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
20 core words in Hunzib
Water
лъи
/ɬiː/
Fire
цIə
/tsʼə/
Sun
бохъ
/boq͡χ/
Moon
боцо
/botso/
Mother
—
/—/
Father
абу
/abu/
Eat
мухъа
/muq͡χa/
Drink
хулIа
/χuɬa/
Love
—
/—/
Heart
ракIу
/rakʼu/
Tree
хонхе
/χõχe/
House
—
/—/
Dog
вə
/wə/
Cat
—
/—/
Hand
коро
/koro/
Eye
гьаре
/hare/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
One
гьəнс
/həns/
Good
кIотIу
/kʼotʼu/
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 | Neko | Andi | Faliscan | Taa (!Xóõ) | Nuxalk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | лъи /ɬiː/ | лъа /ɬa/ | wai /wai/ | лъен /ɬen/ | — /—/ | ǃqhàa /ǃqʰaː/ | qla /qla/ |
| Fire | цIə /tsʼə/ | цIа /tsʼa/ | titɛ /titɛ/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | — /—/ | ǀʼàã /ǀʼãː/ | — /—/ |
| Sun | бохъ /boq͡χ/ | бухъ /buq͡χ/ | aatʌ /aːtʌ/ | миллӏи /milːi/ | — /—/ | ǁʼân /ǁʼã/ | snx /snx/ |
| Moon | боцо /botso/ | буца /butsa/ | — /—/ | борцӏцӏо /bortsʼːo/ | — /—/ | ǃqhàn /ǃqʰã/ | tlʼuk /tɬʼuk/ |
| Mother | — /—/ | ишу /iʃu/ | — /—/ | ила /ila/ | — /—/ | qáe /qae/ | — /—/ |
| Father | абу /abu/ | обу /obu/ | — /—/ | има /ima/ | pater /ˈpa.ter/ | a̰a /a̰a/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | мухъа /muq͡χa/ | лацIа /latsʼa/ | nei /nei/ | икъвин /iqʷːin/ | — /—/ | ʼâã /ʔãː/ | — /—/ |
| Drink | хулIа /χuɬa/ | цIода /tsʼoda/ | — /—/ | игьин /iɣin/ | pipafo /ˈpi.pa.foː/ | kxʼāhã /kxʼaːhã/ | qāχla /qaːχla/ |
| Love | — /—/ | гокъа /ɡoqʼa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Heart | ракIу /rakʼu/ | локIва /lokʼʷa/ | — /—/ | рокӏо /rokʼo/ | — /—/ | ǀqʼàn /ǀqʼã/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | хонхе /χõχe/ | гъван /ʁʷan/ | tei /tei/ | рикьва /riqʷːa/ | — /—/ | ʼʘnàje /ʔʘnaje/ | — /—/ |
| House | — /—/ | агъ /aq/ | — /—/ | хъоро /qʼoro/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Dog | вə /wə/ | гъве /ʁʷe/ | gonʌ /ɡonʌ/ | хвай /χʷaj/ | — /—/ | ǂqhài /ǂqʰai/ | ƛ̓ikm /tɬʼikm/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | коро /koro/ | лекьа /leʟ̌a/ | — /—/ | рекьа /rekʼa/ | — /—/ | ǀkxʼàa /ǀkxʼaː/ | — /—/ |
| Eye | гьаре /hare/ | эзал /ezal/ | ta /ta/ | гьаркӏо /haɾkʼo/ | — /—/ | ǃʼûĩ /ǃʼũĩ/ | — /—/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | гьəнс /həns/ | гьас /has/ | — /—/ | цеб /tseb/ | oinos /ˈoi̯.nos/ | ǂʼûã /ǂʼũã/ | maw /maw/ |
| Good | кIотIу /kʼotʼu/ | логу /loɡu/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
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