The Lezgin language has been written in several different alphabets over the course of its history. These alphabets have been based on three scripts: Arabic script, Latin script, and Cyrillic script.
Until 1928, Lezgin was written in Arabic script, which was taught in religious schools. In the early 1920s, it was used in a few secular textbooks.
In parallel with the Arabic alphabet, as alphabet based on Cyrillic compiled by Baron Peter von Uslar in the 1860s was used. In 1911, a slightly modified version of this alphabet was published as a primer[1] used in secular schools.
In 1928, under the Soviet Union's process of Romanization, a Lezgin Latin alphabet was created and this was altered in 1932.
In 1938, as with most other Soviet languages, a new Cyrillic alphabet was created for Lezgin. Changes after its introduction include adding the letter Ё ё and replacing Уӏ уӏ with Уь уь. This alphabet is still used in various publications.
The Lezgin Arabic alphabet was as follows:
| آ | ب | چ | ج | ڃ | د | اه | ا |
| ف | گ | غ | ھ | اى | اي | ک | ل |
| م | ن | اۊ | پ | ڢ | ۊ | ر | س |
| ص | ش | ت | ط | او | و | خ | ݤ |
| څ | ز | ژ | ڗ |
The Latin alphabet of 1928–1932's displayed all phonemes in contrast to the current alphabet but did not differentiate aspirated and non-aspirated consonants (k and kʰ, p-pʰ, t-tʰ, q-qʰ, t͡ʃ-t͡ʃʰ, and t͡s-t͡sʰ). The alphabet was as follows:
| а | b | c | сс | ꞓ | ç | d | е |
| ə | f | g | ƣ | h | i | j | k |
| kk | ⱪ | l | m | n | о | ɵ | p |
| pp | q | ꝗ | r | s | ş | t | |
| tt | u | v | x | ҳ | ӿ | y | |
| z | ƶ | ⱬ | ' |
The first Latin alphabet was changed in 1932. A comparison of the two alphabets follows:
There are 54 consonants in Lezgin. Aspiration is not normally indicated in the orthography, despite the fact that it is phonemic. The current Lezgin Cyrillic alphabet is as follows:[2]
| А | Б | В | Г | Гъ | Гь | Д | Е | Ё | Ж | З | И | Й | К | Къ | Кь | КI | Л | М | Н | О | П | ПI | Р | С | Т | ТI | У | Уь | Ф | Х | Хъ | Хь | Ц | ЦI | Ч | Чӏ | Ш | Ъ | Ы | Ь | Э | Ю | Я | |
| а | б | в | г | гъ | гь | д | е | ё | ж | з | и | й | к | къ | кь | кl | л | м | н | о | п | пl | р | с | т | тl | у | уь | ф | х | хъ | хь | ц | цl | ч | чl | ш | ъ | ы | ь | э | ю | я |
| А а | Б б | В в | Г г | Гъ гъ | Гь гь | Д д | Е е |
| Ё ё | Ж ж | З з | И и | Й й | К к | Къ къ | Кь кь |
| КI кl | Л л | М м | Н н | О о | П п | ПI пl | Р р |
| С с | Т т | ТI тl | У у | Уь уь | Ф ф | Х х | Хъ хъ |
| Хь хь | Ц ц | ЦI цl | Ч ч | ЧI чl | Ш ш | Ъ ъ | |
| Ы ы | Ь ь | Э э | Ю ю | Я я |
| Arabic | Latin 1932–1938 | Cyrillic | IPA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| آ | A a | А а | a | |
| ب | B в | Б б | b | |
| و | V v | В в | w/v | |
| گ | G g | Г г | g | |
| غ | Ƣ ƣ | Гъ гъ | ʁ | |
| ھ | H h | Гь гь | h | |
| د | D d | Д д | d | |
| اه | E e | Е е | je/e | |
| - | - | Ё ё | jo | |
| ژ | Ƶ ƶ | Ж ж | ʒ | |
| ز | Z z | З з | z | |
| اى | I i | И и | i | |
| ي | J j | Й й | j | |
| ک | K k | К к | kʰ/k | |
| ڠ | Q q | Къ къ | q | |
| ۊ | Ꝗ ꝗ | Кь кь | q' | |
| گ | Ⱪ ⱪ | Кӏ кӏ | k' | |
| ل | L l | Л л | l | |
| م | M m | М м | m | |
| ن | N n | Н н | n | |
| او | O o | О о | o | |
| پ | P p | П п | pʰ/p | |
| ڢ | Пӏ пӏ | p' | ||
| ر | R r | Р р | r | |
| س | S s | С с | s | |
| ت | T t | Т т | tʰ/t | |
| ط | T̨ t̨ | Тӏ тӏ | t' | |
| او | U u | У у | u | |
| اۊ | Y y | Уь уь | y | |
| ف | F f | Ф ф | f | |
| خ | X x | Х х | χ | |
| څ | Ӿ ӿ | Хъ хъ | qʰ | |
| ݤ | Ҳ ҳ | Хь хь | x | |
| ص | S̷ s̷ | Ц ц | t͡sʰ/t͡s | |
| ڗ | Ⱬ ⱬ | Цӏ цӏ | t͡s' | |
| چ | C c | Ч ч | t͡ʃʰ/t͡ʃ | |
| ج | Ç ç | Чӏ чӏ | t͡ʃ' | |
| ش | Ş ş | Ш ш | ʃ | |
| - | - | Щ щ | - | |
| - | - | ъ | ʔ | |
| - | - | Ы ы | - | |
| - | - | ь | - | |
| اه | E e | Э э | e | |
| - | - | Ю ю | ju/y | |
| - | - | Я я | ja/æ |