The Caucasian languages

The Caucasian (Iberian-Caucasian) languages - autochthon languages of Caucasus submitted by three groups: Kartvel, Abkhazian-Adygean and Nakh-Dagestan. Though there is no doubt in genetic relationship of Nakh and Dagestan languages, they are sometimes considered as two various groups. Abkhazian-Adygean and Nakh-Dagestan languages are under condition frequently called mountain Caucasian languages, or North Caucasian languages. Totally there are about 40 Caucasian languages; in the Caucasian languages speaks from above 4,5 million people. Only Georgian language has an ancient written tradition since the 5 century. In 5-8 centyries the Udin language apparently had a written language. Beginning mainly from late Middle Ages experiences of written language on the Arabian graphic basis took place for a number of Caucasian languages. After the revolution (1917) written languages were created for Abasin, Adygean, Khabardino-Circassian, Chechen, Ingush, Avarian, Lakh, Dargin, Lezghin, Tabasaran languages - first on Arabian and Latin graphic basis, then since the end of 1930s - on Russian graphic basis. Lately attempts of creating written languages for Agyl, Andy, Bezhtin, Rutul, Tsakhur and Cez languages were undertaken.

Equally with the presence of structural parallels, the Caucasian languages are characterized also by essential divergences. In phonetics they are united by consonantism complexity; occlusive (voiced consonants, voiceless breath consonants, occlusive-guttural and often voiceless non-breath consonants), and also uvular and pharyngual consonants. Harmonic consonant complexes are frequent, more poorly submitted in the Nakh-Dagestan languages. In vocalism of the Caucasian languages sharp distinctions are available: from 2-3 phonemes in Abkhasian-Adygean languages up to 15-20 or more in a number of Nakh-Dagestan ones (in which long and brief, pharyngualized, nasalized, umlauted vowels are met). Phonologic structure of a word basic also varies essentially. Emphasys in the Caucasian languages is accentuated and feebly marked as a whole. Morphological type of the Caucasian languages gravitates to agglutinative, though there are a fusia and especially an ablaut phenomenas. If in Abkhasian-Adygean languages, with a great complexity of conjugation, declination is submitted rather elementary, in the Nakh-Dagestan languages - on the contrary. For verbs a subjective-objective prefixation is characteristic. In syntax of the Caucasian languages they differ an absolute (usually - at intransitive verbs), an ergotive (at transitive verbs), an affective (at verbs of perception) sentence constructions. A word order in sentences is free.

Vocabulary of the Caucasian languages is rich in figurative words. Many of the common lexical loan words from the Arabian, Persian and Turkic languages.

The whole complex of attributes makes the Kartvelt language type to be intermediate between the Abkhasian-Adygean and Nakh-Dagestan languages. Much more in common have the Abkhasian-Adygean and Kartvelt languages.

There is no unity in linguists positions concerning a problem of mutual relation of the Caucasian languages. Due to the presence of some structural - typological parallels and a number of material communities, their genetic unity is quite often supposed. However, this assumption cannot be taken for granted, that allows some researchers to see the language union here. The problem of external connections of the Caucasian languages is even less clear.