Chamalal is spoken in southwestern
Dagestan,
Russia by indigenous
Chamalals since the 8th or 9th century. The ethnic population is approximately 5,000, with around 500 speakers. The language has a 6b (threatened) status.
Geographic distribution
The approximately 500 ethnic speakers live in eight villages in the
Tsumadinsky District on the left bank of the Andi-Koisu river in the Dagestan Republic and in the Chechnya Republic. The speakers are mostly Muslim, primarily following
Sunni Islam since the 8th or 9th century.
Official status
There are no countries with Chamalal as an official language.
Dialects/Varieties
Chamalal has three distinct dialects:
Gadyri (Gachitl-Kvankhi),
Gakvari (Agvali-Richaganik-Tsumada-Urukh), and
Gigatl (Hihatl). There are also two more dialects: Kwenkhi, Tsumada.
Derived languages
Gigatl (Hihatl) and Chamalal proper (with Gadyri, Gakvari, Tsumada and Kwenkhi dialects) are considered to be sublanguages.
Writing system
Chamalal is an unwritten language. Avar and Russian are used in school, and Avar is also used for literary purposes.
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