Lezgin Americans or American Lezgins (Lezgian: Amerikadin Lezgiyar) refers to people born in or residing in the United States of Lezgin origin or those considered to be ethnic Lezgin.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 3286 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| New Jersey, New York City, Miami, Boston, Los Angeles | |
| Languages | |
| Lezgin, American English, Russian | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam |
The majority of Lezgin Americans are recent migrants from Dagestan and Azerbaijan. Most have roots in northern Azerbaijan or southern Dagestan. The Azerbaijani Lezgin people comprise the largest proportion of ethnic Lezgins living in the US.
History
editThe first major wave of Lezgins came to the U.S. in 1940s and 1950s, as many Lezgin émigrés and POWs left the Soviet Union during and after World War II.[citation needed]
Demographics
editThe Lezgin population in the United States was 3286, according to the 2000 census.[citation needed]
Lezgin Americans have settled in various parts of the United States, with some communities establishing themselves in metropolitan areas with larger immigrant populations.[citation needed]
Culture
editLanguage
editAccording to the 2005 Census, the Lezgi language is spoken in approximately 500 households within the entire U.S. population, and in 100 households in NYC alone by highly bilingual families with Lezgi ancestry. These data show that many speakers with Lezgi origins continue speaking the language at home despite the fact that they are highly bilingual. The number of English-proficient households using Lezgi as a home-language outweighs that of families who have switched completely to English. In this sense, the Lezgi American community efforts and the schools that serve the Lezgi community in the U.S. are responsible for the retention of the Lezgi language and the slowing of assimilation. A detailed study has documented the efforts of language and culture-disseminating schools of the Lezgi American community and is available as a doctoral dissertation, a book, book chapters, and journal articles. Lezgi language is classified as "vulnerable" by UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.[1]
Religion
editAfter relocating to the US, religion has taken on greater significance as an identity marker for Lezgin people.
Notable people
edit- Ikram Sabirovich Aliskerov, rofessional mixed martial artist and former combat sambo competitor who competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).[3]
- Vidadi Yusibov[4] Executive Director, Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology.
References
edit- ^ UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger Archived February 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Islamic Center of Washington: The Most Famous Mosque and Cultural Center in USA". Muslim Academy. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ "World Championships de Sambo 2016 - Results Men". www.the-sports.org. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ "Vidadi Yusibov, Executive Director, Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology". isirv.org. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
External links
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