Zok language

Zok, also known as Agulis–Meghri, is a variety of Eastern Armenian. It is commonly considered a dialect, but is unintelligible to speakers of Standard Eastern Armenian.^[1][2] Its speakers refer to it as zokerēn or the "Zok language". Zok is significantly different from other Armenian varieties, leading to myths about its origins. One common belief is that the Zoks are half-Armenian, half-Jewish merchants who created a secret language to conceal their business dealings from outsiders. However, in reality, the Zoks are an indigenous Armenian community from the Nakhichevan region.^[3][4]

Originally spoken in Nakhijevan, which is now part of Azerbaijan, the last Armenians of Nakhijevan were forced to leave due to conflict in 1988.^[2] In 1935, Zok had approximately 10,000 speakers according to Acharyan, but it is now certain that the number of speakers is much smaller, likely less than 1,000.^[2] The Paraka dialect is estimated to have fewer than 50 living speakers based on the Armenian National Archive's data of a population of 90 residents in the village at the time of the last Armenian displacement in 1988.^[2] Zok's vowel system is the most distinguishable feature that sets it apart from other Armenian dialects, with significant changes and the addition of a unique form of vowel harmony, according to Vaux (2008).^[2]

Additionally, Zok has notable morphological and syntactic innovations, particularly in the organization of its tense-aspect-mood system, which is unparalleled in other Armenian dialects.^{[citation needed]}

The language spoken by this group is similar to the neighboring dialects of Karabagh and Julfa.^{[citation needed]}

• Agulis (historical)
• Languages of the Caucasus