Ossete refers to the language spoken by the Ossetian people, an ethnic group primarily residing in the region of Ossetia, which is divided between the Russian Federation and Georgia. The Ossete language, also known as Ossetian or Ossetic, belongs to the Northeast Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian language family.
With around half a million speakers, Ossete is classified as a minority language. It is primarily spoken in North Ossetia-Alania, a federal subject of Russia, and South Ossetia, a contested region claimed by both Georgia and Russia. However, there are also Ossete-speaking communities in other parts of the world, such as Turkey, Iran, and Kazakhstan.
The Ossete language has two main dialects: Iron and Digor. Iron Ossete is the most widely spoken dialect and is used as the literary standard. The language is written using a Cyrillic-based alphabet, though a Latin-based alphabet was previously used during the Soviet era.
Ossete has a rich oral tradition, encompassing folklore, epic poems, and songs. Historically, Ossete has been influenced by neighboring languages, such as Georgian, Russian, and nearby Turkic languages. It also shares some linguistic characteristics with other Northeast Iranian languages.
Ossete serves as an essential cultural and historical marker for the Ossetian people, reflecting their unique heritage and connecting them to their ancestral roots.
