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
20 core words in Caucasian Albanian
Water
xe
/xe/
Fire
ow
/oʊ/
Sun
beɣ
/beɣ/
Moon
ḳac̣ḳac̣
/kʼat͡sʼkʼat͡sʼ/
Mother
nana
/nana/
Father
baba
/baba/
Eat
ows-
/us/
Drink
owɣ-
/uɣ/
Love
besown
/besun/
Heart
ükʼ
/ykʼ/
Tree
xod
/xod/
House
ḳoǰ
/kʼod͡ʒ/
Dog
xa
/xa/
Cat
—
/—/
Hand
kʼul
/kʼul/
Eye
pʼul
/pʼul/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
One
sa
/sa/
Good
kʼačʼal
/kʼat͡ʃʼal/
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 | Ubykh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | xe /xe/ | хе /xe/ | xed /xed/ | хьу /xu/ | хьед /ħed/ | лъен /ɬen/ | bzə /bzə/ |
| Fire | ow /oʊ/ | арух /arux/ | ts'a /t͡sʼa/ | чIаь /tʃʼæ/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | mzʼə /mzʼə/ |
| Sun | beɣ /beɣ/ | бех /beχ/ | vïrïğ /vɨrɨʁ/ | ынкь /ɨnqʼ/ | рагъ /raʁ/ | миллӏи /milːi/ | dəɣʷa /dəɣʷa/ |
| Moon | ḳac̣ḳac̣ /kʼat͡sʼkʼat͡sʼ/ | уьш /yʃ/ | vats /vat͡s/ | вацI /vatsʼ/ | ваз /vaz/ | борцӏцӏо /bortsʼːo/ | mazə /mazə/ |
| Mother | nana /nana/ | нана /nana/ | dada /dada/ | — /—/ | баб /bab/ | ила /ila/ | nan /nan/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | бабо /babo/ | buba /buba/ | — /—/ | дада /dada/ | има /ima/ | tʷə /tʷə/ |
| Eat | ows- /us/ | уксун /uksun/ | ulkura /ulˈkura/ | кьанды /qʼandæ/ | ухьун /uħun/ | икъвин /iqʷːin/ | — /—/ |
| Drink | owɣ- /uɣ/ | уьгсун /yɡsun/ | hatsra /hat͡sˈra/ | цуври /tsʰuvri/ | эджи /edʒi/ | игьин /iɣin/ | — /—/ |
| Love | besown /besun/ | букӏесун /buqʼesun/ | mukan /muˈkan/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Heart | ükʼ /ykʼ/ | укӏ /uqʼ/ | rikʼ /rikʼ/ | унг /uŋ/ | юкӏ /jukʼ/ | рокӏо /rokʼo/ | gʷə /ɡʷə/ |
| Tree | xod /xod/ | хунч /xunt͡ʃ/ | xer /xer/ | виши /viʃæ/ | тар /tar/ | рикьва /riqʷːa/ | — /—/ |
| House | ḳoǰ /kʼod͡ʒ/ | кӏойи /qʼoji/ | xal /xal/ | цIва /tsʼwa/ | кӏул /kʼul/ | хъоро /qʼoro/ | tʷəna /tʷəna/ |
| Dog | xa /xa/ | ха /xa/ | xveqʼ /χveqʼ/ | пхра /pχra/ | хвар /χʷar/ | хвай /χʷaj/ | la /la/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | пӏшу /pʼʃu/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | kʼul /kʼul/ | кьил /qʼil/ | kul /kul/ | кул /kʰul/ | кул /kul/ | рекьа /rekʼa/ | ɂa /ʔa/ |
| Eye | pʼul /pʼul/ | пул /pul/ | ul /ul/ | пил /pʰil/ | ул /ul/ | гьаркӏо /haɾkʼo/ | bla /bla/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | салам /salam/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | салам /salam/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | бахтӏам /baχtʼam/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | sa /sa/ | са /sa/ | sa /sa/ | са /sa/ | са /sa/ | цеб /tseb/ | za /za/ |
| Good | kʼačʼal /kʼat͡ʃʼal/ | яхъи /jaqʼi/ | yiğin /jiˈʁin/ | ксан /ksan/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
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