Kryts (Kryc) is a Lezgic language of the Northeast Caucasian language family spoken in parts of the Quba Rayon of Azerbaijan by 6,000 people in 1975. Its dialects are Kryts, Jek, Khaput, Yergyudzh[lez], and Alyk, which are all quite distinct to the point of only partial mutual intelligibility, therefore they could also be considered separate languages in a dialect continuum.

Kryts is endangered, classified as "severely endangered" by UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.

Phonology

Consonants

LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarUvularPharyngeal/ EpiglottalGlottal
plainlab.pal.plainlab.pal.
Stopvoicelessptkkʷkʲqqʷqʲʔ
ejectivepʼtʼkʼkʷʼkʲʼqʼqʷʼqʲʼ
voicedbdɡɡʷ(ɢ)
Affricatevoiceless(t͡s)t͡ʃ
ejectivet͡sʼt͡ʃʼ
voiced(d͡z)d͡ʒ
Fricativevoicelessfsʃxχ(ʜ)h
voicedvzʒɣʁʁʷʕ
Nasalmn
Trillr
Approximantlj
  • /ʁ/ may also be realized as [ɢ] or [qː], in complementary distribution.
  • Sounds /t͡s, d͡z/ only occur in other dialects of the language.
  • /h/ may vary from a glottal sound to an epiglottal fricative /ʜ/.

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Closei(ɨ)u
Mide
Opena
  • /i/ can be heard as [ɨ], in free variation
  • The four vowels may also be pharyngealized as /iˤ, uˤ, eˤ, aˤ/.

Orthography

In 2020, a dictionary was published in the Khaput variety, using the Latin script.

A aB bC cÇ çÇ' ç'D dE eӘ әF fG gĞ ğĞ' ğ'
H hH' h'Ĥ ĥX xX' x'J jİ iI ıK kK' k'Q qQ' q'
Q̂ q̂L lM mN nO oÖ öP pP' p'R rS sŞ şS' s'
T tU uÜ üV vY yZ z
  • Authier, Gilles (2009). Grammaire kryz. Collection Linguistique (Société de linguistique de Paris). Vol.93. Leuven: Peeters. ISBN9789042923157.

External links