Amuzgi-Shiri is one of the Dargin languages, spoken in the central part of Dagestan, mainly in the villages of and Shari in the Dakhadayevsky District. It is an unwritten and poorly studied idiom, traditionally attributed to the Dargin language group, but possessing significant lexical and grammatical differences that allow it to be distinguished as a separate language.
Classification The status of Amuzgi-Shiri as a language or dialect remains controversial. Some classifications treat it as a dialect of Dargin, while others consider it an independent language within the Dargin branch.
Speakers The number of native speakers is estimated at between 1,500 and 3,000 people. The language is unwritten, but is used in everyday communication; Dargwa, based on the Aqusha, predominates in writing and education.
Documentation Amuzgi-Shiri was first identified as a distinct language thanks to the work of Oleg Belyaev. Previously, Amuzgi-Shiri and Ashti-Kubachi were considered varieties of the same idiom, but significant structural and lexical differences were later identified between them, which allowed them to be identified as separate linguistic entities within the Dargin group.
Phonology The presence of special guttural consonants and phonemes with pharyngealization, which are absent in literary Dargin. Differences in tone and intensity in long vowels (affects the semantic load).
Morphology A verb conjugation system different from Dargin. Own paradigm of possessive forms. Ergative declension in a noun phrase with unique locative indicators.
Vocabulary There are a significant number of lexemes that do not coincide with other Dargin idioms, as well as traces of borrowings from Kumyk and Persian.
References
External links Коряков Ю.Б. Лексикостатистическая классификация даргинских языков — 2012 Алексеев М. Е. Даргинские языки // Языки мира: Кавказские языки. — М., 1999. Магомедов Х. И. Диалектная структура даргинского языка. — Махачкала: Дагучпедгиз, 1984. Магомедов Х. И., Магомедова П. Х. Словарь даргинских диалектов. — Махачкала, 2003. Даргинские диалекты с. Шири и Амузги