Кӏваннав миццӏи
Andi
NE Caucasian (Avar-Andic, Andic subgroup)
Andi (Кӏваннав миццӏи) is a Northeast Caucasian language of the Andic subgroup (Avar-Andic branch), spoken by around 6,000 people in nine villages of the Botlikh District of mountainous western Dagestan. Andi shares the Avar-Andic typological profile: a very large consonant inventory (~50+ phonemes including ejectives, pharyngealized, and labialized series), agglutinative morphology, ergative-absolutive alignment with split ergativity, four to five noun classes, and an elaborate spatial case system with multiple localization series. Andi has no official orthography of its own — Avar serves as the regional literary language, and Andi is transmitted orally; modern linguistic descriptions (Salimov 2010, Cercvadze 1965) use ad-hoc Cyrillic.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Andi
Water
лъен
/ɬen/
Fire
цӏай
/tsʼaj/
Sun
миллӏи
/milːi/
Moon
борцӏцӏо
/bortsʼːo/
Mother
ила
/ila/
Father
има
/ima/
Eat
икъвин
/iqʷːin/
Drink
игьин
/iɣin/
Love
—
/—/
Heart
рокӏо
/rokʼo/
Tree
рикьва
/riqʷːa/
House
хъоро
/qʼoro/
Dog
хвай
/χʷaj/
Cat
—
/—/
Hand
рекьа
/rekʼa/
Eye
гьаркӏо
/haɾkʼo/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
One
цеб
/tseb/
Good
—
/—/
Sources
- Salimov (2010) Andijskij jazyk: grammaticheskij ocherk, teksty, slovari
- Cercvadze (1965) Andijskij jazyk
- Glottolog: Andi
- Ethnologue: ani
Words compared
Compared with related NE Caucasian (Avar-Andic, Andic subgroup) languages
| Meaning | Andi | Budukh | Babuza (Favorlang) | Taa (!Xóõ) | Kulon-Pazeh | Hunzib | Matsés |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | лъен /ɬen/ | хьед /ħed/ | zalum /zalum/ | ǃqhàa /ǃqʰaː/ | dalum /da.lum/ | лъи /ɬiː/ | mapi /maˈpi/ |
| Fire | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | apoi /apoi/ | ǀʼàã /ǀʼãː/ | hapuy /ha.puj/ | цIə /tsʼə/ | tsibo /tsiˈbo/ |
| Sun | миллӏи /milːi/ | рагъ /raʁ/ | — /—/ | ǁʼân /ǁʼã/ | rizax /ɾi.zax/ | бохъ /boq͡χ/ | šëdo /ʂɨˈdo/ |
| Moon | борцӏцӏо /bortsʼːo/ | ваз /vaz/ | zilias /siliəs/ | ǃqhàn /ǃqʰã/ | ilas /i.las/ | боцо /botso/ | use /uˈse/ |
| Mother | ила /ila/ | баб /bab/ | tina /tina/ | qáe /qae/ | ina /i.na/ | — /—/ | ëna /ɨˈna/ |
| Father | има /ima/ | дада /dada/ | tama /tama/ | a̰a /a̰a/ | aba /a.ba/ | абу /abu/ | papa /paˈpa/ |
| Eat | икъвин /iqʷːin/ | ухьун /uħun/ | maan /maːn/ | ʼâã /ʔãː/ | mekan /mə.kan/ | мухъа /muq͡χa/ | pe- /pe/ |
| Drink | игьин /iɣin/ | эджи /edʒi/ | minum /minum/ | kxʼāhã /kxʼaːhã/ | mimaazip /mi.maː.zip/ | хулIа /χuɬa/ | ak- /ak/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Heart | рокӏо /rokʼo/ | юкӏ /jukʼ/ | — /—/ | ǀqʼàn /ǀqʼã/ | baga /ba.ɡa/ | ракIу /rakʼu/ | šobi /ʂoˈbi/ |
| Tree | рикьва /riqʷːa/ | тар /tar/ | kayu /kaju/ | ʼʘnàje /ʔʘnaje/ | kahuy /ka.huj/ | хонхе /χõχe/ | mado /maˈdo/ |
| House | хъоро /qʼoro/ | кӏул /kʼul/ | ruma /ruma/ | — /—/ | xuma /xu.ma/ | — /—/ | šobo /ʂoˈbo/ |
| Dog | хвай /χʷaj/ | хвар /χʷar/ | asu /asu/ | ǂqhài /ǂqʰai/ | wazu /wa.zu/ | вə /wə/ | opa /oˈpa/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | рекьа /rekʼa/ | кул /kul/ | rima /rima/ | ǀkxʼàa /ǀkxʼaː/ | rima /ɾi.ma/ | коро /koro/ | mëbi /mɨˈbi/ |
| Eye | гьаркӏо /haɾkʼo/ | ул /ul/ | macha /matʃa/ | ǃʼûĩ /ǃʼũĩ/ | daurik /da.u.ɾik/ | гьаре /hare/ | bëdi /bɨˈdi/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | салам /salam/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | цеб /tseb/ | са /sa/ | nata /nata/ | ǂʼûã /ǂʼũã/ | adang /a.daŋ/ | гьəнс /həns/ | pazë /paˈzɨ/ |
| Good | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | кIотIу /kʼotʼu/ | — /—/ |
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