Digor or Digorian (''дигорон digoron'') is a
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...
of the
Ossetian language
Ossetian (, , ), commonly referred to as Ossetic and rarely as Ossete (), is an Eastern Iranian language that is spoken predominantly in Ossetia, a region situated on both sides of the Greater Caucasus. It is the native language of the Oss ...
spoken by the
Digor people
The Digor ( Digor dialect: Дигорон - ''Digoron'', ''pl.'': Дигорӕ, Дигорӕнттӕ - ''Digoræ'', ''Digorænttæ'') are a subgroup of the Ossetians. They speak the Digor dialect of the Eastern Iranian Ossetian language, which ...
. It is less widely spoken than
Iron
Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...
, the other extant Ossetian dialect. The two are distinct enough to sometimes be considered separate languages; in the recently published Digor–Russian dictionary, the compiler Fedar Takazov refers to a "Digor language", though the editor in the same book uses "Digor dialect". Until 1939, Digor had a literary language separate from Iron.
Digorian speakers live in the western part of
North Ossetia (
Digora
Digora (russian: Дигора́; os, Дигорæ, ''Digoræ'') is a town and the administrative center of Digorsky District of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia, located on the Ursdon River (left tributary of the Terek), north ...
,
Chikola, etc.); in North Ossetia's capital,
Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz (russian: Владикавка́з, , os, Дзæуджыхъæу, translit=Dzæwdžyqæw, ;), formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () and Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Russia. It is located i ...
; and in larger cities of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. Counts of speakers are largely nonexistent, because Digorians are mostly calculated as
Ossetians
The Ossetians or Ossetes (, ; os, ир, ирæттæ / дигорӕ, дигорӕнттӕ, translit= ir, irættæ / digoræ, digorænttæ, label=Ossetic) are an Iranian ethnic group who are indigenous to Ossetia, a region situated across the no ...
during census.
See also
*
Ossetians
The Ossetians or Ossetes (, ; os, ир, ирæттæ / дигорӕ, дигорӕнттӕ, translit= ir, irættæ / digoræ, digorænttæ, label=Ossetic) are an Iranian ethnic group who are indigenous to Ossetia, a region situated across the no ...
*
North Ossetia–Alania
*
Digor people
The Digor ( Digor dialect: Дигорон - ''Digoron'', ''pl.'': Дигорӕ, Дигорӕнттӕ - ''Digoræ'', ''Digorænttæ'') are a subgroup of the Ossetians. They speak the Digor dialect of the Eastern Iranian Ossetian language, which ...
References
Ossetia
Eastern Iranian languages
Languages of Russia
Ossetian language
{{Iranian languages