Language quiz

Here’s a recording in a mystery language.

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

April 29th, 2012 in Language, Quiz questions

Comments (8)

ZekeApril 29th, 2012 at 8:52 am

Sounds like something Persian related to me, but what do I know…

NickApril 29th, 2012 at 11:55 am

I kept hearing Slavic sounding”tko, bili, ona, etc.” But I also agree with Zeke and it sounds Persian like to me, so I am going to take a guess and go with Azerbaijani.

d.m.falkApril 29th, 2012 at 12:40 pm

I was thinking Georgian….

d.m.f.

SimonApril 29th, 2012 at 7:19 pm

d.m.falk – right language family, wrong language.

DaydreamerApril 29th, 2012 at 10:54 pm

Compared to other Caucasian languages there seems to be only a narrow consonantal inventory. So, I’m pointing at Laz, related to Georgian and spoken in the US-state of Georgia, hehe.

Vijay JohnApril 30th, 2012 at 3:29 am

It’s definitely something heavily influenced by Turkish. That much I am sure of. I hear Turkish words all over the place (“tanışma,” “gibi,” “ama,”…), and I might have even thought it was Turkish if I hadn’t heard those voiced uvular fricatives and [q]‘s.

So yeah, Daydreamer is right. It’s Laz. See 2:00 of Side A on http://globalrecordings.net/en/program/C17401.

d.m.falkApril 30th, 2012 at 8:13 am

@Simon – That’s the closest I’ve been in quite a while, it seems….

d.m.f.

SimonApril 30th, 2012 at 8:59 am

Daydreamer is indeed right – the answer is Laz (Lazuri nena / ლაზური ნენა), a South Caucasian language spoken in parts of Turkey and Georgia.

The recording comes from the GRN