ბაცბური მოტტ
Bats
Northeast Caucasian (Nakh)
Bats (Tsova-Tushin, ბაცბური მოტტ batsbuli mott) is the smallest Nakh language, sister to Chechen and Ingush, spoken only in the single village of Zemo Alvani in Georgia. It has eight noun classes (the most of any Nakh language), ergative alignment, and famously a split between agentive and non-agentive intransitive subjects ("fluid-S"). Heavy Georgian contact has supplied massive loan and structural influence; the language is unwritten and severely endangered.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Bats
Water
ხი
/xi/
Fire
ცʼე
/tsʼe/
Sun
მაცხ
/matsx/
Moon
ბუცʼ
/butsʼ/
Mother
ნანა
/nana/
Father
დადა
/dada/
Eat
ჲაა
/jaː/
Drink
მალარ
/malar/
Love
დაკარ
/dakar/
Heart
კარტʼ
/kʼartʼ/
Tree
დაჴ
/daq/
House
ცʼა
/tsʼa/
Dog
ფჰუ
/pʰu/
Cat
ციცა
/tsitsa/
Hand
კʼუჲ
/kʼuj/
Eye
ბარკʼ
/barkʼ/
Hello
ვუჲ
/vuj/
Thank you
მადლობელ ვალ
/madlobel val/
One
ცхʼა
/tsʰa/
Good
დიკʼა
/dikʼa/
Sources
- Holisky, Dee Ann & Gagua, Rusudan (1994) "Tsova-Tush (Batsbi)." In R. Smeets (ed.) The Indigenous Languages of the Caucasus, vol. 4: 147-212. Delmar, NY: Caravan Books.
- Desheriev, Yunus D. (1953) Бацбийский язык [The Bats Language]. Moscow: Izdatel’stvo AN SSSR.
- Hewitt, B. George (2004) Introduction to the Study of the Languages of the Caucasus. Munich: LINCOM.
- Glottolog: Bats
Words compared
Compared with related Northeast Caucasian (Nakh) languages
| Meaning | Bats | Chechen | Ingush | Avar | Archi | Lak | Caucasian Albanian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ხი /xi/ | хи /xi/ | хий /xij/ | лъим /ɬim/ | лъан /ɬan/ | щин /ʃin/ | xe /xe/ |
| Fire | ცʼე /tsʼe/ | цӏе /tsʼe/ | цӏе /tsʼe/ | цӏа /tsʼa/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цӏу /tsʼu/ | ow /oʊ/ |
| Sun | მაცხ /matsx/ | малх /malx/ | малх /malx/ | бакъ /baqʼ/ | бараг /baɾaɡ/ | бургъ /burʁ/ | beɣ /beɣ/ |
| Moon | ბუცʼ /butsʼ/ | бутт /butː/ | бутт /butː/ | моцӏ /motsʼ/ | батӏ /batʼ/ | барз /barz/ | ḳac̣ḳac̣ /kʼat͡sʼkʼat͡sʼ/ |
| Mother | ნანა /nana/ | нана /nana/ | наьна /næna/ | эбел /ebel/ | буба /buba/ | нину /ninu/ | nana /nana/ |
| Father | დადა /dada/ | да /da/ | да /da/ | эмен /emen/ | аба /aba/ | ппу /pːu/ | baba /baba/ |
| Eat | ჲაა /jaː/ | даа /daː/ | даа /daː/ | кваназе /kʷanaze/ | аркьилӏ /aɾqʼili/ | ккаву /kːavu/ | ows- /us/ |
| Drink | მალარ /malar/ | мала /mala/ | мала /mala/ | гьекӏезе /hekʼeze/ | а́ккур /ʔakːur/ | гьавхь /ʕavħ/ | owɣ- /uɣ/ |
| Love | დაკარ /dakar/ | безам /bezam/ | безам /bezam/ | рокьи /rotɬʼi/ | икан /ikan/ | ччан /tʃːan/ | besown /besun/ |
| Heart | კარტʼ /kʼartʼ/ | дог /doɡ/ | дог /doɡ/ | ракӏ /rakʼ/ | ракӏ /ɾakʼ/ | дакӏ /dakʼ/ | ükʼ /ykʼ/ |
| Tree | დაჴ /daq/ | дитт /ditː/ | га /ɡa/ | гъветӏ /ʁʷetʼ/ | гард /ɡaɾd/ | мурхь /muɾħ/ | xod /xod/ |
| House | ცʼა /tsʼa/ | цӏа /tsʼa/ | цӏа /tsʼa/ | рукъ /ruq/ | хъоʔ /qoʔ/ | къатта /qatːa/ | ḳoǰ /kʼod͡ʒ/ |
| Dog | ფჰუ /pʰu/ | жӏала /ʒˤala/ | жӏали /ʒˤali/ | гьой /hoj/ | хӏвай /ħʷaj/ | ккун /kːun/ | xa /xa/ |
| Cat | ციცა /tsitsa/ | цициг /tsitsiɡ/ | циск /tsisk/ | кету /ketu/ | к̄ет /kʼet/ | ккац /kːats/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | კʼუჲ /kʼuj/ | куьг /kyɡ/ | куьг /kyɡ/ | квер /kʷer/ | кӏанас /kʼanas/ | ка /ka/ | kʼul /kʼul/ |
| Eye | ბარკʼ /barkʼ/ | бӏаьрг /bˤæɾɡ/ | бӏаьрг /bˤæɾɡ/ | бер /ber/ | пӏарак /pʼaɾak/ | я /ja/ | pʼul /pʼul/ |
| Hello | ვუჲ /vuj/ | маршалла /maɾʃalːa/ | моаршал /moaɾʃal/ | ворчӏами /voɾtʃʼami/ | аимбир /ambiɾ/ | салам /salam/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | მადლობელ ვალ /madlobel val/ | баркалла /baɾkalːa/ | баркал /baɾkal/ | баркала /baɾkala/ | хӏама /ħama/ | барчаллагь /baɾtʃalːaʁ/ | — /—/ |
| One | ცхʼა /tsʰa/ | цхьа /t͡sʜa/ | цаӀ /tsaʔ/ | цо /tso/ | ос /os/ | ца /tsa/ | sa /sa/ |
| Good | დიკʼა /dikʼa/ | дика /dika/ | дика /dika/ | лъикӏаб /ɬikʼab/ | баилъи /baiɬi/ | хъинсса /qinsːa/ | kʼačʼal /kʼat͡ʃʼal/ |
Part of LangMap — a linguistic visualization project. This is a static, crawlable summary; the interactive maps offer pronunciation audio, filters, and a globe view.