Nokhchi is the "people of Noah". Chechen language

The language of each people keeps many secrets. Over time, researchers find etymological connections with the past. The Chechen language also keeps the riddle of its people. Is the interpretation of their self-design justified, or is the name of the last patriarch of the Old Testament actually irrelevant to this nation?

Beliefs

The Chechens are convinced that their name "nokhchi" literally means "the people of Noah". Since ancient times, they considered this patriarch to be their father and prophet. That is, according to this logic, it can be argued that the Chechens are the first people after the flood. This self-name is also used by modern residents of the republic.

It spread in the 16th century. Previously, the so-called societies that occupied the East Nakh ethno-territorial associations. The reason for the spread of this name was the period that at that time launched the processes of internal ethnic consolidation. It was then that the Chechen people began to form.

Occurrence

Originally nokhchi are residents of the Chechen Plain. About this in the late XIX century, the researcher Laudaev began to speak. He claimed that such a name appeared among the indigenous people in the XVII century, when they began to descend from the mountains to the plain. The same was assumed by Dalgat.

The latest available data say that the ethnonym itself appeared from the word "Nakhchmatyane". The term is first encountered in "Armenian Geography" for the 7th century. The inaccuracy was that there was a geographical mismatch. The source claimed that the Nakhchmatians lived west of the Don. But other scientists took such unreliability and linked it to the fact that previously these lands were not sufficiently explored, and therefore the author of the book used a free geographical definition.

Differences

Nevertheless, the identity of the people of Nokhchy and Nakhchmatyana has not been proved. Research only indicates that for several centuries, the so-called tribe, which lived in the southeast of Chechnya - in modern Ichkeria, was called. By the way, this historical area has another name: the ancient Nochmokhk or the "Nokhchy Country".

At the beginning of the XVI century, consolidation took place on these lands. Those who used the Chechen language a priori began to be called nokhchy. The natives of Nohchmokhk after the ethnic processes spread their name to all other tribes. This was due to the fact that they were more developed, had economic power and were an agricultural region.

Legendary theories

The reasons why the Chechens call themselves nokhchy are more or less clear. But other aspects remain unclear. What does "nohchi" mean? What is the etymology of this word?

The researchers conducted many parallels, so many of them relate specifically to the folklore component. The Chechens themselves did not preserve any folk legends about their origin until the times of our time. Nevertheless, there are some legends that contain explanations for the etymology of "nokhchy".

There is a story about the ancestor of this people - the tour-house of Nohcho. This hero could have existed in real life. This was tried to prove the folklorist Dalgat. At one time, she mentioned the legend of Nahcho / Nohcho. He was the third brother in the family. Together they came to the mountains and cultivated the area of Galga.

There is another legend, which acquaints us with the prince, who escaped from Syria. He settled in the Caucasus with his son Nakhchoy. He took himself a part of the mountainous lands and became the ancestor of the Chechens.

Cheese Stories

There was another story that told of the etymology of "nokhchy." She first noticed Semenov and decided that there is a similarity of the ethnonym with "nahche" - "cheese". A word may have a more accurate transcription, however such theory has the right to life.

It was backed by a legend about the ancestor of the Chechen Ali. When his son was born and he was washed, they noticed that the baby is clenching his fist. When the handle was opened, they saw something similar to cheese. Then the child was given the name Nahchi.

In general, the theory is not very convincing in the opinion of different researchers. After all, in the Caucasus, not only Chechens were masters in making cheese.

The most probable theory

The following hypothesis became more probable: on it the Nokhchi are the people. The self-name of Chechens has just such an interpretation. Modern dictionaries also indicate that "nakhchiy" is a plural of "men". This theory has long been supported by Russian and post-Soviet scientists. "Nokhchy" comes from "nah", which means "people", and the suffix "cha" is word-formative.

The last studies of this theory were conducted by the Chechen linguist Vagapov. He agreed that "nah" is "people", "people". The suffix "chi" is translated as "man", "man". That is, "Nakhchy / Nokhchi" is a "Nakh man".

But the scientist immediately exhibited and refutations. He pointed out that this suffix is applicable not to the nominative case, but to the genitive case, and hence this concept should sound like "nehachi". To smooth this contradiction is possible, given that this ethnonym could have appeared on foreign soil.

Divine theories

There are interesting assumptions about etymology. The Chechens claim that their self-name "Nokhchi" is translated as "the people of Noah". Now it remains only to either accept this theory, or abandon it. We will try to understand the soil of the etymology of this concept.

"Nokhchi" can be divided into two parts: "noh" and "chi". The Nakh languages indicate that the first part of this term really means the name of the prophet Noah. It is logical to assume that "chi" is a "people" or "people".

The first to confirm this theory is the linguist Dirr. He argues that the element "chi" in any word means "man." Initially, this part was found as an independent unit of supply in the ancient Japhetic (Caucasian) language.

Insidious particle "chi"

For many years, Armenians, Georgians and, of course, the Chechens worked on the interpretation of the word "Nokhchi". In Chechen, "Noah" means Noah's name. But here with the rest of this word there are problems. Some specifically do not pay attention to the "chi", arguing that in order to call the people of Noah people quite enough and the root "noah."

But as studies have shown, a particle of "chi" really means "people" historically. This was realized after analyzing some coincidences. Obviously, if "chi" / "chiy" means "people", then this concept must have a single number.

Researchers drew attention to the Chechen word "Elche" - "prophet". The root of this word is "el", and all scientists know that "Ela" is "God." What does "cha" mean then? Logical reasoning leads us to the fact that if Elche is the Prophet, Ela is God, then cha is man. That is, word for word is not a prophet, but a "God's man."

Theory of "plow"

There is another assumption that allows us to assert that Chechens (nokhchi) are "people of Noah". From the language of this people, "nokh" is translated as "plow". It would seem, what does this tool of labor have in common with the last patriarch?

In the Bible there is a famous story about the fratricide of Abel. Then God cursed the earth, and Cain could not cultivate on it. The Flood has fixed this matter. The Almighty pardoned, and the ground became fertile again. Now the children of Noah could be engaged in farming. To cultivate the soil was necessary plow. It was Noah who came to the aid of his descendants and recreated this tool of labor. In honor of the prophet, the plow was called a "nokhom".

In general, this story is very much like a legend about the hero Nokhcha. Now it's hard to figure out which one was the first.

Russian guess

But going back to the particle "chi" you need to pay attention to the Russian language. The Slavs were neighbors of the Nakhs, so in the first century of their residence, cultural exchange took place. The common history also connects the peoples. Therefore, it is not surprising that a particle of "chi" has found its application here.

For example, you need to pay attention to the name of the inhabitants of a particular city. Let's take the metropolitan people: they are called "Muscovites". That is, it is not difficult to think up that "chi" is a "person", and hence "Muscovite" is a "person from Moscow". Naturally, this is not the only analogy. There are a lot of examples: Tomichi, Smolevichi, Novgorodichi, etc.

You can pay attention to other nouns. For example, a trickster is the one who does the tricks. The same is true of wheelers, tractors, snitchers, etc. The similarity strikes and pushes the next question: how to explain the similarity of two so different languages?

Matches

There are a lot of coincidences in Russian and Chechen. For example, the famous suffix "lo". It can be found in the word "measure". It comes from "measure", and the suffix in this case means "object" or "device". In the Chechen language, "lo" has a literal translation "gives". Thus, the "yardstick" is the one who "gives measure". The same analogy can be drawn with the word "luminary" - "giving light."

There is another example of the similarity of these languages. The brow is the forehead. But very few people know that this word came from the "man". In this case, there is a transition of the root "a", to the "e". In this case, the "muzzle" consists of "heat" and "lo" - "giving heat."

Truth or lie?

The language trend remains understandable. Particle "chi", it is also "cha" literally translated as "man." In the Chechen "noah" - "Noah". It becomes obvious that the self-name of this people really sounds like "Noah's people". From a linguistic point of view, this nation has the right to call it that way. But to determine whether the Chechens are the great-grandsons of the prophet Noah is no longer possible.