Bezhta language
Template:Short description Template:Expand language Template:Cleanup langScript error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other The Bezhta (or Bezheta) language (Bezhta: бежкьалас миц, bežƛʼalas mic, beƶⱡʼalas mic, Script error: No such module "IPA".), also known as Kapucha (from the name of a large village[1]), belongs to the Tsezic group of the North Caucasian language family. It is spoken by about 6,200 people in southern Dagestan, Russia.[2]
Classification
Its closest linguistic relatives are Hunzib and Khwarshi.[3]
Dialects
Bezhta can be divided into three dialects – Bezhta Proper, Template:Ill and Khocharkhota[2] – which are spoken in various villages in the region.
Phonology
Bezhta has a rich consonantal and – unlike its relatives Tsez and Avar – a relatively large vowel inventory (16 distinct vowel phonemes), compared to other languages of the same family.[4]
Vowels
Bezhta contrasts vowel length and nasalization.
Consonants
Orthography
Bezhta is unwritten, but various attempts have been made to develop an official orthography for the language. The Bezhta people use Avar as the literary language. The first book ever printed in Bezhta was the Gospel of Luke (1999).[5] The orthography used in translations of biblical texts is as follows:[6][7]
| А а | Аь аь | Аᴴ аᴴ | Аьᴴ аьᴴ | А̄ а̄ | Б б | В в | Г г |
| Гъ гъ | Гь гь | ГӀ гӀ | Д д | Е е | Еᴴ еᴴ | Ж ж | З з |
| И и | Иᴴ иᴴ | Ӣ ӣ | Й й | К к | Къ къ | Кь кь | КӀ кӀ |
| Л л | Лъ лъ | ЛӀ лӀ | М м | Н н | О о | Оь оь | Оᴴ оᴴ |
| Оьᴴ оьᴴ | О̄ о̄ | П п | ПӀ пӀ | Р р | С с | Т т | ТӀ тӀ |
| У у | Уь уь | Уᴴ уᴴ | Уьᴴ уьᴴ | Ӯ ӯ | Х х | Хъ хъ | ХӀ хӀ |
| Ц ц | ЦӀ цӀ | Ч ч | ЧӀ чӀ | Ш ш | Э э | Эᴴ эᴴ | Ъ ъ |
Morphology
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Bezhta is mostly agglutinative and the vast amount of locative cases makes its case system particularly rich. The verb morphology is relatively simple. It is an ergative language.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Numerals
Unlike Tsez, Bezhta has a decimal system with the word for twenty being an exception.[8]
| Latin | Cyrillic | IPA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | nol | нол | nol |
| 1 | hõs | гьоᵸс | hõs |
| 2 | qʼona | къона | qʼona |
| 3 | łana | лъана | ɬana |
| 4 | ṏqʼönä | оьᵸкъоьнаь | ø̃qʼønæ |
| 5 | łina | лъина | ɬina |
| 6 | iłna | илъна | iɬna |
| 7 | aƛna | алIна | atɬna |
| 8 | beƛna | белIна | betɬna |
| 9 | äčʼena | аьчIена | æt͡ʃʼena |
| 10 | acʼona | ацIона | at͡sʼona |
| 20 | qona | хъона | qona |
| 100 | hõsčʼitʼ / -čʼitʼ | гьоᵸсчIитI / -чIитI | hõst͡ʃʼitʼ / -t͡ʃʼitʼ |
| 1000 | hazay | гьазай | hazaj |
- Multiples of 10 higher than 20 are formed by adding the suffix -yig (-йиг) to the multiplier. Hence, the word for 30 is łanayig (лъанайиг).
- Compound numbers are formed by juxtaposition, the smaller numbers following the greater ones. The number 47 is thus expressed as ṏqʼönäyig aƛna (оьᵸкъоьнаьйиг алIна).
Sample text
This is a passage taken from the Gospel of Luke[9] written in a Cyrillic orthography based on Avar and Chechen, a Latinized transcription and one in IPA.
| CYRILLIC | LATIN TRANSCRIPTION | IPA TRANSCRIPTION | TRANSLATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Гьогцо гьоллохъа нисос: | Hogco holloqa nisos: | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Jesus said to the followers: |
| Доьъа богьцалаъ вагьда̄ ниса: | Dö'a bohcala' wahdā nisa: | Script error: No such module "IPA". | When you pray, pray like this: |
| «Йа̄ Або, Дибо ца̄ᵸ аьдамла̄ илагьияб бикӀзи йовала, | «Yā Abo, Dibo cā̃ ädamlā ilahiyab bikʼzi yowala, | Script error: No such module "IPA". | "O Father, we pray that your name will always be kept holy, |
| Дибо Парчагьлъи йоᵸкъала; | Dibo Parčahłi yõqʼala; | Script error: No such module "IPA". | we pray that your kingdom will come; |
| Шибаб водиъ баццас баьба илол нилӀа; | Šibab wodi' baccas bäba ilol niƛa; | Script error: No such module "IPA". | give us the food we need for each day; |
| Илла мунагьла̄кьас кьодос тилӀки, судлӀо нисода илена къацӀцӀола илол кешлъи йо̄вакьас кьодос тилӀбакца. | Illa munahlāƛʼas ƛʼodos tiƛki, sudƛo nisoda ilena qʼacʼcʼola ilol kešłi yōwaƛʼas ƛʼodos tiƛbakca. | Script error: No such module "IPA". | forgive us the sins we have done, because we forgive every person that has done wrong to us. |
| Ми илос гьаьл бикъелална уьᵸхолъа̄къа.» | Mi ilos häl biqʼelalna ü̃xołāqʼa.» | Script error: No such module "IPA". | And don't let us be tempted." |
References
- ↑ Shirin Akiner, Islamic Peoples of the Soviet Union, 2nd ed. (KPI, Distributed by Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986: Template:ISBN), p. 253.
- ↑ a b Cite error: Invalid
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External links
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- The Bezhta People and Language (P.J. Hillery)
- Bezhta Vocabulary List (from the World Loanword Database)
- Bezhta basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database
Template:Northeast Caucasian languages Template:Languages of the Caucasus