Botlikh language

Botlikh
Botlix
Буйхалъи мицIцIи/Bujxałi mic’c’i
Pronunciation[bujχaɬi mits’ːi]
Native toNorth Caucasus
RegionSouthwestern Dagestan[1]
Ethnicity3,788 Botlikh people (2020)
Native speakers
5,073 (2020 census)[2]
c. 8,000 (2012)[3]
Northeast Caucasian
Dialects
  • Botlikh proper
  • Miarso
unwritten
(transcribed using Cyrillic script)
Language codes
ISO 639-3bph
Glottologbotl1242
ELPBotlikh
  Botlikh
Botlikh is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (2010)

Botlikh (also spelled Botlix) is an Andic language of the Northeast Caucasian language family spoken by the Botlikhs in the villages of Botlikh (Buikhe), Miarso and Ashino, as well as in Chontaul, Ankho and in Batlakhatli [ru],[4] in southwestern Dagestan, Russia by approximately 5,000 people, according to the 2020 census.[2]

Dialects

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Botlikh has two dialects, being Botlikh proper and Miarso. Differences in phonology and morphology are small, and the two are mutually intelligible.[4]

Phonology

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Vowels

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Botlikh has five basic vowels. Vowels can also be long or nasalized.[5]

Botlikh vowels[5]
Front Back
Close i u
Mid e o
Open a

Consonants

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Botlikh consonants[5]
Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyngeal Glottal
central lateral
lenis fortis lenis fortis lenis fortis lenis fortis lenis fortis lenis fortis
Plosive voiced b ⟨б⟩ d ⟨д⟩ ɡ ⟨г⟩
voiceless p ⟨п⟩ t ⟨т⟩ k ⟨к⟩
ejective ⟨тӀ⟩ ⟨кӀ⟩ q͡χːʼ ⟨къ⟩ ʔ ⟨ъ⟩
Affricate voiceless t͡s ⟨ц⟩ t͡sː ⟨цц⟩ t͡ʃ ⟨ч⟩ t͡ʃː ⟨чч⟩ t͡ɬː ⟨лӀ⟩ k͡xː ⟨кк⟩ q͡χː ⟨хъ⟩
ejective t͡sʼ ⟨цӀ⟩ t͡sʼː ⟨цӀцӀ⟩ t͡ʃʼ ⟨чӀ⟩ t͡ʃʼː ⟨чӀчӀ⟩ t͡ɬʼː ⟨кь⟩ k͡xːʼ ⟨кӀкӀ⟩
voiced d͜ʒ ⟨дж⟩
Fricative voiceless v ⟨в⟩ s ⟨с⟩ ⟨сс⟩ ʃ ⟨ш⟩ ʃː ⟨щ⟩ ɬ ⟨лъ⟩ ɬː ⟨лълъ⟩ çː ⟨хь⟩ ɣ ⟨гь⟩ ⟨хх⟩ χ ⟨х⟩ ʜ ⟨хӀ⟩ h ⟨гь⟩
voiced z ⟨з⟩ ʒ ⟨ж⟩ j ⟨й⟩ x ⟨х⟩ ʁ ⟨гъ⟩ ʕ ⟨гӀ⟩
Approximant m ⟨м⟩ n ⟨н⟩ r ⟨р⟩ l ⟨л⟩

Orthography

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Botlikh is unwritten, and Botlikhs have mostly used Avar as their medium of written communication. When Botlikhs need to write their language, they use the Avar alphabet.[4] The folowing orthography is used in a Botlikh-Russian dictionary.[6]

А а Аᴴ аᴴ Б б В в Г г Гъ гъ Гь гь ГӀ гӀ Д д Дж дж (Е е) Ж ж З з И и
Иᴴ иᴴ Й й К к Кк кк Къ къ Кь кь КӀ кӀ КӀкӀ кӀкӀ Л л Лъ лъ Лълъ лълъ ЛӀ лӀ М м Н н
О о П п ПӀ пӀ Р р С с Сс сс Т т ТӀ тӀ У у Уᴴ уᴴ Х х Хх хх Хъ хъ Хь хь
ХӀ хӀ Ц ц Цц цц ЦӀ цӀ ЦӀцӀ цӀцӀ Ч ч Чч чч ЧӀ чӀ ЧӀчӀ чӀчӀ Ш ш Щ щ Ъ ъ Э э Эᴴ эᴴ

References

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  1. ^ Ethnologue language map of European Russia, with Botlikh shown in the inset with reference number 9
  2. ^ a b 7. НАСЕЛЕНИЕ НАИБОЛЕЕ МНОГОЧИСЛЕННЫХ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОСТЕЙ ПО РОДНОМУ ЯЗЫКУ
  3. ^ "Ботлихский язык". Большая российская энциклопедия (in Russian). 21 May 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Ботлихский язык | Малые языки России". minlang.iling-ran.ru. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Грамматика ботлихского языка | Малые языки России". minlang.iling-ran.ru. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  6. ^ Alekseev, Michail Egorovič; Azaev, Chalil Gadžimagomedovič (2019). Botlichsko-russkij slovarʹ: = Botlikh-Russian dictionary Ботлихско-русский словарь. Issledovanija i materialy po jazykam Kavkaza. Moskva: Academia. ISBN 978-5-87444-416-7.

Further reading

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  • Alekseev, M.; Azaev, X. (2019). Botlixsko-russkij slovar' (in Russian). Moscow: Academia.
  • Dirr, Adolf (1928). Einführung in das Studium der Kaukasischen Sprachen mit einer sprachenkarte (in German). Leipzig: Verlag der Asia Major.
  • Gamzatova, G. G. (2000). Jazyki Dagestana. Jazyki Narodov Rossii (in Russian). Machackala: Rossijskaja Akademija Nauk.
  • Gudava, Togo E. (1962). ბოთლიხური ენა: გრამატიკული ანალიზი, ტექსტები, ლექსიკონი [The Botlikh language: Grammatical analysis, texts, lexicon] (in Georgian). Tbilisi: Sak'art'velos SSR mec'nierebat'a akademiis gamomc'emloba.
  • Gudava, Togo E. (1976). "Iberijsko-kavkazskie jazyki". Jazyki narodov SSSR (in Russian). Vol. IV. Moskva: Nauka. pp. 293–306.
  • Moroz, George; Naccarato, Chiara; Verhees, Samira (14–16 October 2019). Variation in two dictionaries of Botlikh (PDF). Документирование языков и диалектов коренных малочисленных народов России. St. Petersburg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 November 2022.
  • Saidova, P. A.; Abusov, M. G. (2012). Botlixsko-russkij slovar' (in Russian). Makhachkala: IJaLI.
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