Name the language

Here’s a recording in a mystery language.

Can you identify the language and where it’s spoken?

January 23rd, 2011 in Language, Quiz questions

Comments (14)

Christopher MillerJanuary 23rd, 2011 at 1:48 pm

All I can tell for the moment is that we’re definitely in the Caucasus: some way in I hear “kavkazëm” (ë for schwa), lots of clear ejectives, and .Russian loans pronounced with Russian phonology.

nomadJanuary 23rd, 2011 at 2:46 pm

Sounds North-Caucasian. Adyghe?

praseJanuary 23rd, 2011 at 6:31 pm

A minority language from Russia. To pick a guess, Mari.

penniferJanuary 24th, 2011 at 3:32 am

Yup, there’s all sorts of Russian sounding phrasing, soft vowels, etc., w/out it actually being a Slavic language. I’d guess greater Caucasus area too.

Bob RosenbaumJanuary 24th, 2011 at 4:04 am

Ossetic – n. ossetic???

JurčíkJanuary 24th, 2011 at 11:00 am

Sounds from Asia.

joe mockJanuary 24th, 2011 at 11:10 am

Caucasian … isn’t that -m(a) an ergative ending in Georgian? Doesn’t sound like Georgian though.

michael farrisJanuary 24th, 2011 at 11:33 am

Something from the former USSR around the Caucasian area is about as close as I’m gonna get without extensive searching. I’ll guess Avar.

dreaminjoshJanuary 24th, 2011 at 2:01 pm

Simply because it sounds like one of my old gymnastics coaches, I’m gonna say Georgian.

SimonJanuary 24th, 2011 at 3:32 pm

Clue: it is a Caucasian language, but not any of the ones already mentioned.

michael farrisJanuary 24th, 2011 at 4:00 pm

Lezgian? (since it’s also spoken in Azerbaijan, a place mentioned toward the end IINM).

Dong korean translatorJanuary 24th, 2011 at 5:35 pm

I can detect some Russian words, so it the language must belong to slavic group. Is it Belorussian?

SimonJanuary 24th, 2011 at 5:51 pm

The answer is Kabardian (къэбэрдеибзэ), a.k.a Circassian, which is spoken mainly in the Kabardian-Balkar and Karachay-Circassian Republics of Russia.

The recording comes from Adygeya TV news via YouTube.

renatoJanuary 24th, 2011 at 7:38 pm

fantastic, great video, Thanks a lot!