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
31 core words in Kryts
Water
xed
/xed/
Fire
ts'a
/tsʼa/
Sun
vïrïğ
/vɨrɨʁ/
Moon
vats
/vats/
Star
xed
/xed/
Mother
dada
/dada/
Father
buba
/buba/
I
zin
/zin/
You
vun
/vun/
Name
tʼʷar
/tʼʷar/
Eye
ul
/ul/
Hand
kul
/kul/
Heart
rikʼ
/rikʼ/
Love
mukan
/muˈkan/
Tree
xer
/xer/
House
xal
/xal/
Dog
xveqʼ
/χveqʼ/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
ulkura
/ulˈkura/
Drink
hatsra
/hatsˈra/
One
sa
/sa/
Two
qʼʷad
/qʼʷad/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
yiğin
/jiˈʁin/
Cuckoo
гугу
/ɡuɡu/
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 | Lezgian | Aghul | Rutul | Tabasaran |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | xed /xed/ | хьед /ħed/ | xe /xe/ | яд /jad/ | хьед /ħed/ | хьед /ħed/ | штар /ʃtar/ |
| Fire | ts'a /tsʼa/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | ow /oʊ/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цӏа /tsʼa/ |
| Sun | vïrïğ /vɨrɨʁ/ | рагъ /raʁ/ | beɣ /beɣ/ | рагъ /raʁ/ | рагъ /raʁ/ | варагъ /waraʁ/ | рагъ /raʁ/ |
| Moon | vats /vats/ | ваз /vaz/ | ḳac̣ḳac̣ /kʼatsʼkʼatsʼ/ | варз /varz/ | ваз /vaz/ | ваз /waz/ | варз /varz/ |
| Star | xed /xed/ | хед /χed/ | — /—/ | гъед /ʁed/ | гъед /ʁed/ | хед /χed/ | хяд /xæd/ |
| Mother | dada /dada/ | баб /bab/ | nana /nana/ | диде /dide/ | баб /bab/ | нин /nin/ | баб /bab/ |
| Father | buba /buba/ | дада /dada/ | baba /baba/ | буба /buba/ | ада /ada/ | дид /did/ | дад /dad/ |
| I | zin /zin/ | зы /zɨ/ | zu /zu/ | зун /zun/ | зун /zun/ | зы /zɨ/ | узу /uzu/ |
| You | vun /vun/ | вы /wɨ/ | un /un/ | вун /wun/ | вун /wun/ | вы /wɨ/ | уву /uvu/ |
| Name | tʼʷar /tʼʷar/ | тӀвар /tʼʷar/ | cʼi /tsʼi/ | тӀвар /tʼʷar/ | тӀвар /tʼʷar/ | дур /dur/ | тӀвар /tʼʷar/ |
| Eye | ul /ul/ | ул /ul/ | pʼul /pʼul/ | вил /vil/ | ул /ul/ | ул /ul/ | ул /ul/ |
| Hand | kul /kul/ | кул /kul/ | kʼul /kʼul/ | гъил /ʁil/ | хил /xil/ | хыл /χɨl/ | хил /xil/ |
| Heart | rikʼ /rikʼ/ | юкӏ /jukʼ/ | ükʼ /ykʼ/ | рикӏ /rikʼ/ | юкӏ /jukʼ/ | юкӏ /jukʼ/ | юкӏ /jukʼ/ |
| Love | mukan /muˈkan/ | — /—/ | besown /besun/ | кӏан хьун /kʼan χun/ | кӏанди /kʼandi/ | — /—/ | ккунивал /kːunival/ |
| Tree | xer /xer/ | тар /tar/ | xod /xod/ | тар /tar/ | тар /tar/ | хыл /χɨl/ | гар /ɡar/ |
| House | xal /xal/ | кӏул /kʼul/ | ḳoǰ /kʼodʒ/ | кӏвал /kʼval/ | кьали /qʼali/ | хал /χal/ | хал /xal/ |
| Dog | xveqʼ /χveqʼ/ | хвар /χʷar/ | xa /xa/ | кицӏ /kitsʼ/ | хвай /xwaj/ | хыних /χɨniχ/ | хю /xy/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | кац /kats/ | кац /kats/ | гету /ɡetu/ | кет /ket/ |
| Eat | ulkura /ulˈkura/ | ухьун /uħun/ | ows- /us/ | тӏуьн /tʼyn/ | ифи /ifi/ | ухьун /uħun/ | ипӏуб /ipʼub/ |
| Drink | hatsra /hatsˈra/ | эджи /edʒi/ | owɣ- /uɣ/ | хъун /qun/ | ахъан /aqʼan/ | эджин /edʒin/ | ужуб /uʒub/ |
| One | sa /sa/ | са /sa/ | sa /sa/ | сад /sad/ | са /sa/ | са /sa/ | саб /sab/ |
| Two | qʼʷad /qʼʷad/ | къуьд /qʼʷyd/ | pʼa /pʼa/ | кьвед /qʷʼed/ | кьуд /qʼud/ | кьуьд /qʼyd/ | кьюб /qʼyb/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | салам /salam/ | — /—/ | салам /salam/ | салам /salam/ | салам /salam/ | салам /salam/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | чухсагъул /tʃuxsaʁul/ | баркалла /baɾkalːa/ | — /—/ | чухсагъул /tʃuxsaʁul/ |
| Good | yiğin /jiˈʁin/ | — /—/ | kʼačʼal /kʼatʃʼal/ | хъсан /qsan/ | хъвай /qwaj/ | йишды /jiʃdɨ/ | ужу /uʒu/ |
| Cuckoo | гугу /ɡuɡu/ | гугутӀ /ɡuɡutʼ/ | — | кукупӀ /kːukːupʼ/ | кекку /kːekːu/ | гиггу /ɡiɡːu/ | кукум /kːukːum/ |
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