Kilit is an extinct dialect of Tati language that is closely related to Harzandi. It is an Iranian dialect of Azerbaijan that is closely related to Talysh. It is probably a dialect of Iranian Tati, otherwise found only in Iran, specifically a subdialect of Harzandi. It was spoken in the villages around Kilit, located 12 kilometers southwest from the city of Ordubad in a district with the same name of Nakhchivan in Azerbaijan. It was still used by non-native speakers as a second language in the 1950s.Stilo, D. L. 1994. Phonological systems in contact in Iran and Transcaucasia. In Persian studies in North America: Studies in Honor of Mohammad Ali Jazayery By Muhammed Ali Jaza'iri, Mehdi Marashi, Mohammad Ali: Festschrift Jazayery, Published by Ibex Publishers, Inc., p. 90. , UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger
The dialect was reported to be spoken in some settlements in Nakhchivan, South Azerbaijan. In addition to Kilit, the region where it was mainly spoken, the dialect was also spoken in Baba Yaqub and other nearby settlements. Kilit, which was spoken north of the Aras River, was the northernmost and northwesternmost of the known Tati dialects.
Classification Kiliti is a Tati dialect belonging to the Northwestern Iranian languages branch and is closely related to Harzandi. Although scarce data exist on Kiliti, its closest surviving relative Harzandi, is considered a transitional dialect between Talysh and Zaza.Stilo, D. (1971) A Grammar of Vafsi-Tati: An Application of a Transformational Computer Model, Ph.D. diss., University of Michigan. p. 12.
History
The language has been long known to the Russian historians and travelers since the middle of nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. Russian historian Ivan Chopin, first mentioned the Kilit dialect and Kilit people back in 1852. He stated that the language of the Kilit people did not resemble any of the local dialects and the Kilit people could be remnants of one of the indigenous tribes of ancient Armenia living there or they could be Talysh, Tat, Tajik or Hebrew origin. He also stated the inhabitants of the village as amounting to 104.И. Шопен (1852) Исторический памятник состояния Армянской области в эпоху её присоединения к Российской империи. Санкт-Петербург: Типография Императорской Академии наук. p. 539. Zelinsky researched the language in 1880. He compiled records about Kilit and stated that in the Ordubad region, in the village of Kilit, people spoke a completely different dialect and their language might be a mixture of Kurdish, Persian, and Arabic words.С. П. 3елинский (1880) Три магала: Нахичеванский, Ордубадский и Даралагезский. Географическое, статистическое и сельскохозяйственное описание. Тифлис. p. 248. After them, several other individual researchers who heard about the existence of an unintelligible dialect also came to the region to research the dialect and described Kilit as a dialect unintelligible to anyone. In the 1950s a few speakers was reported who used the language probably only as a trade lingo or secret language. In 1966, A. G. Gasanov collected a few words and phrases. Although the possibility of a migration cannot be ruled out, however it is more likely, given more data about Tatic languages and proto-Tatic, that this group extended at least as far as the areas in which the remanent languages are spoken today.
Some available materials
The following is a Kiliti text reported by Zelinsky:Zelinsky, S. P. 1880. Three Magali: Nakhichevan, Ordubadsky and Daralagezsky. Geografo-statistical and agricultural description. "Collected information about the Caucasus," t. VII, Tiflis. (Зелинский С. П. 1880. Три магала: Нахичеванский, Ордубадский и Даралагезский. Географо-статистическое и сельскохозяйственное описание. "Сборник сведений о Кавказе", т. VII, Тифлис.) The text reported by Zelinsky: Kiliti in Cyrillic: «Вахти князь аслнда еранали эмиабиа, манэ эшташа: бишемазун касака ман винэм ки, шемазун каланг зуна. Хачи ки, эшман хаба эшката, мандже вотма. Эшман хаба эшката ки, ки каланг ашмардиа, мандже ашмар дема деста са. О еранал манэ эшташа кюсэш эшман хаба эшката кэинг манданиш? мандже вотма ки, ману мурахаст каи манэм каим. Вотма на, писта на хаингу муни. Мандже вотма: ихтио хеста, вотим манем, шав мандже. Хачи ой эшчаман хаба эшката, мандже вотма…» The translation in Russian: Во время князя генерал приехал, меня потребовал: «иди на вашем наречии говори, я посмотрю, ваш язык какого сорта». Что не спросил меня, я ответил. Меня спросил, как считаете. Я сосчитал до ста. Тот генерал меня потребовал к себе, спросил меня: «Где останешься?» (где будешь ночевать?) Я сказал, что меня отпустите, я пойду домой. Сказал нет, должен остаться здесь». Я сказал, «Воля ваша, скажешь, останусь» Ночью остался. Что не спросил меня, я сказал (ответил)».Gasanov, A. G. 1966. "O 'tainom' iazyke zhitelei sela Kilit Nakhichevankoi ASSR." In Voprosy Dialektologii Tiurkskix lazykov, Vol. 4, edited by R. I. Avanesov, N. A. Baskakov, et al. Baku: Akademii Nauk Azerbaidzhanskoi SSR. Transliterated from CyrillicRussian translit converter :
EnglishKilitiTalyshi (Taleshdulaei)PersianTatWhen Duke General came, vahti knâz' aslnda eranali èmiabia, vaqti sardăr ăma, väqti duk ženeral amäd, vəxtikə general ama, he asked me: manè èštaša: ba mәnkăš xăsta: az män xast: əz mən xast: "Speak in your language so I see what is your language". "bi šema zun kasaka man vinèm ki, šema zun kalang zuna". "ba әštan zәvon gaf bәžan bәvinom šәma zәvon kamila" "be zäbane xodetan soxän begu bebinäm ke, zäbane šoma kodam zäban äst" "bə zuhun xištənšmu gaf san vünüm ki, zuhunšmu kami zuhunü" Whatever he asked me (got information from me), I said then. ha či ki, èšman haba èškata, mandže votma. ba mәnka harčә kәn dafarsәsta mәnin văta. här če ke, äz män porsid (xäbär gereft), män häm goftäm. hər čü ki, əz mən xəbər asta, məniš guftirüm. He asked me how we counted. èšman haba èškata ki, ki kalang ašmardia. ba mәnkă dafarsәst čәntarin bašmard. äz män xäbär gereft ke, čegune mišemarid. əz mən xəbər asta ki, tə bə čənta bəšümərdənind.Then I counted up to hundred. mandže ašmar dema desta sa. mәnin әšmarda dă sad. män häm šemordäm ta be säd. məniš šümərdüm tə bə sad. That General wanted me to come to him. o eranal manè èštaša kûsèš. a sardări ba mәnkă xăsta bәšom čai var. an ženeral äz män xast pišäš beräväm. un general əz mən xast bətəni baram. He asked me: "Where do you stay?" èšman haba èškata: "kèing mandaniš?" ba mәnka dafarsa: "kiyă bamandiš?" äz män xäbär gereft: "koja mimani?" əz mən xəbər asta: "bečə bəmundəni?" Then I said that "dismiss me, I will go to my home". mandže votma ki, "manu murahast kai, manèm kaim". mәnin văta kәn, "ama bәrăxәn bašimon әštan ka". män häm goftäm ke, "mära moräxäs kon, miräväm xaneäm". məniš guftirüm ki, "mənə raha tin, maram bə xuneymə".He said: "No, you should stay here". votma: "na, pista na haingu muni". vătәš: "ne, pi hiyă bәmona". goft: "nä, bayäd häminja bemani". gufti: "nə, gərək incə muni". I said then: "That is your will, mandže votma: "ihtio hesta, mәnin văta: "әm әštә xăstaya, män häm goftäm: "in xaste to äst, məniš guftirüm: "in xasteytürü, you tell me to stay, votim manem, bătiš bәmonәm, miguyi bemanäm, bətəni munüm, so I (will stay) for the night." šav mandže". azni šav (bamandim)". män häm šäb (mimanäm)". məniš šöü (immunüm)". Whatever he asked me, I said then. ha či oj èščaman haba èškata, mandže votma. harči ba mәnka dafarsәst mәnin văta. här če ke äz män xäbär gereft, män häm goftäm. hər čü əz mən xəbər asta, məniš guftirüm.
Comparative list of numbers and some words mentioned by Zelinsky and Gasanov:
EnglishKilitiTalyshiPersianTatmouth gav gäv dähan duhun brother bole bәră, boli bäradär birar nut zuz viz, voz, yuz gerdu (jowz) xadžamaz where henda kiya, ku koja bečə/čüdžabring bija bәjär bijar bijar braised meat gail gäylä, kavab gušte beryan kababsaid gäji vateš goft guftiwild èšivin ašyă, èšivo (bear) vahši, dädmäneš vəhši1 ivi i jek jeki2 dèv dy, de do düta3 he se se səta4 čoj čo, ču, čar čähar čarta 5 pindž pendž, penj pändž pandžta6 šaš šäš šeš šešta 7 haft haft häft həfta 8 hašt häšt häšt həšta 9 nav näv, nä noh nüta 10 dah da däh dəta 11 dahai jonzä davy-i, yănza jazdäh dəyekta
EnglishKilitiTalyshiPersianTat12 dahadèv donzä davy-dy, dave-de, danza dävazdäh dədüta 13 dahahe senzä davy-se, dave-se, sinza sinzdäh dəsəta 14 dahačio čordä davy-čo, dave-ču, čardä čahardäh dəčarta 15 dahapind ponzä davy-pendž, dave-pendž, panzä panzdäh dəpandžta 16 dahašaš šonzä davy-šäš, dave-šäš, šanzä šanzdäh dəšešta 17 dahahaft havdä davy-haft, dave-haft, hivdä hevdäh dəhəfta18 dahahašt häždä davy-häšt, dave-häšt, häždä hiždäh dəhəšta 19 dahanav nonzä davy-näv, dave-näv, nuzda nuzdäh dənüta 20 vist vist, bist bist bista 30 si si si sita 40 čel' čyl, čel čehel čülta 50 pindžoj pendžo, pendža pändžah pandžata 60 šešt šest, šäst šäst səbista 70 havta hafto, hatu, häftad häftad səbistdəta 80 hašta häšto, häštu, häštad häštad čarbista 90 vahta näve, näved, näväd näväd čarbistdəta 100 sa sa, säd säd sad 1000 hačoj häzo, häzu, häzar hezar həzar
The identity
Chopin remarks that the inhabitants of Kilit village were professing Shiite faith and their language is not similar to any of the other local dialects. However he has been puzzled about their origin. He mentioned that they might be from Armenian origin or more likely Talyshi, Tat, Tajik or Zoroastrian.Shopen, Ivan, 1852. Istoricheskiĭ pamiatnik sostoianiia Armianskoĭ-oblasti v ėpokhu eia prisoedineniia k Rossiĭskoĭ-Imperii. Published by V tip. Imp. Akademii nauk. P. 539 Zelinsky considered it as a mixture of Kurdish, Persian and Arabic. Gasanov called it with a certain affinity towards Iranian languages. But only Zelinsky's materials are enough to understand that kiliti is not an argot, possesses an independent grammatical structure and have the main base of the root words and all the typical features of the Iranian languages. The existing materials also provide a sufficient basis to determine it as belonging to the northwestern Iranian group of languages. That language had no written tradition. According to Zelinsky, dozens of villages had spoken the language before, but it was just understandable to the villagers afterwards and then the Azerbaijani language replaced it.Sources of kilit language (Источники о килитском языке)
References and notes
Further reading Talysh.com Talyshi International Forum