Lezgin alphabets
The Lezgin language has been written in several different alphabets over the course of its history. These alphabets have been based on three scripts: Arabic script, Latin script, and Cyrillic script.
History
[edit]Until 1928, Lezgin was written in Arabic script, which was taught in religious schools. In the early 1920s, it was used in a few secular textbooks.
In parallel with the Arabic alphabet, as alphabet based on Cyrillic compiled by Baron Peter von Uslar in the 1860s was used. In 1911, a slightly modified version of this alphabet was published as a primer[1] used in secular schools.
In 1928, under the Soviet Union's process of Romanization, a Lezgin Latin alphabet was created and this was altered in 1932.
In 1938, as with most other Soviet languages, a new Cyrillic alphabet was created for Lezgin. Changes after its introduction include adding the letter Ё ё and replacing Уӏ уӏ with Уь уь. This alphabet is still used in various publications.
Lezgin Arabic alphabet
[edit]The Lezgin Arabic alphabet was as follows:
آ | ب | چ | ج | ڃ | د | اه | ا |
ف | گ | غ | ھ | اى | اي | ک | ل |
م | ن | اۊ | پ | ڢ | ۊ | ر | س |
ص | ش | ت | ط | او | و | خ | ݤ |
څ | ز | ژ | ڗ |
Lezgin Latin alphabet 1928–32
[edit]The Latin alphabet of 1928–1932's displayed all phonemes in contrast to the current alphabet but did not differentiate aspirated and non-aspirated consonants (k and kʰ, p-pʰ, t-tʰ, q-qʰ, t͡ʃ-t͡ʃʰ, and t͡s-t͡sʰ). The alphabet was as follows:
а | b | c | сс | ꞓ | ç | d | е |
ə | f | g | ƣ | h | i | j | k |
kk | ⱪ | l | m | n | о | ɵ | p |
pp | q | ꝗ | r | s | ş | t | |
tt | u | v | x | ҳ | ӿ | y | |
z | ƶ | ⱬ | ' |
Lezgin Latin alphabet 1932–38
[edit]The first Latin alphabet was changed in 1932. A comparison of the two alphabets follows:
Lezgin Cyrillic alphabet
[edit]There are 54 consonants in Lezgin. Aspiration is not normally indicated in the orthography, despite the fact that it is phonemic. The current Lezgin Cyrillic alphabet is as follows:[4]
А | Б | В | Г | Гъ | Гь | Д | Е | Ё | Ж | З | И | Й | К | Къ | Кь | КI | Л | М | Н | О | П | ПI | Р | С | Т | ТI | У | Уь | Ф | Х | Хъ | Хь | Ц | ЦI | Ч | Чӏ | Ш | Ъ | Ы | Ь | Э | Ю | Я |
а | б | в | г | гъ | гь | д | е | ё | ж | з | и | й | к | къ | кь | кl | л | м | н | о | п | пl | р | с | т | тl | у | уь | ф | х | хъ | хь | ц | цl | ч | чl | ш | ъ | ы | ь | э | ю | я |
А а | Б б | В в | Г г | Гъ гъ | Гь гь | Д д | Е е |
Ё ё | Ж ж | З з | И и | Й й | К к | Къ къ | Кь кь |
КI кl | Л л | М м | Н н | О о | П п | ПI пl | Р р |
С с | Т т | ТI тl | У у | Уь уь | Ф ф | Х х | Хъ хъ |
Хь хь | Ц ц | ЦI цl | Ч ч | ЧI чl | Ш ш | Ъ ъ | |
Ы ы | Ь ь | Э э | Ю ю | Я я |
Notes:
- щ is used only in words borrowed from Russian language but is pronounced ш
- ё is used in only one word, ёъ (IPA: [joʔ])
- ы (IPA: [ə]) is very common in Lezgin dialects
- ь (the soft sign) is only used in Lezgin appended to other letters to form different phonemes (гь, хь, уь, кь). Lezgin has no soft phonemes and the ь is not used to denote palatalization, even in borrowed words (where it is not written; e.g., автомобил, мултфилм).
Comparative table of Lezgin alphabets
[edit]Arabic | Latin 1932–1938 |
Cyrillic | IPA |
---|---|---|---|
آ | A a | А а | a |
ب | B в | Б б | b |
و | V v | В в | w/v |
گ | G g | Г г | g |
غ | Ƣ ƣ | Гъ гъ | ʁ |
ھ | H h | Гь гь | h |
د | D d | Д д | d |
اه | E e | Е е | je/e |
- | - | Ё ё | jo |
ژ | Ƶ ƶ | Ж ж | ʒ |
ز | Z z | З з | z |
اى | I i | И и | i |
ي | J j | Й й | j |
ک | K k | К к | kʰ/k |
ڠ | Q q | Къ къ | q |
ۊ | Ꝗ ꝗ | Кь кь | q' |
گ | Ⱪ ⱪ | Кӏ кӏ | k' |
ل | L l | Л л | l |
م | M m | М м | m |
ن | N n | Н н | n |
او | O o | О о | o |
پ | P p | П п | pʰ/p |
ڢ | Пӏ пӏ | p' | |
ر | R r | Р р | r |
س | S s | С с | s |
ت | T t | Т т | tʰ/t |
ط | T̨ t̨ | Тӏ тӏ | t' |
او | U u | У у | u |
اۊ | Y y | Уь уь | y |
ف | F f | Ф ф | f |
خ | X x | Х х | χ |
څ | Ӿ ӿ | Хъ хъ | qʰ |
ݤ | Ҳ ҳ | Хь хь | x |
ص | S̷ s̷ | Ц ц | t͡sʰ/t͡s |
ڗ | Ⱬ ⱬ | Цӏ цӏ | t͡s' |
چ | C c | Ч ч | t͡ʃʰ/t͡ʃ |
ج | Ç ç | Чӏ чӏ | t͡ʃ' |
ش | Ş ş | Ш ш | ʃ |
- | - | Щ щ | - |
- | - | ъ | ʔ |
- | - | Ы ы | - |
- | - | ь | - |
اه | E e | Э э | e |
- | - | Ю ю | ju/y |
- | - | Я я | ja/æ |
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Thomas T. Pedersen. "Transliteration of Lezgin".
- Non-Slavic Languages in Cyrillic Script (including Uslar Cyrillic) from ALA-LC Romanization Tables: Transliteration Schemes for Non-Roman Scripts (Library of Congress)