Lezgic languages

The Lezgic languages (also Lezgian or Lezghian) are one of seven branches of the Northeast Caucasian language family. Lezgin and Tabasaran are literary languages. Khinalug may either be Lezgic or an independent branch of the Northeast Caucasian family.

Lezgic
Geographic distribution	Dagestan  Azerbaijan
Linguistic classification	Northeast Caucasian Lezgic
Proto-language	Proto-Lezgic language
Subdivisions	Archi (Peripheral Lezgic) Samur (Nuclear Lezgic) ? Khinalug
Language codes
Glottolog	lezg1248
Lezgic

Classification

• Peripheral: Archi – 1,700 speakers^[1]
• Samur^[2] (Nuclear Lezgic)
  • Eastern Samur^[1]
    • Udi – 6,600 speakers
    • Lezgin–Aghul–Tabasaran^[2]
      • Lezgin – 410,000 speakers
      • Aghul – 33,200 speakers
      • Tabasaran – 143,600 speakers
  • Southern Samur
    • Kryts – 5,000 speakers
    • Budukh – 200 speakers
    • Jek – 1,500 speakers
  • Western Samur
    • Rutul – 36,400 speakers
    • Tsakhur – 22,300 speakers

The voicing of ejective consonants

The Lezgic languages are relevant to the glottalic theory of Indo-European, because several have undergone the voicing of ejectives that have been postulated but widely derided as improbable in that family. The correspondences have not been well worked out (Rutul is inconsistent in the examples), but a few examples are:

• Non-Lezgic: Avar tstsʼar; Lezgic: Rutul dur, Tsakhur do 'name'
• Non-Lezgic: Archi motʃʼor, Lak tʃʼiri; Lezgic: Rutul mitʃʼri, Tabassaran midʒir, Aɡul mudʒur 'beard'
• Non-Lezgic: Avar motsʼ; Lezgic: Tabassaran vaz 'moon'

A similar change has taken place in non-initial position in the Nakh languages.^[3]

See also

• Languages of the Caucasus
• Northeast Caucasian languages