Tsez is a Northeast Caucasian language spoken in the southwest of the Russian Federation and in nearby parts of Georgia. In the Russian Federation is spoken in a number of villages in Tsuntinsky district of the Republic of Dagestan. In Georgia it is spoken in Ibtsokhi village in Kvareli district of Kakheti region.
In 2012 there were about 12,500 speakers of Tsez, which is also known as Cez, Didoi, Tsezy or Tsuntin.
The name Tsez, which is used for both the language and the people who speak it, is said to come from the Tsez word for eagle. In Georgian, the Tsez language is known as დიდო (dido). This name comes from the Georgian word დიდი (didi), which means 'big'.
Tsez is sometimes written with a version of the Cyrillic alphabet based on Avar, and is mainly used to write folk tales. It can also be written with the Latin alphabet Tsez is taught in some primary schools in Dagestan. However, most schools teach in Avar for the first five years, and in Russian after that.
ЗевнолӀах зевцӀейлӀах белӀон боцӀин зирун хъайно. Сидахъулъ шигохӀно садахъорно бойно хӀукму: йахъулътов бегира боцӀи хӀонлӀāр милӀелъ хизāз хизйо риша йолъ. БелӀā бегирно хъай лъāлъ хизāз, боцӀин зирун регирно хӀонлӀāр милӀелъ хизāз. Гъудод, жеди райноси белӀез рехъенйохор, зиру бохъно угьи-егьлӀада бухъ болӀāхзāзарно бохъно. Зирус угьи-егьи техъхой, гъайби кӀолӀин елāр, боцӀи бухъ бāтузāзарно бохъно бикӀин рехъенйолӀер, бесурно лӀарайав милӀи. МилӀин бисно боцӀин зирун хизор рутин хъӀайлӀāр. Ризирно цӀидолӀор лӀохӀон бегирно лъāлӀор хъай. Кикхогон зевно боцӀикӀхо кӀетӀу.
Zewnoƛax zewčʼeyƛax bˤeƛon bocʼin zirun qayno. Sidaquł šigoħno sadaqorno boyno ħukmu: yaqułtow begira bocʼi ħonƛʼār miƛʼeł xizāz xizyo rišʷa yoł. Bˤeƛā begirno qay łˤāł xizāz, bocʼin zirun regirno ħonƛʼār miƛʼeł xizāz. Ɣudod, žedi raynosi beƛʼez reqenyoxor, ziru boqno uhi-ehƛada buq boƛāxzāzarno boqno. Zirus uhi-ehi teqxoy, ɣʷaybi kʼoƛin elār, bocʼi buq bātuzāzarno boqno bikʼin reqenyoƛer, besurno ƛʼarayaw miƛʼi. Miƛʼin bisno bocʼin zirun xizor rutin qʼayƛʼār. Rizirno cʼidoƛʼor ƛoħon begirno łāƛʼor qay. Kikxogon zewno bočʼikʼxo kʼetʼu.
Once upon a time there were a pig, a wolf, a fox and a hare. One day they gathered together and decided that today they would send the wolf into the mountains for a sheep and they would eat. The pig sent the hare for water and sent the wolf and the fox into the mountain for a ram. At night, when they came to the flock of sheep, the fox began to moan from the eastern side. Since they heard the fox's moaning, the dogs ran in that direction and the wolf went towards the flock from the west and found a fat ram. Having taken the ram, the wolf and the fox returned to the camp. They put the pan on the fire and sent the hare for water. At the spring the cat was freezing.
Translation provided by Jin Wei Hii
Information about the Tsez language
Information about the Tsez/Dido people
Aghul, Akhvakh, Andi, Archi, Avar, Bagvalal, Batsbi, Bezhta, Botlikh, Budukh, Caucasian Albanian, Chamalal, Chechen, Dargwa, Godoberi, Hinukh, Hunzib, Ingush, Kaitag, Karata, Khinalug, Khwarshi, Kryts, Kubachi, Lak, Lezgian, Rutul, Tabassaran, Tindi, Tsakhur, Tsez, Udi
Abaza, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Aghul, Akhvakh, Aleut, Altay, Alyutor, Andi, Archi, Assyrian / Neo-Assyrian, Avar, Azeri, Bagvalal, Balkar, Bashkir, Belarusian, Bezhta, Bosnian, Botlikh, Budukh, Bulgarian, Buryat, Chamalal, Chechen, Chelkan, Chukchi, Chulym, Chuvash, Crimean Tatar, Dargwa, Daur, Dolgan, Dungan, Enets, Erzya, Even, Evenki, Gagauz, Godoberi, Hinukh, Hunzib, Ingush, Interslavic, Itelmen, Juhuri, Kabardian, Kaitag, Kalderash Romani, Kalmyk, Karaim, Karakalpak, Karata, Karelian, Kazakh, Ket, Khakas, Khanty, Khinalug, Khorasani Turkic, Khwarshi, Kildin Sámi, Komi, Koryak, Krymchak, Kryts, Kubachi, Kumandy, Kumyk, Kurdish, Kyrgyz, Lak, Lezgi, Lingua Franca Nova, Ludic, Macedonian, Mansi, Mari, Moksha, Moldovan, Mongolian, Montenegrin, Nanai, Negidal, Nenets, Nganasan, Nivkh, Nogai, Old Church Slavonic, Oroch, Orok, Ossetian, Pontic Greek, Romanian, Rushani, Russian, Rusyn, Rutul, Selkup, Serbian, Shor, Shughni, Siberian Tatar, Sirenik, Slovio, Soyot, Tabassaran, Tajik, Talysh, Tat, Tatar, Teleut, Ter Sámi, Tindi, Tofa, Tsakhur, Tsez, Turkmen, Tuvan, Ubykh, Udege, Udi, Udmurt, Ukrainian, Ulch, Urum, Uyghur, Uzbek, Veps, Votic, Wakhi, West Polesian, Xibe, Yaghnobi, Yakut, Yazghulami, Yukaghir (Northern / Tundra), Yukaghir (Southern / Kolyma), Yupik (Central Siberian)
Page last modified: 26.06.22
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