Dargin languages
Dialect continuum of Northeast Caucasian languages
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The Dargin languages consist of a dialect continuum of over 60[3] Northeast Caucasian languages or dialects spoken by the Dargin people in southcentral Dagestan. Kajtak, Kubachi, Itsari, Mehweb and Chirag are often considered dialects of the same Dargin/Dargwa language. Ethnologue lists these under a common Dargin language, but also states that these may be separate languages from Dargwa proper.[citation needed] Reasons for classifying the southern group of dialects from the northern group is that speakers of the southern dialects have been reported as treating the literary Aqusha dialect as a foreign language.[4] Due to the linguistic fragmentation of the Dargin languages, speakers use Russian as a lingua franca.[5]
distributionSouthcentral Dagestan[citation needed]
| Dargin | |
|---|---|
| Dargwa | |
| Geographic distribution | Southcentral Dagestan[citation needed] |
Native speakers | 590,000 (2020 census)[1] |
| Linguistic classification | Northeast Caucasian
|
| Proto-language | Proto-Dargwa |
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 / 5 | dar |
| ISO 639-3 | dar |
| Glottolog | darg1242 |
 Dargin | |
_2021.png) Map of individual Dargin languages according to Koryakov 2021.[2] | |
_2021.png)
Classification
The Dargin languages are classified as follows by Koryakov 2021:[2]
Dargin
- Northern-central group
- Mehweb
- Gapshima
- Muira
- Tsudaqar-Usisha-Butri
- Tsudaqar
- Usisha-Butri
- North Dargwa
- Kadar
- Murego-Gubden
- Mugi
- Upper Mulebki
- Aqusha
- Aqusha proper
- Levashi
- Urakhi
- Southern group
- Ashti-Kubachi
- Sanzhi-Itsari
- Sanakari-Chakhrizhi (unclassified)
- Amuzgi-Shiri
- Amuzgi
- Shiri
- Southwestern Dargwa
- Tanti
- Sirhwa
- Upper Vurquni/Amuq-Khuduts-Kunki
- Chirag
- Kaitag group
- Shari
- Kaitag
- Northern-central group
Mutalov 2021 proposes a different classification:[6]
Dargin languages
- North Dargwa
- Aqusha/North Dargwa
- Aqusha proper
- Urakhi
- Mekegi
- Gubden
- Murego
- Kadar
- Mugi
- Muira
- Gapshima
- Mehweb
- Aqusha/North Dargwa
- Southern Dargwa
- North Dargwa
Glottolog uses a different classification, based on Koryakov 2012.[7][8]
Dargwic
- Chirag
- Kubachi
- North-Central Dargwa
- South Dargwa
- Kajtak
- Southwestern Dargwa
- Amuzgu-Shiri
- Sanzhi-Icari
- Sirhwa-Tanty
- Upper-Vurqri
- Amux
- Khuduts
- Qunqi
Phonology
The following chart is a collective phoneme inventory of all Dargin languages.
| Labial | Dental | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Pharyngeal Epiglottal |
Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | sib. | |||||||||
| Nasal | m | n | ||||||||
| Plosive/ Affricate |
voiced | b | d | d͡z1 | d͡ʒ1 | ɡ | ɢ1 | ʡ1 | ||
| voiceless | p | t | t͡s | t͡ʃ | k | q | ʔ | |||
| long | pː2 | tː2 | t͡sː2 | t͡ʃː2 | kː2 | qː2 | ||||
| ejective | pʼ | tʼ | t͡sʼ | t͡ʃʼ | kʼ | qʼ | ʡʼ2 | |||
| Fricative | voiced | v1 | z | ʒ | ɣ1 | ʁ | ʢ | ɦ | ||
| voiceless | f1 | s | ʃ | ç1 | x | χ | ʜ | |||
| long | sː2 | ʃː2 | xː2 | χː2 | ||||||
| Trill | r | |||||||||
| Approximant | w | l | j | |||||||
- Present in the literary standard of Dargwa, but not some other dialects.
- Present in some dialects, but not the literary standard.
The source is rather ambiguous in its using the term "laryngeal" for a presumed column of consonants that includes both a "voiced" and a "glottalized" plosive. A voiced glottal plosive cannot be made, because the glottis needs to be closed, and an ejective consonant requires an additional closure further up the vocal tract. Pending clarification, this row has been transcribed here as an epiglottal column and a glottal stop, both found in many other East Caucasian languages.