{{Short description|Northeast Caucasian language family}} {{Infobox language family | name = Lezgic | region = {{DAG}}<br>{{AZE}} | familycolor = Caucasian | fam1 = Northeast Caucasian | child1 = ''Archi'' (Peripheral Lezgic) | child2 = Samur (Nuclear Lezgic) | child3 = ? ''Khinalug'' | glotto = lezg1248 | glottorefname = Lezgic | map = Northeast Caucasian languages.png | mapcaption = {{legend|#CAFE5B|Lezgic}} | protoname = Proto-Lezgic language }} {{Lezgins sidebar}} The '''Lezgic languages''' are one of seven branches of the Northeast Caucasian language family, spoken primarily by the Lezgin ethnic groups.
Lezgin languages are spoken by some 1 million people.
==Classification== The languages of minor Lezgic peoples demonstrate a distinct convergence toward the standardized Lezgin literary language.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Мещеряков |first=Н. Л. |title=Малая советская энциклопедия |url=https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005142627?page=73&rotate=0&theme=black |place=Moscow}}</ref> Lezgin, Aghul, Rutul, Tabasaran, Tsakhur and Udi are literary languages. Khinalug may either be Lezgic or an independent branch of the Northeast Caucasian family. * [[File:Расселение лезгинских народов в Дагестане по городским и сельским поселениям, в %.png|thumb|Lezgin ethnic groups in Dagestan]]Peripheral: Archi – 1,700 speakers<ref name=":0">[https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/Tom5_tab7_VPN-2020.xlsx 7. НАСЕЛЕНИЕ НАИБОЛЕЕ МНОГОЧИСЛЕННЫХ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОСТЕЙ ПО РОДНОМУ ЯЗЫКУ]</ref> * Samur<ref name="Schulze09">[http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~wschulze/lgxcauc.pdf Languages in the Caucasus, by Wolfgang Schulze (2009)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610082958/http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~wschulze/lgxcauc.pdf |date=2011-06-10 }}</ref> (Nuclear Lezgic) ** Eastern Samur<ref name=":0" /> ***''Caucasian Albanian'' † – extinct ****Udi – 6,600 speakers *** Lezgin–Aghul–Tabasaran<ref name="Schulze09" /> ****Lezgin – 800,000 speakers<ref name="Ethnologue">{{Cite web |date=1999-02-19 |title=Enthnologue report for Lezgi |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=lez |access-date=2013-12-15 |publisher=Ethnologue.com}}</ref> **** Aghul – 33,200 speakers **** Tabasaran – 87, 214 speakers<ref name="Lang_total_2021">{{Cite web|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/Tom5_tab4_VPN-2020.xlsx|title=Владение языками и использование языков населением Российской Федерации согласно переписи населения 2021 года|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326024701/https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/Tom5_tab4_VPN-2020.xlsx|archive-date=2023-03-26|access-date=2023-01-26|url-status=live}}</ref> ** 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 {{IPA|tstsʼar}}; Lezgic: Rutul {{IPA|dur}}, Tsakhur {{IPA|do}} 'name' *Non-Lezgic: Archi {{IPA|motʃʼor}}, Lak {{IPA|tʃʼiri}}; Lezgic: Rutul {{IPA|mitʃʼri}}, Tabassaran {{IPA|midʒir}}, Aɡul {{IPA|mudʒur}} 'beard' *Non-Lezgic: Avar {{IPA|motsʼ}}; Lezgic: Tabassaran {{IPA|vaz}} 'moon'
A similar change has taken place in non-initial position in the Nakh languages.<ref>Paul Fallon, 2002. ''The synchronic and diachronic phonology of ejectives'', p 245.</ref>
== Vocabulary comparison == {| class="wikitable" |+Lezgic languages<ref>{{Cite web |title=IDS - Entry "I" |url=https://ids.clld.org/parameters/2-910#2/14.4/153.4 |access-date=2026-02-28 |website=ids.clld.org}}</ref> ! rowspan="2" | ! colspan="5" |Eastern Lezgi ! colspan="3" |Southern Lezgi ! colspan="2" |Western Lezgi ! colspan="2" |Peripheral |- !C. Alban (extinct)<ref>{{Cite web |last=murugvi |date=2020-08-07 |title=ИСТОРИЯ ДИФФЕРЕНЦИАЦИИ И ПРЕЕМСТВЕННОСТЬ ЛЕЗГИНСКИХ ЯЗЫКОВ, ГРУППЫ И ДИАЛЕКТЫ |url=https://www.alamjurnal.com/3095-istoriya-diferenczaczii-i-peremstvennost-lezginskih-yazykov-gruppy-i-dialekty/ |access-date=2026-03-01 |website=АЛАМ |language=ru-RU}}</ref> !Lezgi !Agul !Tabasaran !Udi !Budukh !Jek !Kryts !Rutul !Tsakhur !Archi !Khinalug |- |I |zow |zun |zun |uzu |zu |zyn |zyn |zyn |zy |zy |zon |zy |- |you |wun |vun |chun |uvu |hun |vyn |vun |vun |vy |hu |un |vy |- |we |žan |chun |hin |uhu |yan |yin |jin |zin |ji |shi |nenttu |kin |- |all |vari |vari |vari |vari |vari |pitin |vari |vari |vari |gyrgyn |hunniybu |chinel |- |one |sa |sad |sad |sab |sa |sad |sab |sar |sa |sa |os |sa |- |family |xza |xizan |xizan |xizan |kulfet |yeba |haile |kalfat |xizan |xizan |xizan |aile |} {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%; text-align:center;" ! !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 * Lezgin ethnic groups * Languages of the Caucasus * Northeast Caucasian languages
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=new100&morpho=0&basename=new100\ncc\lez&limit=-1 Lezgic basic lexica at the Global Lexicostatistical Database] {{Lezgins}} {{Northeast Caucasian languages}} {{Languages of the Caucasus}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Lezgian languages Category:Northeast Caucasian languages Category:Languages of Azerbaijan Category:Languages of Russia *