гьонкьос мыц
Hunzib
NE Caucasian (Tsezic, East Tsezic)
Hunzib (self-name гьонкьос мыц honƛʼos mɨc) is an East Tsezic language with roughly 1,400–3,500 speakers in three villages of the upper Avar-Koysu basin in southwestern Dagestan and a couple of settlements over the Georgian border. Together with Bezhta and Khvarshi it forms the East-Tsezic sub-branch of Tsezic; the language has five genders (an unusual number even for the Caucasus), an ergative-absolutive case system with locational case stacks, and was first comprehensively described by Helma van den Berg (1995).
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Hunzib
Water
лъи
/ɬiː/
Fire
цIə
/tsʼə/
Sun
бохъ
/boqχ/
Moon
боцо
/botso/
Star
цӀирис
/tsʼiris/
Mother
—
/—/
Father
абу
/abu/
I
дə
/də/
You
мə
/mə/
Name
цӀе
/tsʼe/
Eye
гьаре
/hare/
Hand
коро
/koro/
Heart
ракIу
/rakʼu/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
хонхе
/χõχe/
House
—
/—/
Dog
вə
/wə/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
мухъа
/muqχa/
Drink
хулIа
/χuɬa/
One
гьəнс
/həns/
Two
къӀоно
/qˤʼono/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
кIотIу
/kʼotʼu/
Cuckoo
кӀукӀутӀо
/kʼukʼutʼo/
Sources
- van den Berg, H. (1995) A Grammar of Hunzib (with Texts and Lexicon). Lincom Studies in Caucasian Linguistics 1. Munich.
- Isakov, I. A. & Khalilov, M. Sh. (2001) Гунзибско-русский словарь. Moscow.
- Kassian, A. (2015) Annotated Swadesh wordlists for the Tsezic group. Global Lexicostatistical Database / Starling.
- ASJP Wordlist: Hunzib
- Glottolog: Hunzib
Words compared
Compared with related NE Caucasian (Tsezic, East Tsezic) languages
| Meaning | Hunzib | Khvarshi | Andi | Khinalug | Faliscan | Caucasian Albanian | Neko |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | лъи /ɬiː/ | лъа /ɬa/ | лъен /ɬen/ | хьу /xu/ | — /—/ | xe /xe/ | wai /wai/ |
| Fire | цIə /tsʼə/ | цIа /tsʼa/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | чIаь /tʃʼæ/ | — /—/ | ow /oʊ/ | titɛ /titɛ/ |
| Sun | бохъ /boqχ/ | бухъ /buqχ/ | миллӏи /milːi/ | ынкь /ɨnqʼ/ | — /—/ | beɣ /beɣ/ | aatʌ /aːtʌ/ |
| Moon | боцо /botso/ | буца /butsa/ | борцӏцӏо /bortsʼːo/ | вацI /vatsʼ/ | — /—/ | ḳac̣ḳac̣ /kʼatsʼkʼatsʼ/ | — /—/ |
| Star | цӀирис /tsʼiris/ | цӀирис /tsʼiris/ | цӀцӀа /tsʼːa/ | хьар /χar/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | kumba /kumba/ |
| Mother | — /—/ | ишу /iʃu/ | ила /ila/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | nana /nana/ | — /—/ |
| Father | абу /abu/ | обу /obu/ | има /ima/ | — /—/ | pater /ˈpa.ter/ | baba /baba/ | — /—/ |
| I | дə /də/ | до /do/ | ден /dẽ/ | зы /zɨ/ | eko /ˈeko/ | zu /zu/ | na /na/ |
| You | мə /mə/ | мо /mo/ | мин /min/ | вы /vɨ/ | tu /tuː/ | un /un/ | ga /ɡa/ |
| Name | цӀе /tsʼe/ | цӀери /tsʼeri/ | цӀер /tsʼeːr/ | цӀе /tsʼe/ | nomen /ˈnomen/ | cʼi /tsʼi/ | iwi /iwi/ |
| Eye | гьаре /hare/ | эзал /ezal/ | гьаркӏо /haɾkʼo/ | пил /pʰil/ | — /—/ | pʼul /pʼul/ | ta /ta/ |
| Hand | коро /koro/ | лекьа /leʟ̌a/ | рекьа /rekʼa/ | кул /kʰul/ | — /—/ | kʼul /kʼul/ | — /—/ |
| Heart | ракIу /rakʼu/ | локIва /lokʼʷa/ | рокӏо /rokʼo/ | унг /uŋ/ | — /—/ | ükʼ /ykʼ/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | гокъа /ɡoqʼa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | besown /besun/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | хонхе /χõχe/ | гъван /ʁʷan/ | рикьва /riqʷːa/ | виши /viʃæ/ | — /—/ | xod /xod/ | tei /tei/ |
| House | — /—/ | агъ /aq/ | хъоро /qʼoro/ | цIва /tsʼwa/ | — /—/ | ḳoǰ /kʼodʒ/ | — /—/ |
| Dog | вə /wə/ | гъве /ʁʷe/ | хвай /χʷaj/ | пхра /pχra/ | — /—/ | xa /xa/ | gonʌ /ɡonʌ/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | мухъа /muqχa/ | лацIа /latsʼa/ | икъвин /iqʷːin/ | кьанды /qʼandæ/ | — /—/ | ows- /us/ | nei /nei/ |
| Drink | хулIа /χuɬa/ | цIода /tsʼoda/ | игьин /iɣin/ | цуври /tsʰuvri/ | pipafo /ˈpi.pa.foː/ | owɣ- /uɣ/ | — /—/ |
| One | гьəнс /həns/ | гьас /has/ | цеб /tseb/ | са /sa/ | oinos /ˈoi̯.nos/ | sa /sa/ | — /—/ |
| Two | къӀоно /qˤʼono/ | къӀано /qˤʼano/ | чӀеди /tʃʼedi/ | кьуь /kʲʼy/ | duo /ˈduo/ | pʼa /pʼa/ | iri /iri/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | кIотIу /kʼotʼu/ | логу /loɡu/ | — /—/ | ксан /ksan/ | — /—/ | kʼačʼal /kʼatʃʼal/ | — /—/ |
| Cuckoo | кӀукӀутӀо /kʼukʼutʼo/ | куку /kuku/ | гиггу /ɡiɡːu/ | кокку /kːokːu/ | — | — | — |
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