Aghul is a Lezgic language spoken by the Aghuls in southern Dagestan, Russia and in Azerbaijan. It is spoken by about 33,200[1] people (2020 census).

Aghul
агъул чӀал
ağul ç̇al
Native toNorth Caucasus, also spoken in Azerbaijan
RegionSoutheastern Dagestan
EthnicityAghuls
Native speakers
33,182 (2020 census)[1]
Northeast Caucasian
Cyrillic
Official status
Official language in
 Russia
Regulated byGamzata Tsadasa Institute of Language, Literature and Art [ru]
Language codes
ISO 639-3agx
Glottologaghu1260  Aghulic
aghu1253
ELPAghul
  Aghul
Agul is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (2010)

Classification

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Aghul belongs to the Eastern Samur group of the Lezgic branch of the Northeast Caucasian language family.

Geographic distribution

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In 2002, Aghul was spoken by 28,300 people in Russia, mainly in Southern Dagestan, as well as 32 people in Azerbaijan.[2]

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There are nine languages in the Lezgian language family, namely: Aghul, Tabasaran, Rutul, Lezgian, Tsakhur, Budukh, Kryts, Udi and Archi.

Phonology

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Aghul has contrastive epiglottal consonants.[3] Aghul makes, like many Northeast Caucasian languages, a distinction between tense consonants with concomitant length and weak consonants. The tense consonants are characterized by the intensiveness (tension) of articulation, which naturally leads to a lengthening of the consonant, so they are traditionally transcribed with the length diacritic. The gemination of the consonant itself does not create its tension, but morphologically tense consonants often derive from adjoining two single weak consonants. Some[which?] Aghul dialects have an especially large number[vague] of permitted initial tense consonants.[3]

Vowels

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Vowels of Aghul[4]
Front Central Back
Close i ɯ u
Mid e
Open a

Consonants

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Consonant phonemes of Aghul[5]
Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyn-
geal
Glottal
plain sib. plain lab.
Nasal m n
Plosive/
Affricate
voiced b d d͡ʒ d͡ʒʷ ɡ ʔ
voiceless fortis t͡sː t͡ʃː t͡ʃːʷ
lenis p t t͡s t͡ʃ t͡ʃʷ k q
ejective t͡sʼ t͡ʃʼ t͡ʃʷʼ
Fricative voiceless fortis ʃː ʃːʷ χː
lenis f s ʃ ʃʷ x χ
voiced v z ʒ ʒʷ ʁ ʢ ɦ
Trill r ʜ
Approximant l j

Alphabet

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The Aghul alphabet was divided in the 1990s. Ever since then, it has been used as a language of education, with primers, textbooks, and dictionaries published.[6]

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

Grammar

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Case

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There are four core cases: absolutive, ergative, genitive, and dative, as well as a large series of location cases. All cases other than the absolutive (which is unmarked) and ergative take the ergative suffix before their own suffix.

Adjectives

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Independent and predicative adjectives take number marker and class marker; also, case if used as nominal. As attribute they are invariable. Thus idžed "good", ergative, idžedi, etc. -n, -s; pl. idžedar; but Idže insandi hhuč qini "The good man killed the wolf" (subject in ergative case).

Pronouns

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Personal pronouns

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Aghul Tokip
Singular Plural Singular Plural
1 zun čin (ex), xin (in) či (ex), xi (in) či, xi
2 wun čun čun ču

Vocabulary

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Examples

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Іисайи

ˡisaji

пуная

punaja

гебурис:

geburis:

ДуьгІе

Du’gˡe

акье

ak’e

миштти:

mištti:

«Дад,

"Dad,

Ве

Ve

ттур

ttur

гирами

girami

хьурай;

x’uraj;

Ве

Ve

Паччагьвел

Paččag’vel

адирай.

adiraj.

ТІалаб

Tˡalab

аркьая

ark’aja

чин

čin

Вакес

Vakes

гьер

g’er

ягьас

jag’as

гуни.

guni.

Гъил

G″il

гьушен

g’ušen

че

če

гунагьарилас,

gunag’arilas,

чинна

činna

гьил

g’il

гьуршанду

g’uršandu

кІилди

kˡildi

час

čas

Іайвелар

ˡajvelar

аркьаттарилас.

ark’attarilas.

ХІа

Xˡa

темехІера

temexˡera

хьас

x’as

амарта

amarta

час».

čas."

Іисайи пуная гебурис: – ДуьгІе акье миштти: «Дад, Ве ттур гирами хьурай; Ве Паччагьвел адирай. ТІалаб аркьая чин Вакес гьер ягьас гуни. Гъил гьушен че гунагьарилас, чинна гьил гьуршанду кІилди час Іайвелар аркьаттарилас. ХІа темехІера хьас амарта час».

ˡisaji punaja geburis: – Du’gˡe ak’e mištti: "Dad, Ve ttur girami x’uraj; Ve Paččag’vel adiraj. Tˡalab ark’aja čin Vakes g’er jag’as guni. G″il g’ušen če gunag’arilas, činna g’il g’uršandu kˡildi čas ˡajvelar ark’attarilas. Xˡa temexˡera x’as amarta čas."

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b Том 5. «Национальный состав и владение языками». Таблица 7. Население наиболее многочисленных национальностей по родному языку
  2. ^ "Aghul".
  3. ^ a b Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996:167–168)
  4. ^ Magometov, Aleksandr Amarovic. 1970. Agul'skij jazyk: (issledovanie i teksty). Tbilisi: Izdatel'stvo "Mecniereba".
  5. ^ Gippert, Jost. "Titus Didactica: North-East Caucasian Consonant Systems". titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de.
  6. ^ "Агульский язык". Большая российская энциклопедия (in Russian). 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  7. ^ "Aghul lp". Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  8. ^ "Photo" (GIF). www.omniglot.com.
  9. ^ "Bible Gateway passage: Luke 11 - King James Version". Bible Gateway.

Bibliography

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