Aluank
Caucasian Albanian
Northeast Caucasian (Lezgic; ancestor/sister of modern Udi) · historical / hidden variety
Caucasian Albanian (Aghwan) was the literary language of the medieval Christian kingdom of Caucasian Albania, a Lezgic (Northeast Caucasian) language closely related to modern Udi. Long known only from a 52-letter alphabet preserved in an Armenian manuscript, it was effectively rediscovered in 1996–2003 when Zaza Aleksidze identified two palimpsest lectionaries at St Catherine's Monastery on Mt Sinai, which Gippert, Schulze and colleagues edited and deciphered (2008). The corpus — fragments of John's Gospel and a lectionary — gives us most basic vocabulary.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Caucasian Albanian
Water
xe
/xe/
Fire
ow
/oʊ/
Sun
beɣ
/beɣ/
Moon
ḳac̣ḳac̣
/kʼatsʼkʼatsʼ/
Star
—
/—/
Mother
nana
/nana/
Father
baba
/baba/
I
zu
/zu/
You
un
/un/
Name
cʼi
/tsʼi/
Eye
pʼul
/pʼul/
Hand
kʼul
/kʼul/
Heart
ükʼ
/ykʼ/
Love
besown
/besun/
Tree
xod
/xod/
House
ḳoǰ
/kʼodʒ/
Dog
xa
/xa/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
ows-
/us/
Drink
owɣ-
/uɣ/
One
sa
/sa/
Two
pʼa
/pʼa/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
kʼačʼal
/kʼatʃʼal/
Sources
- Gippert, J., Schulze, W., Aleksidze, Z. & Mahé, J.-P. (2008) The Caucasian Albanian Palimpsests of Mt. Sinai. 2 vols. Turnhout: Brepols.
- Schulze, W. (2005) Towards a History of Udi. International Journal of Diachronic Linguistics 1.
- Aleksidze, Z. & Mahé, J.-P. (1997) Découverte d'un texte albanien. Comptes-rendus de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres 141:2.
- Glottolog: Caucasian Albanian
Words compared
Compared with related Northeast Caucasian (Lezgic; ancestor/sister of modern Udi) languages
| Meaning | Caucasian Albanian | Udi | Kryts | Khinalug | Budukh | Andi | Hunzib |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | xe /xe/ | хе /xe/ | xed /xed/ | хьу /xu/ | хьед /ħed/ | лъен /ɬen/ | лъи /ɬiː/ |
| Fire | ow /oʊ/ | арух /arux/ | ts'a /tsʼa/ | чIаь /tʃʼæ/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цIə /tsʼə/ |
| Sun | beɣ /beɣ/ | бех /beχ/ | vïrïğ /vɨrɨʁ/ | ынкь /ɨnqʼ/ | рагъ /raʁ/ | миллӏи /milːi/ | бохъ /boqχ/ |
| Moon | ḳac̣ḳac̣ /kʼatsʼkʼatsʼ/ | уьш /yʃ/ | vats /vats/ | вацI /vatsʼ/ | ваз /vaz/ | борцӏцӏо /bortsʼːo/ | боцо /botso/ |
| Star | — /—/ | хабунах /xabunax/ | xed /xed/ | хьар /χar/ | хед /χed/ | цӀцӀа /tsʼːa/ | цӀирис /tsʼiris/ |
| Mother | nana /nana/ | нана /nana/ | dada /dada/ | — /—/ | баб /bab/ | ила /ila/ | — /—/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | бабо /babo/ | buba /buba/ | — /—/ | дада /dada/ | има /ima/ | абу /abu/ |
| I | zu /zu/ | зу /zu/ | zin /zin/ | зы /zɨ/ | зы /zɨ/ | ден /dẽ/ | дə /də/ |
| You | un /un/ | ун /un/ | vun /vun/ | вы /vɨ/ | вы /wɨ/ | мин /min/ | мə /mə/ |
| Name | cʼi /tsʼi/ | цӀи /tsʼi/ | tʼʷar /tʼʷar/ | цӀе /tsʼe/ | тӀвар /tʼʷar/ | цӀер /tsʼeːr/ | цӀе /tsʼe/ |
| Eye | pʼul /pʼul/ | пул /pul/ | ul /ul/ | пил /pʰil/ | ул /ul/ | гьаркӏо /haɾkʼo/ | гьаре /hare/ |
| Hand | kʼul /kʼul/ | кул /kul/ | kul /kul/ | кул /kʰul/ | кул /kul/ | рекьа /rekʼa/ | коро /koro/ |
| Heart | ükʼ /ykʼ/ | укӏ /ukʼ/ | rikʼ /rikʼ/ | унг /uŋ/ | юкӏ /jukʼ/ | рокӏо /rokʼo/ | ракIу /rakʼu/ |
| Love | besown /besun/ | букӏесун /buqʼesun/ | mukan /muˈkan/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | xod /xod/ | хунч /xuntʃ/ | xer /xer/ | виши /viʃæ/ | тар /tar/ | рикьва /riqʷːa/ | хонхе /χõχe/ |
| House | ḳoǰ /kʼodʒ/ | кӏойи /kʼoji/ | xal /xal/ | цIва /tsʼwa/ | кӏул /kʼul/ | хъоро /qʼoro/ | — /—/ |
| Dog | xa /xa/ | ха /xa/ | xveqʼ /χveqʼ/ | пхра /pχra/ | хвар /χʷar/ | хвай /χʷaj/ | вə /wə/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | пӏшу /pʼʃu/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | ows- /us/ | уксун /uksun/ | ulkura /ulˈkura/ | кьанды /qʼandæ/ | ухьун /uħun/ | икъвин /iqʷːin/ | мухъа /muqχa/ |
| Drink | owɣ- /uɣ/ | уьгсун /yɡsun/ | hatsra /hatsˈra/ | цуври /tsʰuvri/ | эджи /edʒi/ | игьин /iɣin/ | хулIа /χuɬa/ |
| One | sa /sa/ | са /sa/ | sa /sa/ | са /sa/ | са /sa/ | цеб /tseb/ | гьəнс /həns/ |
| Two | pʼa /pʼa/ | пӀа /pʼa/ | qʼʷad /qʼʷad/ | кьуь /kʲʼy/ | къуьд /qʼʷyd/ | чӀеди /tʃʼedi/ | къӀоно /qˤʼono/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | салам /salam/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | салам /salam/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | бахтӏам /baχtʼam/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | kʼačʼal /kʼatʃʼal/ | яхъи /jaqʼi/ | yiğin /jiˈʁin/ | ксан /ksan/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | кIотIу /kʼotʼu/ |
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