Proto-Lezghian: *lɨnʎʷa
Meaning: pigeon
Lezghian: lif
Tabasaran: luf
Agul: luf
Rutul: lirxʷaj
Tsakhur: nurxa(j) (Gelm.)
Kryz: lɨf
Comment: Cf. also Lezg. Khl. lif, Tab. Düb. luf, Ag. Bursh. luf (all forms pointing to weak *-ʎʷ- in PL). PL *-r- before laterals disappears in Rut., Tsakh.; the fact that they have -r- here, plus nasalisation l- > n- in the Gelm. dialect (cf. also Rut. Ikhr. nurfäj) point undoubtedly to medial *-n- in PL. The word has a very strange shape (if it belongs here at all) in other Tsakh. dialects: Tsakh. qIɨnerke, Mik. qIɨnēke (unclear is the syllable qIɨ- and the reflex -k-). 3d class in Rut. and Tsakh., but 4th class in Kryz.
