Avar or ma'arul mats is a North East Caucasian language spoken mainly in the Republic of Dagestan in the Russian Federation, and also in Azerbaijan and Georgia. In 2010 there were about 715,000 Avar speakers in Russian, mainly in Dagestan, and also in Chechnya. In 2011 there were about 46,600 speakers of Avar in the Balakan and Zaqatala districts in northwestern Azerbaijan. There were about 2,000 Avar speakers in the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia in 2015 [source].
Avar is also known as Avaro, Avaric, Bolmac, Khundzuri, Dagestani, Maarul Dagestani. Native names for the language are Магӏарул мацӏ [maʕarul mat͡sʼ] - "language of the mountains", and Авар мацӏ [awar mat͡sʼ] - "Avar language".
Avar has four main dialects: Khunzakh, Antsukh, Charoda and Gidatl, which have only limited mutual intelligibility. The Khunzakh dialect or болмацI (bolmats) acts as a lingua franca between Avar speakers and is the basis for written Avar.
Avar was written with the Old Georgian alphabet from the 15th century, and with the Arabic alphabet from the 17th century until the early 20th century. From 1928 to 1938 the Latin alphabet used, then the Cyrillic alphabet became standard.
Avar is taught is primary and secondary schools in Dagestan. It is also used in the media and literature. It is an official language in Dagestan.
نۈڸ ماڨێڸ وێڮانا، ڨالدا ڸۇق - ڸۇقۇن،
ڨۇردا كُېر ڃُان ئۇنېو، بێدا وېضّۇن دۇن؛
ڨۇرۇڬێ باطاڸۇن صېوې ئۇناڬۈ،
صۈ ڸارال راعالدا عۈدۈو كّۈلېو دۇن.
ڸار چُاخّۇلېب بۇڬۈ چابخێل گّالاڅان،
ڸێن گانضۇلېب بۇڬۈ ڬانڃازدا طاسان؛
طاراماغادێسېب قُال بالېب بۇڬۈ،
قۈ ڸێگێلان دێصا سۈعاب راڨالدا
Нолъ макьилъ вихьана, кьалда лъукъ-лъукъун,
Кьурда квер чIван унев, бида вецIцIун дун;
Кьуруги батIалъун цеве унаго,
Цо лъарал рагIалда гIодов кколев дун.
Лъар чваххулеб буго чабхил кIкIалахъан,
Лъин кIанцIулеб буго ганчIазда тIасан;
ТIарамагъадисеб къвал балеб буго,
Къо лъикIилан дица согIаб ракьалда.
A poem by ХӀамзатил Расул (Rasul Ħamzatil), an Avar poet from Russia.
Noļ maꝗiļ viҳana, ꝗalda ļuq-ļuqun,
Ꝗurda кvеr çvan unеv, bida vеⱬⱬun dun;
Ꝗuruⱨ baţaļun s̶еvе unago,
Co ļaral raⱨalda ⱨodov ккolеv dun.
Łar cvaxxulеb bugo cabxil ⱪⱪalax̶an,
Łin ⱪanⱬulеb bugo gançazda ţaсan;
Ţaramaƣadiсеb qval balеb bugo,
Qo ļiⱪilan dis̶a сoⱨab raꝗalda.
Latin and Arabic alphabets and sample text provided by Michael Peter Füstumum
Information about Avar | Numbers | Tower of Babel
Information about the Avar language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avar_language
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/ava
http://www.indopedia.org/Avar_language.html
http://maarul.vnvsoft.com/indexen.html
http://www.biodatabase.de/Avar language
http://www.unilang.org/wiki/index.php/Avar
Online Avar lessons
http://www.philology.ru/linguistics4/madiyeva-67.htm
Aghul, Akhvakh, Andi, Archi, Avar, Bagvalal, Batsbi, Bezhta, Botlikh, Budukh, Caucasian Albanian, Chamalal, Chechen, Dargwa, Godoberi, Hinukh, Hunzib, Ingush, Kaitag, Karata, Khinalug, Khwarshi, Kryts, Kubachi, Lak, Lezgian, Rutul, Tabassaran, Tindi, Tsakhur, Tsez, Udi
Abaza, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Aghul, Akhvakh, Akkala Sámi, Aleut, Altay, Alyutor, Andi, Archi, Assyrian / Neo-Assyrian, Avar, Azeri, Bagvalal, Balkar, Bashkir, Belarusian, Bezhta, Bosnian, Botlikh, Budukh, Bulgarian, Buryat, Chamalal, Chechen, Chelkan, Chukchi, Chulym, Chuvash, Crimean Tatar, Dargwa, Daur, Dolgan, Dungan, Enets, Erzya, Even, Evenki, Gagauz, Godoberi, Hinukh, Hunzib, Ingush, Interslavic, Itelmen, Juhuri, Kabardian, Kaitag, Kalderash Romani, Kalmyk, Karaim, Karakalpak, Karata, Karelian, Kazakh, Ket, Khakas, Khanty, Khinalug, Khorasani Turkic, Khwarshi, Kildin Sámi, Kili, Komi, Koryak, Krymchak, Kryts, Kubachi, Kumandy, Kumyk, Kurdish, Kyrgyz, Lak, Lezgi, Lingua Franca Nova, Lithuanian, Ludic, Macedonian, Mansi, Mari, Moksha, Moldovan, Mongolian, Montenegrin, Nanai, Negidal, Nenets, Nganasan, Nivkh, Nogai, Old Church Slavonic, Oroch, Orok, Ossetian, Pontic Greek, Romanian, Rushani, Russian, Rusyn, Rutul, Selkup, Serbian, Shor, Shughni, Siberian Tatar, Sirenik, Slovio, Soyot, Tabassaran, Tajik, Talysh, Tat, Tatar, Teleut, Ter Sámi, Tindi, Tofa, Tsakhur, Tsez, Turkmen, Tuvan, Ubykh, Udege, Udi, Udmurt, Ukrainian, Ulch, Urum, Uyghur, Uzbek, Veps, Votic, Wakhi, West Polesian, Xibe, Yaghnobi, Yakut, Yazghulami, Yukaghir (Northern / Tundra), Yukaghir (Southern / Kolyma), Yupik (Central Siberian)
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page last modified: 23.04.21
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