Hinukh language
Encyclopedia
The Hinukh language is a Northeast Caucasian language
of the Tsezic
subgroup. It is spoken by about 200 to 500 people, the Hinukhs, in the Tsunta district of southwestern Dagestan
, mainly in the village of Genukh (Hinukh: Hino). Hinukh is very closely related to Tsez
, but they are not entirely mutually intelligible.
Only half of the children of the village speak the Hinukh language. As Hinukh is unwritten, like the other members of the Tsezic family, Avar
and Russian
are used as literary language. Hinukh is not considered to have dialects, but due to its linguistic proximity to Tsez it was once considered a Tsez dialect.
The Hinukh people were already mentioned in the Georgian
chronicles of the Early Middle Ages
. The language itself was first described in 1916 by Russia
n ethnographer A. Serzhputovsky.
and, like most Northeast Caucasian languages, shows a rich case system. The plural suffix is almost unvariably -be.
are marked synthetically on the verbs by means of affixes. As its sister languages Bezhta
and Tsez, Hinukh differentiates between "witnessed past" (ending in -s or -š) and "unwitnessed past" (in -no), the present tense is marked with the suffix -ho. In the future tense, Hinukh distinguishes a "direct future" (-n), which is used only in the first person, and a "indirect future" (-s) used for all other persons.
, which means that it is a base-20 system, a feature commonly found among the languages of the Caucasus.
Northeast Caucasian languages
The Northeast Caucasian languages constitute a language family spoken in the Russian republics of Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, northern Azerbaijan, and in northeastern Georgia, as well as in diaspora populations in Russia, Turkey, and the Middle East...
of the Tsezic
Tsezic languages
The Tsezic languages form one of the seven main branches of Northeast Caucasian language family. It branches into Tsez–Hinukh and Bezhta–Hunzib–Khwarshi, according to the latest research...
subgroup. It is spoken by about 200 to 500 people, the Hinukhs, in the Tsunta district of southwestern Dagestan
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
, mainly in the village of Genukh (Hinukh: Hino). Hinukh is very closely related to Tsez
Tsez language
Tsez, also known as Dido is a Northeast Caucasian language with about 15,354 speakers spoken by the Tsez, a Muslim people in the mountainous Tsunta district of southern and western Dagestan in Russia. The name is said to derive from the Tsez word for "eagle", which is most likely a folk etymology...
, but they are not entirely mutually intelligible.
Only half of the children of the village speak the Hinukh language. As Hinukh is unwritten, like the other members of the Tsezic family, Avar
Avar language
The modern Avar language belongs to the Avar–Andic group of the Northeast Caucasian language family....
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
are used as literary language. Hinukh is not considered to have dialects, but due to its linguistic proximity to Tsez it was once considered a Tsez dialect.
The Hinukh people were already mentioned in the Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
chronicles of the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
. The language itself was first described in 1916 by Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n ethnographer A. Serzhputovsky.
Vowels
Hinukh distinguishes 6 vowel qualities /a, e, i, o, u, y/, all of which can be either long or short. Two vowels can occur pharyngealized: /aˤ/ and /eˤ/. However, these are only used by the older generation. Today they are usually replaced by /i/.Nouns
Hinukh is an ergative-absolutive languageErgative-absolutive language
An ergative–absolutive language is a language that treats the argument of an intransitive verb like the object of a transitive verb, but differently from the agent of a transitive verb.-Ergative vs...
and, like most Northeast Caucasian languages, shows a rich case system. The plural suffix is almost unvariably -be.
Verbs
TensesGrammatical tense
A tense is a grammatical category that locates a situation in time, to indicate when the situation takes place.Bernard Comrie, Aspect, 1976:6:...
are marked synthetically on the verbs by means of affixes. As its sister languages Bezhta
Bezhta language
The Bezhta language , also known as Kapucha , belongs to the Tsezic group of the North Caucasian language family...
and Tsez, Hinukh differentiates between "witnessed past" (ending in -s or -š) and "unwitnessed past" (in -no), the present tense is marked with the suffix -ho. In the future tense, Hinukh distinguishes a "direct future" (-n), which is used only in the first person, and a "indirect future" (-s) used for all other persons.
Numerals
The numeral system is vigesimalVigesimal
The vigesimal or base 20 numeral system is based on twenty .- Places :...
, which means that it is a base-20 system, a feature commonly found among the languages of the Caucasus.