кърыцӀаз кьеланджи
Kryts
Northeast Caucasian (Lezgic, Shahdagh)
Kryts (Kryz) is a Northeast Caucasian language of the Lezgic branch (Shahdagh subgroup, sister to Budukh), spoken by approximately 9,000 people in five villages of Quba Rayon in northeastern Azerbaijan (Khryz, Jek, Haput, Yergüj, Alik), with diaspora communities resettled on the Caspian lowland plains. It is typologically remarkable for its system of nine noun (gender) classes — among the largest of any Lezgic language and reflecting an archaic Proto-Lezgic state — combined with ergative-absolutive alignment, a rich set of locative cases, and class agreement triggered on the verb. Authier's (2009) Grammaire kryz, based on the Alik dialect, remains the standard reference. The language has no community orthography and is unwritten in everyday use; education is in Azerbaijani, and intergenerational transmission is weakening, with Ethnologue rating it 6b (Threatened).
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Kryts
Water
xed
/xed/
Fire
ts'a
/t͡sʼa/
Sun
vïrïğ
/vɨrɨʁ/
Moon
vats
/vat͡s/
Mother
dada
/dada/
Father
buba
/buba/
Eat
ulkura
/ulˈkura/
Drink
hatsra
/hat͡sˈra/
Love
mukan
/muˈkan/
Heart
rikʼ
/rikʼ/
Tree
xer
/xer/
House
xal
/xal/
Dog
xveqʼ
/χveqʼ/
Cat
—
/—/
Hand
kul
/kul/
Eye
ul
/ul/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
One
sa
/sa/
Good
yiğin
/jiˈʁin/
Sources
- Authier, Gilles (2009) Grammaire kryz (langue caucasique d'Azerbaïdjan, dialecte d'Alik). Peeters (Leuven), Société de Linguistique de Paris LXXXVI
- Saadiyev, Sh. M. (1972) "Kryzskij jazyk", in Jazyki narodov SSSR, vol. 4: Iberijsko-kavkazskie jazyki. Nauka, pp. 627-642
- Glottolog: Kryts
- Ethnologue: kry
Words compared
Compared with related Northeast Caucasian (Lezgic, Shahdagh) languages
| Meaning | Kryts | Budukh | Caucasian Albanian | Khinalug | Rutul | Lezgian | Tabasaran |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | xed /xed/ | хьед /ħed/ | xe /xe/ | хьу /xu/ | хьед /ħed/ | яд /jad/ | штар /ʃtar/ |
| Fire | ts'a /t͡sʼa/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | ow /oʊ/ | чIаь /tʃʼæ/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цӏа /tsʼa/ |
| Sun | vïrïğ /vɨrɨʁ/ | рагъ /raʁ/ | beɣ /beɣ/ | ынкь /ɨnqʼ/ | варагъ /waraʁ/ | рагъ /raʁ/ | рагъ /raʁ/ |
| Moon | vats /vat͡s/ | ваз /vaz/ | ḳac̣ḳac̣ /kʼat͡sʼkʼat͡sʼ/ | вацI /vatsʼ/ | ваз /waz/ | варз /varz/ | варз /varz/ |
| Mother | dada /dada/ | баб /bab/ | nana /nana/ | — /—/ | нин /nin/ | диде /dide/ | бай /baj/ |
| Father | buba /buba/ | дада /dada/ | baba /baba/ | — /—/ | дид /did/ | буба /buba/ | дад /dad/ |
| Eat | ulkura /ulˈkura/ | ухьун /uħun/ | ows- /us/ | кьанды /qʼandæ/ | ухьун /uħun/ | тӏуьн /tʼyn/ | ипӏуб /ipʼub/ |
| Drink | hatsra /hat͡sˈra/ | эджи /edʒi/ | owɣ- /uɣ/ | цуври /tsʰuvri/ | эджин /edʒin/ | хъун /qun/ | ужуб /uʒub/ |
| Love | mukan /muˈkan/ | — /—/ | besown /besun/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | кӏан хьун /kʼan χun/ | ккунивал /kːunival/ |
| Heart | rikʼ /rikʼ/ | юкӏ /jukʼ/ | ükʼ /ykʼ/ | унг /uŋ/ | юкӏ /jukʼ/ | рикӏ /rikʼ/ | юкӏ /jukʼ/ |
| Tree | xer /xer/ | тар /tar/ | xod /xod/ | виши /viʃæ/ | хыл /χɨl/ | тар /tar/ | гар /ɡar/ |
| House | xal /xal/ | кӏул /kʼul/ | ḳoǰ /kʼod͡ʒ/ | цIва /tsʼwa/ | хал /χal/ | кӏвал /kʼval/ | хал /xal/ |
| Dog | xveqʼ /χveqʼ/ | хвар /χʷar/ | xa /xa/ | пхра /pχra/ | хыних /χɨniχ/ | кицӏ /kitsʼ/ | хю /xy/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | гету /ɡetu/ | кац /kats/ | кет /ket/ |
| Hand | kul /kul/ | кул /kul/ | kʼul /kʼul/ | кул /kʰul/ | хыл /χɨl/ | гъил /ʁil/ | хил /xil/ |
| Eye | ul /ul/ | ул /ul/ | pʼul /pʼul/ | пил /pʰil/ | ул /ul/ | вил /vil/ | ул /ul/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | салам /salam/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | салам /salam/ | салам /salam/ | салам /salam/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | чухсагъул /tʃuxsaʁul/ | чухсагъул /tʃuxsaʁul/ |
| One | sa /sa/ | са /sa/ | sa /sa/ | са /sa/ | са /sa/ | сад /sad/ | саб /sab/ |
| Good | yiğin /jiˈʁin/ | — /—/ | kʼačʼal /kʼat͡ʃʼal/ | ксан /ksan/ | йишды /jiʃdɨ/ | хъсан /qsan/ | ужу /uʒu/ |
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