Lezgian language
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Lezgian, also called Lezgi, is a language spoken by the Lezgins who live in southern Dagestan (a republic of Russia) and northern Azerbaijan.
Classification
Lezgian belongs to the Lezgic group of the Northeast Caucasian (Dagestan) language family.
Geographic distribution
In 1996, Lezgian was spoken by about 257,000 people in Russia, mainly in Southern Dagestan, as well as 171,400 people in Azerbaijan. Lezgian is also spoken in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The total number of speakers is about 451,000.
Official status
Lezgian is an official language in the Dagestan. Refer to article at Wikipedia List of official languages by state
Related languages
There are ten languages in the Lezgic language family, namely: Lezgian, Tabasaran, Rutul, Aghul, Tsakhur, Budukh, Kryts, Khinalugh, Udi and Archi. These languages have the same names as the Lezgic ethnic subgroups.
The Quba dialect spoken in Azerbaijan differs, but not considerably from the standard language.
Grammar
Lezgian is unusual for a Northeast Caucasian language in not having noun classes. Standard Lezgian grammar features 18 noun cases, of which 12 are still used in spoken conversation.
Bibliography
- Haspelmath, Martin. 1993. A grammar of Lezgian. (Mouton grammar library; 9). Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter. – ISBN 3-11-013735-6
- Talibov, Bukar B. and Magomed M. Gadžiev. 1966. Lezginsko-russkij slovar’. Moskva: Izd. Sovetskaja Ėnciklopedija.