Aqusha dialect

Aqusha is a dialect of North Dargwa spoken by over 42,000 Dargins.^[1] It is the basis for the literary Dargwa language, along with Urakhi, as was developed in the 1930s.^[2] Speakers of Aqusha number the most among Dargwa linguistic groups.^[3]

Aqusha
Akusha
ахъушан / ахъушала лугъат aqušan / aqušala luʁat
Pronunciation	[aquʃan/aquʃala luʁat]
Native to	Russia
Region	Dagestan
Ethnicity	Aqusha [ru] Dargins
Native speakers	42,000 in traditional areas (2006)[1]
Language family	Northeast Caucasian Dargin North-Central North Dargwa Aqusha
Standard forms	Literary Dargwa
Dialects	Aqusha proper Levashi
Writing system	Cyrillic (Literary Dargwa only)
Language codes
ISO 639-2	dar (Litarary Dargwa only)
ISO 639-3	dar (Literary Dargwa only)
Glottolog	akus1238  Akusha
North Dargwa, with Aqusha at the bottom left of the section

Geographical distribution

Aqusha is most commonly found in the Akushinsky and Levashinsky Districts. There is a significant diaspora of Aqusha speakers in southern European Russia.

Dialects

Aqusha is divided into 2 dialects, Aqusha and Levashi. According to Saygid Abdullayev [ru], the differences in the Aqusha dialect are hardly noticeable and insignificant.^[3]

Phonology

Aqusha, and dialects of its type, lack the fortis and lenis contrast that is found in dialects of the Tsudaqar type.^[4] Vowel length and labialization are also absent. Glottalized ⟨и⟩ and ⟨о⟩ occur, and the case indicator ⟨д⟩ is lost after prefixes.^[3]

Comparison with standard Dargwa

^[3]

	Aqusha	Standard	Gloss
Ergative	ший	шинни	water
	Степай	Степанни	Stepan
	Ивай	Иванни	Ivan
	хӀяй	хӀяй, хӀялли	position
	хӀуй	хӀуй, хӀулини	eye
Genitive	ши	шинна	water
	Степа	Степанна	Stepan
	хӀя	хӀялла	position
	ша	шалила	sides
	ГӀалла	Алила	Ali
	Дагъиста	Дагъиста, Дагъистанна	Dagestan