The language of every nation has many secrets. Over time, researchers find etymological links with the past. The Chechen language also preserves the mystery of its people. Is the interpretation of their self-justification justified, or does the name of the last patriarch of the Old Testament really have nothing to do with this nation?
Beliefs
Chechens are convinced that their name “nokhchi” literally translates as “the people of Noah.” Since ancient times, they considered this patriarch their father and prophet. That is, according to this logic, it can be argued that Chechens are the first people after the flood. This self-name is also used by modern residents of the republic.
It spread back in the 16th century. And earlier, the so-called societies that occupied the East Nakh ethno-territorial associations were called. The reason for the spread of this name was the period, which at that time launched the processes of internal ethnic consolidation. It was then that the Chechen people began to take shape.
Occurrence
Initially, Nokhchi are residents of the Chechen plain. The researcher Laudaev spoke about this at the end of the 19th century. 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.
Recent existing evidence suggests that the ethnonym itself came from the word "Nakhchmatyan." The term first appears in “Armenian Geography” for the 7th century. The inaccuracy was that there was a geographical mismatch. The source claimed that the Nakhchmatyans lived west of the Don. But the rest of the scientists accepted this unreliability and associated it with the fact that earlier 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 Nokhchiy and Nakhchmatyan has not been proved. Studies indicate only that for several centuries, the so-called tribe that lived in the southeast of Chechnya - in modern Ichkeria. By the way, this historical area has another name: the ancient Nokhchmohk or “Nokhchiy 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. Immigrants from Nokhchmohk after ethnic processes extended their name to all other tribes. This was due to the fact that they were more developed, had economic strength and were an agricultural region.
Legendary theories
The reasons why Chechens call themselves Nokhchiy are more or less clear. But other aspects remain unclear. What does nokhchi mean? What is the etymology of this word?
Researchers drew many parallels, so many of them relate specifically to the folklore component. The Chechens themselves did not retain any folk traditions about their origin until modern times. Nevertheless, there are some legends that contain explanations of the echology of "naughty."
There is a tale about the first ancestor of this people - Turpal Nokhcho. This hero may have existed in real life. The folklorist Dalgat tried to prove this. At one time, she mentioned the tradition of the Nahcho / Nokhcho turpal. He was the third brother in the family. Together they came to the mountains and cultivated the area of Gulga.
There is another legend that introduces us to the prince who escaped from Syria. He settled in the Caucasus with his son Nakhcha. He took a part of the mountain lands and became the ancestor of the Chechens.
Cheese stories
There was another story that narrated about the etymology of "naughty." She was first noticed by Semenov and decided that there was a similarity between the ethnonym and “nahce” - “cheese”. A word can have a more accurate transcription, however, such a theory has the right to life.
She was supported by the legend of the ancestor of the Chechens Ali. When his son was born and they began to wash him, they noticed that the baby was clenching his fist. When the pen was opened, they saw something like cheese. Then the child was given the name Nakhchi.
In general, the theory is weak in the opinion of various researchers. Indeed, in the Caucasus, not only Chechens were masters in the manufacture of cheese.
Most likely theory
The following hypothesis has become more likely: according to it, nokhchi is a people. The self-name of the Chechens has exactly this interpretation. Modern dictionaries also indicate that "nakhchiy" is the plural of "man." This theory has long been supported by Russian and post-Soviet scientists. "Nokhchiy" comes from "nah", which means "people", and the suffix "cha" is a word-formation.
Recent studies of this theory have been conducted by the Chechen linguist Vagapov. He agreed that “nah” is “people,” “people.” The suffix "chi" is translated as "man", "man". That is, “Nakhchi / Nokhchi” is a “Nakh man”.
But the scientist immediately put forth refutations. He pointed out that this suffix is not applicable to the nominative case, but to the genitive, which means this concept should sound like "bad". This contradiction can be smoothed out, given the fact that this ethnonym could have arisen on foreign soil.
Divine theories
There are interesting assumptions regarding etymology. Chechens claim that their self-name “nokhchi” translates 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: nokh and chi. 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 “people” or “people”.
The first to confirm this theory is the linguist Dyrr. He claims that the element "chi" in any word means "man." Initially, this part was found as an independent unit of sentence in the ancient Yaphet (Caucasian) language.
The insidious particle "chi"
For many years, Armenians, Georgians and, of course, Chechens worked on the interpretation of the word "Nokhchi". In Chechen, “Noh” means the name of Noah. But there are problems with the rest of the word. Some do not specifically pay attention to “chi”, claiming that in order to name the people of Noah, the root “noah” is quite enough.
But studies have shown that the particle "chi" really historically means "people." This was realized after analyzing some coincidences. Obviously, if “chi” / “chiy” means “people”, then this concept must also have a singular.
Researchers drew attention to the Chechen word "elcha" - "prophet." The root of this word is “el,” and all scientists know that “El” is “God.” What then means "cha"? Logical reasoning leads us to the fact that if “Elcha” is “Prophet”, “Ela” is “God”, then “cha” is “man”. That is, literally it turns out not a prophet, but a "man of God."
The Plow Theory
There is another assumption that allows us to assert that the Chechens (Nokhchi) are “the people of Noah.” From the language of this people, “nokh” is translated as “plow”. It would seem that this instrument of labor has in common with the last patriarch?
The Bible has a famous story about Abel's fratricide. Then God cursed the earth, and Cain could not engage in agriculture on it. Flood fixed this matter. The Almighty was merciful, and the soil again became fruitful. Now the children of Noah could farm. To cultivate the soil needed a plow. It was Noah who came to the aid of his descendants and recreated this tool. In honor of the prophet, the plow was called the "Noah."
In general, this story very much resembles a legend about the hero Nokhcha. Now it’s hard to figure out which one was the first.
Russian guess
But returning to the particle “chi”, one needs to pay attention to the Russian language. The Slavs were neighbors of the Nahs, so in the first century of their residence there was a cultural exchange. The peoples are also connected by a common history. Therefore, it is not surprising that the particle "chi" also found its application.
For example, you need to pay attention to the name of the inhabitants of a city. Take the capital's people: they are called "Muscovites." That is, it is not difficult to think of the fact that “chi” is “a man”, which means “Muscovite” is a “man from Moscow”. Naturally, this is not the only analogy. There are a lot of examples: Tomsk citizens, Smolevichs, Novgorod citizens, etc.
You can pay attention to other nouns. For example, a stuntman is one who does tricks. The same is true for scorchers, tractors, informers, etc. The similarity strikes and raises the following question: how to explain the similarity of two so different languages?
Matches
There are a lot of coincidences in the Russian and Chechen languages. For example, the famous suffix "lo". It can be found in the word "measure". It comes from “measurement”, and the suffix in this case means “object” or “device”. In the Chechen language, “lo” has the literal translation “gives”. Thus, the "measure" is the one who "gives the measure." The same analogy can be drawn with the word "luminary" - "giving light."
There is another example of the similarity of these languages. A brow is a forehead. But few people know that this word came from "man." In this case, the root “a” transitions to “e”. In this case, the “vent” consists of “heat” and “lo” - “giving heat”.
Truth or lie?
The language trend remains understandable. Particle “chi”, it is “cha” literally translated as “man”. In Chechen, “noah” is “Noah.” It becomes obvious that the self-name of this people really sounds like “the people of Noah.” From a linguistic point of view, this nation has the right to call itself that. But to determine whether the Chechens are the great-grandchildren of the prophet Noah is no longer possible.