Northern Zaza
Dialect of Zaza
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Northern Zaza, is one of the three primary dialects of the Zaza language, spoken by the Zaza people.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] The dialect is also referred to as Zonê Ma, Kırmancki, So-Bê, Dımılki, Zazaki, Dersimki, Dersimce or Alevice by its speakers.[3][12]
| Northern Zaza | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | Zaza pronunciation: [dɪmɪlki] |
| Native to | Turkey |
| Region | Parts of eastern, central and northeastern parts of Anatolia |
| Ethnicity | Zazas |
Native speakers | 0.2 million[1] (2016) |
| Dialects | Tunceli Varto |
| Latin script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | kiu |
| ISO 639-3 | kiu |
| Glottolog | kirm1248 |
Northern Zaza, shaded in light blue | |
Classification
Glottolog classifies Northern Zaza within the Adharic subgroup of the Northwestern Iranian languages branch of the Iranian languages. Northern Zaza consists of two sub-dialects, Tunceli and Varto:[13]
- Northwestern Iranian
- Adharic
- Adhari (Old Azeri)
- Zaza (Zaza)
- Southern Zaza
- Northern Zaza
- Tatic (Tati-Talysh)
- Gurani
- Adharic
History
While early linguistic investigations of Zaza primarily concentrated on the Southern dialect, it is noteworthy that the Armenian traveler Andranik, during his late 19th-century regional travels, documented vocabulary and expressions from the Dersim dialect of Northern Zaza within his work.[14]
Speakers
Northern Zaza is spoken predominantly in Erzincan, Kemah, Aşkale, Hozat, Hınıs, Kelkit, Nazimiye, Ovacık, Pülümür, Tekman, Tercan, Varto, Zara, Çayırlı and Yayladere.[11] Speakers of Northern Zaza adhere to the doctrines of Zaza Alevism.[15][16] The number of Northern Zaza speakers was estimated to be around 0.2 million people in 2016.[17]
Grammar
Northern Zaza differs from other dialects of Zaza in phonological, morphological, syntactic, and lexical aspects. The dialect exhibits significant innovations, most notably within its phonological system. Sustained centuries-long cohabitation and sociocultural contact between Zazas and Armenians in Eastern Anatolia have resulted in significant phonological restructuring of Northern Zaza, aligning it with Armenian patterns.[18] Compared to other dialects of the language, the least difference is found in its syntax, while the most significant differences are found in phonology. The phonological changes between s and š, c and g and č and k are noteworthy.[11][19] Morphologically, the feminine suffix is realized as an unstressed /-e/ in Northern Zaza, whereas it is realized as /-ı/ in Southern Zaza.[20]
