The Dargi people are one of the most ancient ethnic groups in Dagestan. The territory where they live is located primarily in the central part of Dagestan’s mountainous region.
Until 1928, Dargis, like other ethnic groups in Dagestan, wrote their language using Ajami script, which was based on the Arabic script with adaptions for features of Dagestan languages. In1928 this was switched to Latin script, and then to Cyrillic in 1938.
During the Soviet era, the Dargwa literary language became an important means of expressing the Dargwa culture. At present, children are taught in Dargwa in elementary school, and the literary language is studied as a subject by older school children and at institutes of higher education. Dargwa is also used in the theatre, on the radio, and on television.
Publications in Dargwa include six regional newspapers and one Dagestan-wide newspaper. The Dagestan Publishing House prints dozens of original and translated books in Dargwa each year. Together with the other languages of Dagestan, Dargwa has had ample opportunity to develop further, and its literary language contributes greatly to the continued intellectual growth of the nation.
