The languages of Azerbaijan belong to 4 language families - Indo-European, Altai, Kartvel, Nakh-Dagestan. In Azerbaijan, the most common language is Azerbaijani (according to the 2009 census, 98.6% of the population was fluent in it [1] ). An important role is played by the Russian and English languages (according to the 2009 census, they were spoken as mother tongues by 7.6% and 0.8% of the country's population, respectively [1] ). In addition, indigenous peoples speak Lezgi , Talysh , Avar , Georgian , Tsakhur , Kurdish , Tat , Udin . Mountain Jews also use Juhuri , but its use has declined due to immigration and modernization.
| Languages of Azerbaijan | |
|---|---|
| Official | Azerbaijani |
| Main languages | Azerbaijani |
| Autochthonous | Lezgin , Talysh , Armenian |
| Keyboard layout | |
Languages of Azerbaijan
According to the current Constitution , the official language of the Republic of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani. The Constitution says that the Republic of Azerbaijan ensures the free use and development of other languages spoken by the population [2] .
Official Language
The Azerbaijani language is included in the Oguz subgroup of the Turkic group of the Altai language family. According to the Law "On the state language in the Azerbaijan Republic" knowledge of the Azerbaijani language is mandatory. It is used in all areas of the political, social, economic, scientific and cultural life of the country. The law establishes that the state ensures the use, protection and development of the state language [3] .
Russian language
Armenian language
Only the ethnic Armenians living in the territory controlled by the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic speak today the Armenian language within the official borders of Azerbaijan . It is also owned by many Azerbaijani refugees from Armenia [4] .
Dagestan languages
The following Dagestan languages are represented in Azerbaijan:
Budukh language - it is spoken in Budug , Delhi-Kaya, Pirusti, Yalavanj and other villages of the Kubinsky and Khachmaz region of Azerbaijan. The Budukh language is spellingless. The language is believed to be endangered. The language has 4 grammar classes, 14 cases. The numerals in the Budukh language are divided into quantitative, dividing, multiple, and ordinal numbers are borrowed from the Azerbaijani language. The Azerbaijani language influenced Budukh from a lexical point of view [5] .
The Khinalug language is spoken in the north-east of Azerbaijan among a small ethnic group living in the Cuban region, in the village of Khinalig . Khinalug language is spellingless. Its syntax is still not well understood. The Khinalug poet Rahim Alhas in 1991 published a translation of the works of Nizami Ganjavi into the Khinalug language [6] .
Rutulsky language - It is studied in schools, various specialized educational institutions and in several higher educational institutions of Dagestan. The Rutul language is also spoken in Azerbaijan, mainly in the Sheki and Kakh districts. In 2013, the Rutulians developed an alphabet based on the Latin in Azerbaijan [7] .
Tsakhur - According to UNESCO estimates, 25,000 people speak Tsakhur. In the village of Suvagil (Zagatala), the Tsakhur language is taught once a week. The Tsakhur language is taught based on the Latin alphabet in Azerbaijani schools. The Tsakhur language is similar to the Rutul language. The influence of the Azerbaijani language is present in the language, which is explained by the residence of tsakhurs in Azerbaijan [8] .
- Avar language
- Ahwah language
- Crimean language
- Lezgin language
- Udine language
Iranian Languages
- Juhuri is also a type of Jewish-Iranian language .
- Kurdish
- Tat language
- Talysh language
Cartelian languages
Georgian language
Georgian is spoken in the north of Azerbaijan in the regions of Balaken , Zagatala and Gakh . Georgians live compactly in these territories. According to the 2007 correspondence, their number was 15 thousand people. Georgians living in these areas speak the Ingiloy dialect of the Georgian language, which is similar to the Kakheti dialect of Georgian. There are Georgian-language schools, theaters and other public organizations. A free Georgian language school operates in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, which takes students every year. Interest in the Georgian language in Azerbaijan is growing, which is associated with trade and economic relations between the two countries [9] .
See also
- Languages of Armenia
- Languages of Georgia
- Iranian languages
- Languages of Russia
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan : Population by ethnic groups Archived November 13, 2016 on the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan , Guarantor System. Archived March 2, 2008.
- ↑ Law of the Azerbaijan Republic “On the State Language in the Azerbaijan Republic” , Medialaw.ru.
- ↑ Azerbaijan and Russia. Societies and states (Inaccessible link) . Date of treatment August 16, 2010. Archived March 25, 2011.
- ↑ Budukh language . tapemark.narod.ru. Date of treatment May 7, 2018.
- ↑ KHINALUGA LANGUAGE • The Big Russian Encyclopedia - electronic version . bigenc.ru. Date of treatment May 7, 2018.
- ↑ RUTULIAN LANGUAGE • The Great Russian Encyclopedia - electronic version . bigenc.ru. Date of treatment May 7, 2018.
- ↑ Tsakhur language threatened | Lala Aliyeva | Teahouse . Teahouse. Date of treatment May 7, 2018.
- ↑ Sputnik. The Georgian language school in Baku begins enrolling students . sputnik-georgia.ru. Date of treatment May 7, 2018.