PRESENT TENSE FORMATION IN THE INHOKWARI DIALECT OF KHWARSHI

Abstract

The paper examines the formation of present tense verb forms in the Inkhokwari dialect of Khwarshi in comparison with the Khwarshi Proper dialect. The present tense is formed with the help of the suffix -še (and -ha/-he/-ho in Khwarshi Proper). In some cases, the present tense is attached to the verbal stem without any phonetic changes. However, various phonetic changes occur in some other verbal stems, which are progressive and regressive assimilation. The paper also illustrates the corresponding formation of present tense in closely related Tsezic languages. The Inkhokwari dialect has the more complex process of present tense formation, which represent more archaic formation pattern. The Khwarshi language is unwritten and belongs to the Avar-Ando-Tsezic group of the Nakh-Dagestan branch. It has two dialects: Khwarshi proper and Inkhokwari. According to the results of the All-Russian census of the population in 2002, there are 128 Khwarshins, and according to the last census (2010) there are 527 people.