case (endings -ай or -ей [-aj or -ej]; added to Inessive): means 'out of' or 'in return for'.
    • Superessive case (ending -л [-l]; added to the Inessive): means 'on', and also to express the cause of some emotions.
    • Superelative case (ending -лай [-laj]; added to the Inessive): means 'off', 'after' or 'than' (comparison).
    • Superdirective case (ending -лди [-ldi]; added to the Inessive): means 'onto', 'until', 'in' (when followed by an adjective), as an instrumental case (e.g. language) or instructive with abstract nouns.

Declension

There are two types of declensions.

First declension
Case Singular Plural
Absolutiveбубаbubaбубаярbubajar
Ergativeбубадиbubadiбубайриbubajri
Genitiveбубадинbubadinбубайринbubajrin
Dativeбубадизbubadizбубайризbubajriz
Adessiveбубадивbubadivбубайривbubajriv
Adelativeбубадивайbubadivajбубайривайbubajrivaj
Addirectiveбубадивдиbubadivdiбубайривдиbubajrivdi
Postessiveбубадихъbubadiqʰбубайрихъbubajriqʰ
Postelativeбубадихъайbubadiqʰajбубайрихъайbubajriqʰaj
Postdirectiveбубадихъдиbubadiqʰdiбуабайрихъдиbuabajriqʰdi
Subessiveбубадикbubadikʰбубайрикbubajrikʰ
Subelativeбубадикайbubadikʰajбубайрикайbubajrikʰaj
Subdirectiveбубадикдиbubadikʰdiбубайрикдиbubajrikʰdi
Inessiveбубадаbubadaбубайраbubajra
Inelativeбубадайbubadajбубайрайbubajraj
Superessiveбубадалbubadalбубайралbubajral
Superelativeбубадалайbubadalajбубайралайbubajralaj
Superdirectiveбубадалдиbubadaldiбубайралдиbubajraldi

Vocabulary

Numbers

The numbers of Lezgian are:

удudzero
садsadone
кьведqʷ’edtwo
пудpudthree
кьудq’udfour
вадvadfive
ругудrugudsix
иридiridseven
муьжуьдmuʒudeight
кӏуьдk’ydnine
цӏудts’udten
цӏусадts’usadeleven
цӏикьведts’iqʷ’edtwelve
цӏипудts’ipudthirteen
цӏикьудts’iq’udfourteen
цӏувадts’uvadfifteen
цӏуругудts’urugudsixteen
цӏеридts’eridseventeen
цӏемуьжуьдts’emyʒudeighteen
цӏекӏуьдts’ek’ydnineteen
къадqadtwenty
 qadtsudthirty
яхцӏурjaxts’urforty
 jaxtsurtsudfifty
пудкъадpudqadsixty
 pudqadtsudseventy
кьудкъадq’udqaleighty
 qudqaltsudninety
вишviʃone hundred
агъзурaɣzurone thousand

Nouns following a number are always in the singular. Numbers precede the noun. "Сад" and "кьвед" lose their final "-д" before a noun.

Lezgian numerals work in a similar fashion to the French ones, and are based on the vigesimal system in which "20", not "10", is the base number. "Twenty" in Lezgian is "къад", and higher numbers are formed by adding the suffix -ни to the word (which becomes "къанни" - the same change occurs in пудкъад and кьудкъад) and putting the remaining number afterwards. This way 24 for instance is къанни кьуд ("20 and 4"), and 37 is къанни цӏерид ("20 and 17"). Numbers over 40 are formed similarly (яхцӏур becomes яхцӏурни). 60 and 80 are treated likewise. For numbers over 100 just put a number of hundreds, then (if need be) the word with a suffix, then the remaining number. 659 is thus ругуд вишни яхцӏурни цӏекӏуьд. The same procedure follows for 1000. 1989 is агьзурни кӏуьд вишни кьудкъанни кӏуьд in Lezgi.

gollark: But I can't possibly afford those.
gollark: Oh yes, right, the Talos computer things.
gollark: You said firmware. I think there are some without significant or any firmware.
gollark: Not even the Librem 5 is entirety free of blobs, you know.
gollark: Probably the best I could get would be a very old ARM SoC of some sort.

References
  2. Lezgian at Ethnologue (22nd ed., 2019)
  3. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Lezgian". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  4. Laurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student's Handbook, Edinburgh
  5. UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger Archived February 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Enthnologue report for Lezgi". Ethnologue.com. 1999-02-19. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
  7. Chitoran & Babaliyeva (2007:2153)
    • Haspelmath, M. (1993). A grammar of Lezgian. (Mouton grammar library; 9). Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter. – ISBN 3-11-013735-6, p. 2
  9. Талибов Б. Б., Гаджиев М. М. Лезгинско-русский словарь. Moscow, 1966.
  10. p. 74. Haspelmath, Martin. 1993. A Grammar of Lezgian. Walter de Gruyter

Bibliography
  • Chitoran, Ioana; Babaliyeva, Ayten (2007). "An acoustic description of high vowel syncope in Lezgian". Proceedings of the 16th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences. pp. 2153–2156. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.127.5598.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Haspelmath, M. (1993). A grammar of Lezgian. Mouton grammar library. 9. Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-013735-6.
  • Talibov, Bukar B.; Gadžiev, Magomed M. (1966). Lezginsko-russkij slovar’. Moskva: Izd. Sovetskaja Ėnciklopedija.
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