Botlikh (also spelled Botlix) is an Andic language of the Northeast Caucasian language family spoken by the Botlikhs in the villages of Botlikh (Buikhe), Miarso and Ashino, as well as in Chontaul, Ankho and in Batlakhatli, in southwestern Dagestan, Russia by approximately 5,000 people, according to the 2020 census.
Dialects Botlikh has two dialects, being Botlikh proper and Miarso. Differences in phonology and morphology are small, and the two are mutually intelligible.
Phonology
Vowels Botlikh has five basic vowels. Vowels can also be long or nasalized. +Botlikh vowelsFrontBackCloseMidOpen
Consonants +Botlikh consonantsLabialDentalAlveolarPalatalVelarUvularPharyngealGlottalcentrallaterallenisfortislenisfortislenisfortislenisfortislenisfortislenisfortisNasal Plosivevoiced voiceless ejective Affricatevoiceless ejective voicedFricativevoiceless voiced Approximant
Orthography Botlikh is unwritten, and Botlikhs have mostly used Avar as their medium of written communication. When Botlikhs need to write their language, they use the Avar alphabet. The following orthography is used in a Botlikh–Russian dictionary. А аАᴴ аᴴБ бВ вГ гГъ гъГь гьГӀ гӀД дДж дж(Е е)Ж жЗ зИ иИᴴ иᴴЙ йК кКк ккКъ къКь кьКӀ кӀКӀкӀ кӀкӀЛ лЛъ лъЛълъ лълъЛӀ лӀМ мН нО оП пПӀ пӀР рС сСс ссТ тТӀ тӀУ уУᴴ уᴴХ хХх ххХъ хъХь хьХӀ хӀЦ цЦц ццЦӀ цӀЦӀцӀ цӀцӀЧ чЧч ччЧӀ чӀЧӀчӀ чӀчӀШ шЩ щЪ ъЭ эЭᴴ эᴴ
References
Further reading
External links
The peoples of the Red Book: Botlikhs