Languages of Azerbaijan

Sign about the COVID-19 pandemic in Azerbaijani

Official| Azerbaijani
Minority| Lezgian, Talysh, Avar, Russian, Tat, Tsakhur, Khinalug, Turkish
Foreign| English, Russian, Turkish
Signed| Azerbaijani Sign Language
Keyboard layout|

QÜERTY and PÜŞUD

Azerbaijani is the sole official language of Azerbaijan and is spoken by the majority of its population. However, several minority languages also exist in the country, including Lezgian, Talysh, Avar, Russian, and Tat. Additionally, languages such as Tsakhur and Khinalug are spoken by a small percentage of the population.

## General

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Ethnicities of Azerbaijan (2024, after the collapse of the breakaway Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and the flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians in 2023). Ethnicities of Azerbaijan (1994-2020, after the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and before the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War).

The primary and official language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani,[1][2] a Turkic language closely related to and partially mutually intelligible with Modern Turkish.[3] Together with Turkish, Turkmen and Gagauz, Azerbaijani is a member of Oghuz branch of southwestern group Turkic language family.[4]

## Present

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According to the 2009 census of the country, Azerbaijani is spoken as a native language by 92.5% of the population,[5] whereas Russian and English play significant roles as languages of education and communication. More than half of Azerbaijani speakers are monolingual.[4] Lezgian, Talysh, Avar, Georgian, Budukh,[6] Juhuri,[6] Khinalug,[6] Kryts,[6] Jek,[7] Rutul,[6] Tsakhur,[6] Tat,[6] and Udi[6] are all spoken by minorities. All the aforementioned languages[8] (except Lezgian, Talysh, Avar, and Georgian, which have far larger numbers of speakers outside Azerbaijan but steadily declining numbers within the country) are considered endangered languages. They are threatened with extinction, as they have few (below 10,000) or very few (below 1,000) speakers and their use continues to decline with emigration and modernization.

According to 2019 research, English language proficiency in Azerbaijan was the lowest among the European countries surveyed.[9]

An entire issue of the International Journal of the Sociology of Language, edited by Jala Garibova, was devoted to the matter of languages and language choices in Azerbaijan, vol. 198 in 2009.[10]

Azerbaijan has not ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages to which it became a signatory in 1992, under the Popular Front. In 2001, the then President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev issued a statement whereby "the Republic of Azerbaijan is not in the power to guarantee the implementation of the Charter regulations until its territory occupied by the Republic of Armenia is liberated".[11]

## See also

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* Ancient Azari language
* History of Azerbaijan

## References

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1. ^ "Azerbaijan". www.ethnologue.com. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
2. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan" (PDF). President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Official Website of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
3. ^ Sinor, Denis (1969). Inner Asia. History-Civilization-Languages. A syllabus. Bloomington. pp. 71–96\. ISBN 0-87750-081-9.71-96&rft.pub=Bloomington&rft.date=1969&rft.isbn=0-87750-081-9&rft.aulast=Sinor&rft.aufirst=Denis&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=vn-xZ3O1G-cC&pg;=PA71&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Languages+of+Azerbaijan" class="Z3988">
4. ^ a b Keith, Brown; Ogilvie, Sarah (2008). Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World 1st Edition. Elsevier Science. p. 110\. ISBN 9780080877754.
5. ^ "UNdata | record view | Population by language, sex and urban/rural residence". Data.un.org. 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Published in: Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages. Edited by Christopher Moseley. London & New York: Routledge, 2007. 211–280".
7. ^ "Н. МАРР : "Яфетические языки", Большая сов. энциклопедия, 1-е изд., т. 65, Москва : Сов. Энц., 1931, стр. 841". Archived from the original on October 28, 2012.
8. ^ "Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger". UNESCO.
9. ^ "EF EPI 2019 – Europe". www.ef.com. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
10. ^ International Journal of the Sociology of Language, Volume 2009, Issue 198 (Jul 2009), http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/ijsl.2009.2009.issue-198/issue-files/ijsl.2009.2009.issue-198.xml
11. ^ Azərbaycan Respublikasının Regional dillər və ya azlıqların dilləri haqqında Avropa Xartiyasına dair bəyanatı. 20 December 2001. Retrieved 17 February 2017.

## External links

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* Ethnologue page on Azerbaijan
* Language situation in Azerbaijan
* Azerbaijani Language

## Further reading

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* Azerbaijani manual

* v
* t
* e

Languages of Azerbaijan

Official language|

* Azerbaijani

Minority languages|

* Aghul
* Avar
* Budukh
* Domari
* Garachi
* Georgian
* Jek
* Judeo-Tat
* Khinalug
* Kryts
* Lezgin
* Russian
* Rutul
* Talysh
* Tat
* Tsakhur
* Turkish
* Udi

Sign languages|

* Azerbaijani Sign Language

Formerly spoken minority languages|

* Armenian
* Eastern Armenian

Extinct|

* Kilit
* Shirvani Arabic

* v
* t
* e

Languages of the Caucasus

Caucasian
(areal)|

| South
(Kartvelian)|

* Karto-Zan
* Georgian
* Judaeo-Georgian
* Old Georgian
* Zan
* Laz
* Mingrelian
* Svan

|

Northeast
(Caspian)|

| Avar–Andic|

* Andic
* Andi
* Akhvakh
* Bagvalal–Tindi
* Botlikh–Godoberi
* Chamalal
* Karata
* Avar

|

Dargin|

* Chirag

North-Central|

* Mehweb
* Gapshima
* Muira [ru]
* Tsudaqar–Usisha–Butri
* Northern Dargwa [ru]
* Aqusha [ru]
* Literary Dargwa
* Murego–Gubden [uk]
* Kadar
* Mugi [ru]
* Upper Mulebki
* Urakhi

Southern|

* Ashti [ru]–Kubachi
* Sanzhi–Itsari
* Amuzgi–Shiri
* Sanakari–Chakhrizhi
* Southwestern Dargwa
* Sirhwa [lez; uk]
* Tanti
* Upper Vurqni

Kaitag–Shari|

* Kaitag
* Shari

Lezgic|

* Archi
* Samur
* Eastern
* Aghul
* Lezgin
* Tabasaran
* Southern
* Budukh
* Kryts
* Jek
* Western
* Rutul
* Tsakhur
* Udi

Nakh|

* Bats
* Vainakh
* Chechen
* Aukh
* Ingush

Tsezic (Didoic)|

* Bezhta–Hunzib–Khwarshi
* Hinukh–Tsez

Others|

* Khinalug
* Lak

Northwest
(Pontic)|

* Abazgi
* Abaza
* Abkhaz
* Circassian
* Adyghe
* Kabardian
* Ubykh

Indo-
European|

| Iranian|

* Kurdish
* Kurmanji
* Ossetian
* Persian
* Talysh
* Kilit
* Tat
* Judeo-Tat

|

Slavic|

* Russian
* Ukrainian

Others|

* Armenian
* Eastern
* Western
* German
* Pontic Greek

Turkic|

| Kipchak|

* Karachay-Balkar
* Kumyk
* Nogai
* Urum

|

Oghuz|

* Azerbaijani
* Turkish
* Turkmen

Others|

* Kalmyk Oirat
* Lomavren
* Northeastern Neo-Aramaic
* Assyrian
* Bohtan
* Shirvani Arabic

* Italics indicate extinct languages
* Languages between parentheses are varieties of the language on their left.

See also
Languages of Armenia
Languages of Azerbaijan
Languages of Georgia
Languages of Russia

* v
* t
* e

Azerbaijan articles

History|

| Early|

* Stone Age
* Bronze and Iron age
* Kura–Araxes culture
* Nakhchivan culture
* Khojaly–Gadabay culture
* Shulaveri–Shomu culture
* Mughan culture
* Jar-Burial Culture
* Leyla-Tepe culture
* Achaemenid Empire
* Caucasian Albania
* Parthian Empire
* Arran (Caucasus)
* Sasanian Empire
* Shirvan

|

Middle Ages|

* Sajid dynasty
* Sallarid dynasty
* Shaddadids
* Shirvanshahs
* Eldiguzids
* Ilkhanate
* Kara Koyunlu
* Aq Qoyunlu
* Safavid Iran
* Afsharid Iran
* Khanates of the Caucasus
* Zand dynasty
* Qajar Iran
* Russo-Persian War (1804–13)
* Treaty of Gulistan
* Russo-Persian War (1826–1828)
* Treaty of Turkmenchay

Modern|

* Armenian–Tatar massacres
* March Days
* Armenian–Azerbaijani war (1918–1920)
* Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
* Soviet Azerbaijan
* First Nagorno-Karabakh War
* Black January
* Independent Azerbaijan
* Second Nagorno-Karabakh War

By topic|

* History of the name Azerbaijan
* The Land of Fire

Geography|

* Bodies of water
* Caspian Sea
* Climate
* Climate change
* Earthquakes
* Environment
* issues
* Extreme points
* Fauna
* Flora
* Geology
* Caves
* Mountains
* Lakes
* National parks
* Orography
* Protected areas
* State reserves
* Wildlife

Subdivisions|

* Administrative divisions
* Borders
* Cities
* World Heritage Sites

Politics|

| Government|

* Cabinet
* Constitution
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Human rights
* LGBT
* Children's rights
* Law enforcement
* Military
* National Assembly
* Political parties
* Politics
* President
* Prime Minister
* Migration

|

Economy|

* Agriculture
* Central Bank
* Companies
* Energy
* Manat (currency)
* Metallurgy
* Mineral industry
* Natural resources
* Petroleum industry
* Telecommunications
* Tourism
* Transport

Culture|

* Animation
* Architecture
* Art
* Cinema
* Cuisine (wine)
* Dances
* Dress
* Folklore
* Holidays
* National identity
* Language
* Literature
* Media
* Music
* Mythology
* Novruz (New Year)
* Public holidays
* Religion
* Rug
* Sport
* Tea culture
* Theatre
* Wedding

Demographics|

* Education
* Ethnic minorities
* Gender equality
* Health
* Healthcare
* Languages
* LGBT rights
* People
* list
* Women

Symbols|

* Flag
* National anthem
* National emblem

* Outline
* Index
* Bibliography

* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

Languages of Asia

Sovereign states|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* Egypt
* Georgia
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste (East Timor)
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Northern Cyprus
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan

Dependencies and
other territories|

* British Indian Ocean Territory
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Hong Kong
* Macau

* Category
* Asia portal

* v
* t
* e

Languages of Europe

Sovereign states|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
*   * Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales
* Vatican City

States with limited
recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

Dependencies and
other entities|

* Åland
* Faroe Islands
* Gibraltar
* Guernsey
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* Svalbard

Other entities|

* European Union
* Sovereign Military Order of Malta

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