Digorænttæ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Total population | |
| ~200,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Russia | est. 100,000 |
 Turkey | unknown |
| Languages | |
| WestOssetian | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Iron and Tual Ossetians, otherIranian peoples,Balkars | |
TheDigor orWest Ossetians (Ossetian:Дигорæнттæ,romanized: Digorænttæ,[3]pronounced[ˈdigo̞ɾʌ,ˈdigo̞ɾʌntːʌ]) are a subgroup of theOssetians (Alans). They speak theDigor dialect of theEastern IranianOssetian language, which inUSSR, was considered a separate language until 1937. Since 1932, it has been considered just a dialect of Ossetian language. The speakers of the other dialect —Iron (East Ossetian) — do not understand Digor (West Ossetian), although the Digor usually understand East Ossetian, as it was the official language of the Ossetian people and was taught in schools. In the2002 Russian Census 607 Digors were registered,[4] but by the2010 Russian Census, their number had dropped to only 223.[5] It was estimated that there are 100,000 speakers of the dialect,[6] most of whom identify as Ossetians. The Digor mainly live inDigorsky,Irafsky,Mozdoksky districts andVladikavkaz,North Ossetia–Alania, also inKabardino-Balkaria andTurkey (Poyrazlı, Boğazlıyan).
Scholars generally link the rootdig- with the CircassianendonymA-dyg-e, where the suffix-or could be a mark ofplurality as found in many contemporaryCaucasian languages.[7][8] This point of view was criticized by R. Bielmeier and D. Bekoev, they raised the ethnonym to "tygwyr" in the Iron dialect, meaning "gathering, gathering, group."
The early medievalAshkharatsuyts makes mention of the "nation of the Ash-Tigor Alans" (azg Alanac' Aš-Tigor), or simply the "Dikor nation" (Dik'ori-n), which is generally regarded as an early reference to the Digor.[7][8] This fact, and other linguistic considerations, have led scholars to believe that Digor dialect became separated from Proto-Ossetian during theMongol conquests.[citation needed]
Most Digors are Muslim. They were converted toSunni Islam around the 17–18th centuries,[9] under the influence of the neighboringKabarday people who introducedIslam to them.[10] Starting from the 18th century, the ethnonymdigor became widely used by travelers and in Russian official documents. Digoria was annexed to theRussian Empire quite late compared to the rest ofOssetia. In the second half of the 19th century, large numbers of Muslim Digorsemigrated to the Ottoman Empire.[citation needed]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Caucasian (areal) |
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