Zok, also known as Agulis–Meghri, is a variety of
Eastern Armenian. It is commonly considered a
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety of a language that ...
, but is
unintelligible to speakers of Standard Eastern Armenian.
Its speakers refer to it as or the "Zok language". Zok is significantly different from other Armenian varieties, leading to myths about its origins. One common belief is that the Zoks are half-Armenian, half-Jewish merchants who created a secret language to conceal their business dealings from outsiders. However, in reality, the Zoks are an indigenous Armenian community from the
Nakhichevan region.
History
Originally spoken in Nakhijevan, which is now part of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, the last
Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, '' hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...
of Nakhijevan were forced to leave due to conflict in 1988.
In 1935, Zok had approximately 10,000 speakers according to Acharyan, but it is now certain that the number of speakers is much smaller, likely less than 1,000.
The Paraka dialect is estimated to have fewer than 50 living speakers based on the Armenian National Archive's data of a population of 90 residents in the village at the time of the last Armenian displacement in 1988.
Zok's vowel system is the most distinguishable feature that sets it apart from other Armenian dialects, with significant changes and the addition of a unique form of vowel harmony, according to Vaux (2008).
Additionally, Zok has notable morphological and syntactic innovations, particularly in the organization of its tense-aspect-mood system, which is unparalleled in other Armenian dialects.
The language spoken by this group is similar to the neighboring dialects of
Karabagh and
Julfa.
See also
*
Agulis (historical)
*
Languages of the Caucasus
The Caucasus, Caucasian languages comprise a large and extremely varied array of languages spoken by more than ten million people in and around the Caucasus Mountains, which lie between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
Comparative method, Li ...
References
{{reflist
Armenian languages
Armenian dialects
Languages of Azerbaijan
Languages of the Caucasus