Sanzhi language

Sanzhi (Sanzhi: sunglan ʁaj, also called Sanzhi Dargwa)^[1] is an endangered Dargin language spoken by about 250 people in Dagestan,^[2] closely related to Itsari. It is considered critically endangered due to its obsolescence in favor of Russian.^[3][4][5] The language is unwritten.^[6]

Sanzhi
Sanzhi Dargwa
сунглан гъай sunglan ʁaj
Pronunciation	[sunglan ʁaj]
Native to	Russia
Region	Dagestan
Ethnicity	Sanzhi Dargwa (sunglan-te)
Native speakers	250 (2019)
Language family	Northeast Caucasian Dargin Southern Sanzhi-Itsari Sanzhi
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	sanz1248
ELP	Sanzhi Dargwa
Sanzhi (and Itsari)

History

In the 1970s, the Sanzhis left their original village of Sanzhi, which is believed to have been inhabited for around 10,000 years,^[7] and moved to the lowlands, predominantly the village of Druzhba.^[3] In the summers, however, they still return to Sanzhi to do various activities like fishing and berry picking.^[2]

Phonology

Consonants

^[8]

		Bilabial	Alveolar	Postalveolar	Palatal	Velar		Uvular		Pharyngeal/ Epiglottal	Glottal
						plain	lab.	plain	lab.
Stop	plain	p	t			k	kʷ	q[a]	qʷ	ʡ	ʔ
	voiced	b	d			g	gʷ
	ejective	pʼ	tʼ			kʼ	kʼʷ	qʼ	qʼʷ
	geminate	pː	tː			kː	kːʷ	qː	qːʷ
Fricative	plain		s	ʃ		x	xʷ	χ	χʷ	ħ	h
	voiced		z	ʒ				ʁ	ʁʷ
	geminate		sː	ʃː		xː		χː	χːʷ
Affricate	plain		t͡s	t͡ʃ
	ejective		t͡sʼ	t͡ʃʼ
	geminate		t͡sː	t͡ʃː
Naal		m	n
Liquid			r l
Semivowel		w			j

1. /q/ and /qʷ/ are realized with significant affrication, such that they are pronounced more like /q͡χ/ and /q͡χʷ/. This is not present in the ejective /q’/ and the geminates /qː/ and /qːʷ/.

Younger speakers tend to pronounce the labialized consonants as plain ones.

Vowels

Sanzhi has 7 vowels, 4 plain ones and 3 pharyngealized vowels.

^[9]

	Front		Central		Back
	plain	phar.	plain	phar.	plain	phar.
Close	i	[iˁ]			u	uˁ
Mid	e
Open			a	aˁ