Andi language


Andi is a Northeast Caucasian language belonging to the Avar–Andic branch spoken by about 5,800 ethnic Andi in the Botlikh region of Dagestan. The language is spoken in the villages Andi, Gunkha, Gagatl, Ashali, Rikvani, Chanko, Zilo, and Kvanxidatl.

Dialects

There are four main dialects, Munin, Rikvani, Kvanxidatl, and Gagatl, which appear quite divergent. However, the dialects can be said to vary between villages: the "upper-group" contains Andi, Gagatl, Rikvani, and Zilo, whereas the "lower-group" contains Munin and Kvanxidatl. The upper-group lacks the affricate sound кьI.

Phonology

Andi has 43 consonants:
There are five vowels:.

Orthography

Although Andi is usually unwritten, there are attempts to write the language using Russian Cyrillic script. Speakers generally use Avar or Russian as their literary language. There have been some 19th-century texts written in Andi.
The 2015 translation of the Gospel of Luke uses the following alphabet: А а, Б б, В в, Г г, Гъ гъ, Гъгъ гъгъ, Гь гь, Д д, Е е, Ё ё, Ж ж, ЖӀ жӀ, З з, И и, Й й, К к, Кк кк, Къ къ, Кь кь, КӀ кӀ, КӀкӀ кӀкӀ, Л л, Лъ лъ, Лълъ лълъ, М м, Н н, О о, П п, Р р, С с, Сс сс, Т т, ТӀ тӀ, У у, Ф ф, Х х, Хх хх, Хъ хъ, Хь хь, Ц ц, Цц цц, ЦӀ цӀ, ЦӀцӀ цӀцӀ, Ч ч, Чч чч, ЧӀ чӀ, ЧӀчӀ чӀчӀ, Ш ш, Щ щ, ъ, ы, ь, Э э, Ю ю, Я я
A 2018 primer uses the following alphabet:
А аБ бВ вГ гГӀ гӀГь гьГъ гъГъӀ гъӀД дЕ е
Ё ёЖ жЖъ жъЖъӀ жъӀЗ зИ иЙ йК кКӀ кӀКь кь
Къ къКъӀ къӀЛ лЛӀ лӀЛь льЛъ лъЛъӀ лъӀМ мН нО о
П пПӀ пӀР рС сТ тТӀ тӀУ уФ фХ хХӀ хӀ
Хь хьХъ хъЦ цЦӀ цӀЦъӀ цъӀЧ чЧӀ чӀЧъӀ чъӀШ шЩ щ
Ъ ъЬ ьӀЭ эЮ юЯ я----

Grammar

Andi has 7 different series of localization: the meaning "inside" changes by number. Number categories are expressed through ablaut. In the village Andi, there is a difference between the speech of men and women; a man will say, for example, дин meaning 'I', мин meaning 'you', гьекIа 'person', but a woman will say ден 'I', мен 'you', гьекIва 'person'.