Lezgic languages

Lezgic
Geographic distribution	Dagestan   Azerbaijan
Linguistic classification	Northeast Caucasian Lezgic
Proto-language	Proto-Lezgic language
Subdivisions	Archi (Peripheral Lezgic) Samur (Nuclear Lezgic) ? Khinalug
Language codes
Glottolog	lezg1248
Lezgic

The Lezgic languages (also Lezgian or Lezghian) are one of seven branches of the Northeast Caucasian language family. Lezgin and Tabasaran are literary languages. Khinalug may either be Lezgic or an independent branch of the Northeast Caucasian family.

Classification

• Peripheral: Archi – 1,700 speakers ^[1]
• Samur ^[2] (Nuclear Lezgic)
  • Eastern Samur ^[1]
    • Caucasian Albanian † – extinct
      • Udi – 6,600 speakers
    • Lezgin–Aghul–Tabasaran ^[2]
      • Lezgin – 410,000 speakers
      • Aghul – 33,200 speakers
      • Tabasaran – 143,600 speakers
  • Southern Samur
    • Kryts – 5,000 speakers
    • Budukh – 200 speakers
    • Jek – 1,500 speakers
  • Western Samur
    • Rutul – 36,400 speakers
    • Tsakhur – 22,300 speakers

The voicing of ejective consonants

The Lezgic languages are relevant to the glottalic theory of Indo-European, because several have undergone the voicing of ejectives that have been postulated but widely derided as improbable in that family. The correspondences have not been well worked out (Rutul is inconsistent in the examples), but a few examples are:

• Non-Lezgic: Avar tstsʼar; Lezgic: Rutul dur, Tsakhur do 'name'
• Non-Lezgic: Archi motʃʼor, Lak tʃʼiri; Lezgic: Rutul mitʃʼri, Tabassaran midʒir, Aɡul mudʒur 'beard'
• Non-Lezgic: Avar motsʼ; Lezgic: Tabassaran vaz 'moon'

A similar change has taken place in non-initial position in the Nakh languages. ^[3]

Vocabulary comparison

The following is a brief comparison of cognates among the basic vocabulary across the Lezgin language branch ^[4] .

	Lezgin	Agul	Tabasaran	Rutul	Tsakhur
head	ḱil (кIил)	ḱil (кIил)	ḱul (кIул)	ḱul (кIул)	kalle (калле)
jacket	valçağ (валчагъ)	valçag (валчаг)	valjağ (валжагъ)	valçağ (валчагъ)	valçağ (валчаг)
summit	ḱuḱ (кIукI)	ḱuḱ (кIукI)	ḱaḱ (кIакI)	ḱul (кIул)	ḱol (кIол)
montain	suv (сув)	suv (сув)	siv (сив)	siv (сив)	suva (сува)
girl	ruş (руш)	ruş (руш)	riş (риш)	reş (реш)	nım (ным)
bridegroom	ččam (ччам)	čam (чам)	jam (жам)	jam (жам)	čama (чама)
dwelling	ḱwal (кIвал)	xal (хал)	xal (хал)	xal (хал)	xav (хав)
land	ččil (ччил)	čil (чил)	jil (жил)	naḉ (начь)	jdil (ждил)
winter	q́üd (кьуьд)	ğurd (гIурд)	qürd (къюрд)	q́üd (кьуьд)	q́udum (кьудум)
goat	c̣eh (цIегь)	c̣eh (цIегь)	c̣ih (цIигь)	c̣i (цIи)	c̣e (цIеь)
ice	murk (мурк)	murk (мурк)	mirkḱ (миркк)	meḱ (мекI)	muk (мук)
shovel	qusu (къусу)	ḱiṭa (кIитIа)	q́ursi (кьурси)	ber (бер)	bel (бел)
mill	reh (регь)	rax̣ (рахъ)	rağmi (рагъIми)	räh (рэх)	yoha (йоха)
meat	yak (як)	yaḱ (йакI)	yikk (иикк)	yak (йак)	çuru (чуру)
bride	swas (свас)	sus (сус)	şwuşw (швушв)	swas (свас)	istax (истах)
horn	karç (карч)	ḱarç (кIарч)	ḱarç (кIарч)	kaç (кач)	ğaç (гъач)
fire	c̣ay (цIай)	c̣ay (цIай)	c̣a (цIа)	c̣ay (цIай)	c̣a (цIа)
eagle	leḳ (лекь)	luḱ (лукI)	lüḱ (люкь)	leg (лег)	ḱatir (кьатир)
language	mez (мез)	mez (мез)	mez (мез)	miz (миз)	miz (миз)

See also

• Lezgin language
• Languages of the Caucasus
• Northeast Caucasian languages

References

1. 7. НАСЕЛЕНИЕ НАИБОЛЕЕ МНОГОЧИСЛЕННЫХ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОСТЕЙ ПО РОДНОМУ ЯЗЫКУ
2. Languages in the Caucasus, by Wolfgang Schulze (2009) Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine
3. Paul Fallon, 2002. The synchronic and diachronic phonology of ejectives, p 245.
4. Ikhilov, Mikhail. "НАРОДНОСТИ ЛЕЗГИНСКОЙ ГРУППЫ" (PDF).

External links

• Lezgic basic lexica at the Global Lexicostatistical Database