Kryts
[aka Kryz, Kryc, Dzek]Classification: Northeast Caucasian
·endangered
Classification: Northeast Caucasian
·endangered
The Kryz language belongs to the Shahdag subgroup of Southeast or Lezgian-Samur group of the Dagestan languages, together with Budukh and Khinalug, but it has linguistic similarities only with Budukh. ( The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire)
Information from: “The future of the shahdagh languages.” (33-45) . John M. Clifton (2009) , Joshua A. Fishman and Ofelia Garcia Otheguy · De Gruyter
"While people of all ages in the mountain villages speak Kryz as their first language, the situation is more varied in the plains villages. In the Ismayıllı villages of Hacıh et emli and Mollaisaqlı, Kryz is the first language of most residents 30 and older. Due to marriages to non-Kryz spouses, however, Azerbaijani has become the language of the home for some of those from 30 to 55. Because of this, some in this group have lost proficiency in Kryz. Among those 18 to 30 years of age, it is claimed that no more than 30%% speak Kryz well. Finally, proficiency among children is low even though 30%% to 40%% come from homes where at least one parent can speak Kryz. These children are more proficient in Azerbaijani than in Kryz."
Azerbaijani
"Ethnic Kryz make up the majority in two clusters of villages: the mountain cluster of Hapıt, Әlik, Cek, Qrız, and Qrızd ehn e in Quba district, and the plains cluster of Hacıh et emli, Mollaisaqlı, and Hapıtlı in I˙smayıllı district. In addition to these two groups, ethnic Kryz also live in a number of ethnically mixed villages throughout northeastern Azerbaijan."
Information from: “The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire” . Andrew Humphreys and Krista Mits ·
5,000-6,000
Beginning with the 1959 census the Kryz have been counted as Azerbaijanis.
Azerbaijani
Administratively the Kryz occupy five villages in the Konakhkent District of Azerbaijan: Kryz (self-designation Karat), Alik (Ealig), Dzhek (Deg), Haput (Hafid) and Ergyuch (Yergüd). Khinalug and Budukh settlements, as well as the Kryz villages, are in the remotest and least accessible areas of Caucasia, more than 2,000 metres above sea level.
Information from: “Europe and North Asia” (211-282) . Tapani Salminen (2007) , C. Moseley · London & New York: Routledge
Azerbaijani
Northern Azerbaijan, Villages of Kryz, Jek, Khaput, Yergyui, and Alyk.
Information from: “The World Atlas of Language Structures” . Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer · Oxford University Press
Information from: “Description du Kryz: Langue caucasique du nord-est parlée en Azerbaıdjan (dialecte d'Alik); Grammaire et textes de littérature orale” . Authier, Gilles (2009)
Kryz is spoken by 2,000 speakers at the maximum. Higher speaker numbers cited in the literature often conflate speaker numbers with ethnic population.
The shift among the younger generations from Kryz to Azeri, the national language, is very rapid in the villages of the plain, where children go to Azeri speaking schools. The Language is maintained best and shifting the slowest in the Mountain communities.
Kryz is spoken in four villages in the north-east of Azerbaijan: d'Alik, Khaput, Djek, and Kryz.
Information from: “The Sociolinguistic Situation of the Kryz in Azerbaijan” (57-70) . John M. Clifton and Janfer Mak and Gabriela Deckinga and Laura Lucht and Calvin Tiessen (2005) Institute of International Relations, Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan and North Eurasian Group, SIL International
In the mountain villages of Hapıt, Əlik, Cek, and Qrız, people in all age groups speak the Kryz language as their first language. Kryz is the language in which they are most fluent. In the İsmayıllı Hapıt villages of Hacıhǝtǝmli and Mollaisaqlı, Kryz is the first language of most residents 30 years of age and older. They speak the Hapıt dialect with one another. Due to marriages with non-Kryz spouses, however, Azerbaijani has become the language of the home for some of those from ages 30 to 55. Because of this, some in this group have lost proficiency in the Hapıt dialect. Language ability continues to decrease with those 18 to 30 years of age. It is claimed that no more than 30%% of this generation speak the Hapıt dialect well. While 30 to 40%% of children in these communities come from homes where at least one of the parents uses the Hapıt dialect
occasionally, proficiency in this dialect is low among the children. The children of these villages are reported to be most fluent in the Azerbaijani language.
The language of education in the mountain villages of Hapıt, Əlik, Cek, and Qrız has always been in Azerbaijani, even during the Soviet period. Apparently, there have never been classes in the Kryz language in any of the villages.