Ingush (/ˈɪŋɡʊʃ/; гӏалгӏай мотт, ġalġay mott, IPA: [ˈɣəɫɣəɪ mʷɔtː]) is a Northeast Caucasian language spoken by about 350,000 people,[2] known as the Ingush, across a region covering the Russian republics of Ingushetia, Chechnya, North Ossetia, as well as the countries of Turkey, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and others.[4]
| Ingush | |
|---|---|
| Ghalghay, Ingus, Galgay, Kisti, Kistin[1] | |
| гӏалгӏай мотт ghalghaj mott | |
| Pronunciation | [ˈɣəɫɣəɪ mʷɔtː] |
| Native to | Russia |
| Region | Ingushetia, Chechnya, North Ossetia–Alania |
| Ethnicity | Ingush |
Native speakers | 350,000 (2020)[2] |
| Cyrillic (current) Georgian, Arabic, Latin (historical) | |
| Official status | |
Official language in |  Russia |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | inh |
| ISO 639-3 | inh |
| Glottolog | ingu1240 |
 Ingush | |
 Ingush is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger[3] | |
Classification
editIngush and Chechen, together with Bats, constitute the Nakh branch of the Northeast Caucasian language family. There is pervasive passive bilingualism between Ingush and Chechen.[5]
Dialects
editGeographic distribution
editIngush is spoken by about 350,000-400,000 people (2020) in Russia, primarily in the North Caucasian republics of Ingushetia, North Ossetia and Chechnya. Speakers can also be found in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belgium, Norway, Turkey and Jordan.[2][4]
Official status
editIngush is, alongside Russian, an official language of Ingushetia, a federal subject of Russia.
Phonology
editVowels
editConsonants
editThe consonants of Ingush are as follows,[7] including the Latin orthography developed by Johanna Nichols:[8]
| Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Pharyngeal | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| palatalized | plain | |||||||||
| Nasal | m ⟨м, m⟩ | n ⟨н, n⟩ | ||||||||
| Plosive | voiceless | p ⟨п, p⟩ | t ⟨т, t⟩ | t͡s ⟨ц, c⟩ | t͡ʃ ⟨ч, ch⟩ | kʲ ⟨к, jk⟩ | k ⟨к, k⟩ | q ⟨кх, q⟩ | ʡ ⟨ӏ, w⟩ | ʔ ⟨ъ, ʼ⟩ |
| ejective | pʼ ⟨пӏ, pʼ⟩ | tʼ ⟨тӏ, tʼ⟩ | t͡sʼ ⟨цӏ, cʼ⟩ | t͡ʃʼ ⟨чӏ, ch’⟩ | kʲʼ ⟨кӏ, jkʼ⟩ | kʼ ⟨кӏ, kʼ⟩ | qʼ ⟨къ, qʼ⟩ | |||
| voiced | b ⟨б, b⟩ | d ⟨д, d⟩ | ɡʲ ⟨г, jg⟩ | ɡ ⟨г, g⟩ | ||||||
| Fricative | voiceless | f ⟨ф, f⟩ | s ⟨с, s⟩ | ʃ ⟨ш, sh⟩ | x ⟨х, x⟩ | ħ ⟨хь, hw⟩ | h ⟨хӏ, h⟩ | |||
| voiced | ʋ ⟨в, v⟩ | z ⟨з, z⟩ | ʒ ⟨ж, zh⟩ | ɣ ⟨гӏ, gh⟩ | ||||||
| Approximant | l ⟨л, l⟩ | j ⟨й, j⟩ | ||||||||
| Trill | voiceless | r̥ ⟨рхӏ, rh⟩ | ||||||||
| voiced | r ⟨р, r⟩ | |||||||||
Single consonants can be geminated by various morphophonemic processes.
Writing system
editYou can help expand this section with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (May 2025) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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It is possible that during the period of the 8–12th centuries, when churches like Tkhaba-Yerdy emerged in Ingushetia, a writing system based on a Georgian script emerged. This is attested by the fact that a non-Georgian name, 'Enola', was found written on the arc of Tkhaba-Yerdy.[9] Furthermore, Georgian text was found on archaeological items in Ingushetia that could not be deciphered.[10]
It is impossible to pinpoint the precise date at when Arabic writing entered the territory of Chechnya and Ingushetia. One thing is certain: both the Arabic language and writing emerged among the Chechens and Ingush in connection with the spread of Islam. Consequently, Arabic writing appeared in Chechnya no earlier than the second half of the 17th century, and in Ingushetia even later. Already during Imam Shamil's reign, mullahs from among the local population appeared in Chechnya, teaching the Chechen children Arabic literacy; that is, how to read the foreign language of Arabic mechanically, as well as reciting Arabic prayers. Imam Shamil was not supportive of establishing a written language (similar to Persian and Ottoman Turkish) for the languages of the peoples of the Caucasus. He and the clergy tried to introduce the Arabic language and script, but this was unsuccessful because the people did not understand it. Written communication, all official and private correspondence in the part of Chechnya subordinated to Shamil, was conducted in Arabic, while in the part of Chechnya that was part of Russia, official correspondence was conducted in Russian, and private correspondence was conducted in both Russian and Arabic. However, from mid to late 19th century, parallel with efforts with Avar language, Chechnya and Ingushetia also saw the start of using Arabic for the first time for their orthography.
Ingush became a written language with an Arabic-based writing system at the beginning of the 20th century. In those eras, and in the letters written by native Ingush speakers, certain unique letters seem to have been in use:
| Arabic letters | څ | چ | ژ | ڕ | ڥ | ڢ | ڨ | ڭ | ڮ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyrillic equivalents | ч | чI | цI | ц | пI | п | кх | кI | г |
After the October Revolution, in the 1920s, simultaneous with Chechen, Circassian, and Turkic languages of the USSR, there was a process of standardizng and indigenizing the already-utilized Arabic script for each of these langugages. By the late 1920s, with a change in Soviet policy, an adaptation of Latin alphabet was taken up, which was later replaced by Cyrillic.
| А а | Аь аь | Б б | В в | Г г | Гӏ гӏ | Д д | Е е |
| Ё ё | Ж ж | З з | И и | Й й | К к | Кх кх | Къ къ |
| Кӏ кӏ | Л л | М м | Н н | О о | П п | Пӏ пӏ | Р р |
| С с | Т т | Тӏ тӏ | У у | Ф ф | Х х | Хь хь | Хӏ хӏ |
| Ц ц | Цӏ цӏ | Ч ч | Чӏ чӏ | Ш ш | Щ щ | Ъ ъ | Ы ы |
| Ь ь | Э э | Ю ю | Я я | Яь яь | Ӏ ӏ |
Grammar
editIngush is a nominative–accusative language in its syntax, though it has ergative morphology.[12][13]
Case
editThe most recent and in-depth analysis of the language[13] shows eight cases: absolutive, ergative, genitive, dative, allative, instrumental, lative and comparative.
| Cases | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Absolutive | -⌀ | -azh / -ii, -i[a] |
| Ergative | -uo / -z, -aa[b] | –azh |
| Genitive | -a, -n[c] | -ii, -i |
| Dative | -aa, -na[c] | -azh-ta |
| Allative | -ga | -azh-ka |
| Instrumental | -ca | -azh-ca |
| Lative | -gh | -egh |
| Comparative | -l | -el |
- ↑ The choice of -azh vs. -ii is lexically determined for the nominative, but other cases are predictable.
- ↑ -uo is the only productive form. -z appears with personal names, kin terms, and other nouns referring to humans. -aa occurs with some declensions and is increasingly unproductive in colloquial use.
- 1 2 Allomorph after vowels
Tenses
edit| Stem | Suffix | Tense | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive Stem (INFS) |
{-a} | Infinitive (INF) | laaca |
| {-a} | Imperative (IMP) | laaca | |
| Present Stem (unmarked) |
--- | Generic Present (PRES) | loac |
| {-az&} | Simultaneous Converb (SCV) | loacaz& | |
| {-ar} | Imperfect (IMPF) | loacar | |
| {-agDa} | Future (FUT) | loacadda | |
| Past Stem (PAST) |
{-ar} | Witnessed Past (WIT) | leacar |
| {-aa}/{-na} | Anterior Converb (ACV) | leacaa | |
| {-aa} + {-D} / {-na} + {-D} | Perfect (PERF) | leacaad | |
| {-aa} + {-Dar} / {-na} + {-Dar} | Pluperfect (PLUP) | leacaadar |
Numerals
editLike many Northeast Caucasian languages, Ingush uses a vigesimal system, where numbers lower than twenty are counted as in a base-ten system, but higher decads are base-twenty.
| Orthography | Phonetic | Value | Composition |
|---|---|---|---|
| cwa | [t͡sʕʌ] | 1 | |
| shi | [ʃɪ] | 2 | |
| qo | [qo] | 3 | |
| d.i'1 | [dɪʔ] | 4 | |
| pxi | [pxɪ] | 5 | |
| jaalx | [jalx] | 6 | |
| vorh | [vʷor̥] | 7 | |
| baarh | [bar̥] | 8 | |
| iis | [is] | 9 | |
| itt | [itː] | 10 | |
| cwaitt | [t͡sʕɛtː] | 11 | 1+10 |
| shiitt | [ʃitː] | 12 | 2+10 |
| qoitt | [qoitː] | 13 | 3+10 |
| d.iitt1 | [ditː] | 14 | 4+10 |
| pxiitt | [pxitː] | 15 | 5+10 |
| jalxett | [jʌlxɛtː] | 16 | 6+10 |
| vuriit | [vʷʊritː] | 17 | 7+10 |
| bareitt | [bʌreitː] | 18 | 8+10 |
| tq'iesta | [tqʼiːestə̆] | 19 | |
| tq'o | [tqʼo] | 20 | |
| tq'ea itt | [tqʼɛ̯æjitː] | 30 | 20+10 |
| shouztq'a | [ʃouztqʼə̆] | 40 | 2×20 |
| shouztq'aj itt | [ʃouztqʼetː] | 50 | 2×20+10 |
| bwea | [bʕɛ̯æ] | 100 | |
| shi bwea | [ʃɪ bʕɛ̯æ] | 200 | 2×100 |
| ezar | [ɛzər] | 1000 | loan from Persian |
- Note that "four" and its derivatives begin with noun-class marker. d- is merely the default value.
Pronouns
edit| 1st person | 2nd person | 3rd person | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| singular | plural | singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
| exclusive | inclusive | ||||||
| Nominative | so | txo | vai | hwo | sho/shu | yz | yzh |
| Genitive | sy | txy | vai | hwa | shyn | cyn/cun | caar |
| Dative | suona | txuona | vaina | hwuona | shoana | cynna | caana |
| Ergative | aaz | oaxa | vai | wa | oasha | cuo | caar |
| Allative | suoga | txuoga | vaiga | hwuoga | shuoga | cynga | caarga |
| Ablative | suogara | txuogara | vaigara | hwuogara | shuogara | cyngara | caargara |
| Instrumental | suoca(a) | txuoca(a) | vaica(a) | hwuoca | shuoca(a) | cynca | caarca(a) |
| Lative | sogh | txogh | vaigh | hwogh | shogh | cogh | caaregh |
| Comparative | sol | txol | vail | hwol | shol | cul/cyl | caarel |
Word order
editIn Ingush, "for main clauses, other than episode-initial and other all-new ones, verb-second order is most common. The verb, or the finite part of a compound verb or analytic tense form (i.e. the light verb or the auxiliary), follows the first word or phrase in the clause".[16]
Muusaa
Musa
vy
V.PROG
hwuona
2S.DAT
telefon
telephone
jettazh
strike.CVsim
It's Musa on the phone for you. (After answering the phone.)
References
edit- ↑ "Ingush". LINGUIST List. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- 1 2 3 Ingush at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
- ↑ "Ingush in Russian Federation". UNESCO WAL. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 "Ингушский язык" [The Ingush language]. minlang.iling-ran.ru. Minority languages of Russia: A project of the Institute of Linguistics (Russian Academy of Sciences). Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ↑ Nichols & Sprouse (2004), p. 1.
- ↑ Koryakov 2006, p. 25.
- ↑ Nichols (2011), p. 20.
- ↑ Nichols (2011), pp. 19–21.
- ↑ Chentieva 1958, p. 13.
- ↑ Chentieva 1958, p. 14.
- ↑ Дударов, Абдул-Мажит Муратович (2015). Письменность как компонент этнокультуры ингушей (становление и функционирование) (PDF). p. 101.
- ↑ Nichols (2008).
- 1 2 Nichols (2011).
- ↑ Handel (2003), p. 6.
- ↑ Nichols (2011), p. 174-175.
- ↑ Nichols (2011), pp. 678ff.
Bibliography
editEnglish sources
edit- Handel, Zev (2003). "Ingush inflectional verb morphology: a synchronic classification and historical analysis with comparison to Chechen" (PDF). Current Trends in Caucasian, East European and Inner Asian Linguistics. pp. 123–175. doi:10.1075/cilt.246.11han. Archived from the original (PDF) on Feb 1, 2017.
- Nichols, Johanna; Sprouse, Ronald L. (2004). Ingush-English and English-Ingush Dictionary. Routledge.
- Nichols, Johanna (2008). "Case in Ingush syntax". Case and Grammatical Relations. Typological Studies in Language. Vol. 81. John Benjamins Publishing Company. pp. 57–74. doi:10.1075/tsl.81.04nic. ISBN 978-90-272-2994-6.
- Nichols, Johanna (2011-03-15). Ingush Grammar (PDF). Berkeley, California; Los Angeles; London: University of California Press. pp. 1–806.
Russian sources
edit- Chentieva, Maryam (1958). Oshaev, Khalid (ed.). История Чечено-Ингушской письменности [The History of Checheno-Ingush writing] (in Russian). Grozny: Checheno-Ingush Book Publishing House. pp. 1–86.
- Dudarov, Abdul-Mazhit (2017). Akieva, Petimat (ed.). История эволюции ингушского письма [History of the evolution of Ingush writing] (PDF) (in Russian). Nazran: Kep. pp. 1–224. ISBN 978-5-4482-0015-1.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Koryakov, Yuriy (2006). "Реестр Кавказских языков" [Register of Caucasian languages] (PDF). Атлас кавказских языков [Atlas of Caucasian languages] (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow: Piligrim. pp. 21–41. ISBN 5-9900772-1-1.
External links
edit
- Appendix:Cyrillic script
- Indigenous Language of the Caucasus (Ingush)
- Ingush Language Project at UC Berkeley
- University of Graz report Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- Russian-Ghalghaj (Ingush) vocabulary
- Ingush 100-word Swadesh list at the Global Lexicostatistical Database
- PaydaDosh — Ingush-Russian online dictionary (66,000+ entries, text corpus, proverbs)