Tarkhan speaking Jek

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CC BY-SA 4.0

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This video was recorded by Anass Sedrati in Berlin, Germany. The name of the Jek language, which is also called Kryts, derives from the town of Jek where it is primarily spoken, situated in Azerbaijan's northern mountain range. As Jek is not a written language, its speakers use the written form of neighboring Azeri, a Turkic lect spoken widely within Transcaucasia. The Jek people belong to the wider grouping of Shahdag people who inhabit Azerbaijan Republic's northeastern region and the Shahdag plateau of the Great Caucasus, most of whom speak Samurian languages within the Lezgic branch. Jek is sometimes spelled Dzhek or Get. The Jek people practice animal husbandry (primarily sheep and goats in the highlands, cattle in the lowlands), gold and silver smithing, weaving, pottery, and rug manufacturing. This allows extensive trade with the neighboring Dagestan region, many have learned to speak Azeri as a second language. Jek is spoken by around 5,000 people (estimates vary) in Azerbaijan and is a South Lezgic language within the North Caucasian language family.

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