Avar (магIарул мацI)

Avar or ma'arul mats is a North East Caucasian language spoken by about 601,000 people mainly in the Russian republic of Dagestan and in the Zakatala region of Azerbaijan. There are also small numbers of speakers in the Russian republics of Chechnya and Kalmykia, in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Jordan and Turkey

It 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 alphabet and pronunciation

Sample text

Авар мацI (Расул ХIамзатов)

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 Расул ХIамзатов (Rasul Xamzatov), an Avar poet from Russia.