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
31 core words in Andi
Water
лъен
/ɬen/
Fire
цӏай
/tsʼaj/
Sun
миллӏи
/milːi/
Moon
борцӏцӏо
/bortsʼːo/
Star
цӀцӀа
/tsʼːa/
Mother
ила
/ila/
Father
има
/ima/
I
ден
/dẽ/
You
мин
/min/
Name
цӀер
/tsʼeːr/
Eye
гьаркӏо
/haɾkʼo/
Hand
рекьа
/rekʼa/
Heart
рокӏо
/rokʼo/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
рикьва
/riqʷːa/
House
хъоро
/qʼoro/
Dog
хвай
/χʷaj/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
икъвин
/iqʷːin/
Drink
игьин
/iɣin/
One
цеб
/tseb/
Two
чӀеди
/tʃʼedi/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
—
/—/
Cuckoo
гиггу
/ɡiɡːu/
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 | Hunzib | Khvarshi | Kryts | Babuza (Favorlang) | Proto-Austronesian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | лъен /ɬen/ | хьед /ħed/ | лъи /ɬiː/ | лъа /ɬa/ | xed /xed/ | zalum /zalum/ | *daNum /daNum/ |
| Fire | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цIə /tsʼə/ | цIа /tsʼa/ | ts'a /tsʼa/ | apoi /apoi/ | *Sapuy /Sapuy/ |
| Sun | миллӏи /milːi/ | рагъ /raʁ/ | бохъ /boqχ/ | бухъ /buqχ/ | vïrïğ /vɨrɨʁ/ | — /—/ | *waRi /waRi/ |
| Moon | борцӏцӏо /bortsʼːo/ | ваз /vaz/ | боцо /botso/ | буца /butsa/ | vats /vats/ | zilias /siliəs/ | *bulaN /bulaN/ |
| Star | цӀцӀа /tsʼːa/ | хед /χed/ | цӀирис /tsʼiris/ | цӀирис /tsʼiris/ | xed /xed/ | botto /botːo/ | *bituqen /bituqen/ |
| Mother | ила /ila/ | баб /bab/ | — /—/ | ишу /iʃu/ | dada /dada/ | tina /tina/ | *ina /ina/ |
| Father | има /ima/ | дада /dada/ | абу /abu/ | обу /obu/ | buba /buba/ | tama /tama/ | *ama /ama/ |
| I | ден /dẽ/ | зы /zɨ/ | дə /də/ | до /do/ | zin /zin/ | ka-ina /kaina/ | *aku /aku/ |
| You | мин /min/ | вы /wɨ/ | мə /mə/ | мо /mo/ | vun /vun/ | ijo /ijo/ | *iSu /iSu/ |
| Name | цӀер /tsʼeːr/ | тӀвар /tʼʷar/ | цӀе /tsʼe/ | цӀери /tsʼeri/ | tʼʷar /tʼʷar/ | naan /naːn/ | *ŋajan /ŋajan/ |
| Eye | гьаркӏо /haɾkʼo/ | ул /ul/ | гьаре /hare/ | эзал /ezal/ | ul /ul/ | macha /matʃa/ | *maCa /maCa/ |
| Hand | рекьа /rekʼa/ | кул /kul/ | коро /koro/ | лекьа /leʟ̌a/ | kul /kul/ | rima /rima/ | *lima /lima/ |
| Heart | рокӏо /rokʼo/ | юкӏ /jukʼ/ | ракIу /rakʼu/ | локIва /lokʼʷa/ | rikʼ /rikʼ/ | — /—/ | *pusuq /pusuq/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | гокъа /ɡoqʼa/ | mukan /muˈkan/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | рикьва /riqʷːa/ | тар /tar/ | хонхе /χõχe/ | гъван /ʁʷan/ | xer /xer/ | kayu /kaju/ | *kaSiw /kaSiw/ |
| House | хъоро /qʼoro/ | кӏул /kʼul/ | — /—/ | агъ /aq/ | xal /xal/ | ruma /ruma/ | *Rumaq /Rumaq/ |
| Dog | хвай /χʷaj/ | хвар /χʷar/ | вə /wə/ | гъве /ʁʷe/ | xveqʼ /χveqʼ/ | asu /asu/ | *asu /asu/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | икъвин /iqʷːin/ | ухьун /uħun/ | мухъа /muqχa/ | лацIа /latsʼa/ | ulkura /ulˈkura/ | maan /maːn/ | *kaen /kaen/ |
| Drink | игьин /iɣin/ | эджи /edʒi/ | хулIа /χuɬa/ | цIода /tsʼoda/ | hatsra /hatsˈra/ | minum /minum/ | *inum /inum/ |
| One | цеб /tseb/ | са /sa/ | гьəнс /həns/ | гьас /has/ | sa /sa/ | nata /nata/ | *isa /isa/ |
| Two | чӀеди /tʃʼedi/ | къуьд /qʼʷyd/ | къӀоно /qˤʼono/ | къӀано /qˤʼano/ | qʼʷad /qʼʷad/ | naroa /naroa/ | *duSa /duSa/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | салам /salam/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | — /—/ | — /—/ | кIотIу /kʼotʼu/ | логу /loɡu/ | yiğin /jiˈʁin/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Cuckoo | гиггу /ɡiɡːu/ | гугутӀ /ɡuɡutʼ/ | кӀукӀутӀо /kʼukʼutʼo/ | куку /kuku/ | гугу /ɡuɡu/ | — | — |
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