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Karto-Zan
Georgian–Zan
Geographic
distribution
South Caucasus, Anatolia, Israel
Linguistic classification Kartvelian
  • Karto-Zan
Proto-language Proto-Georgian–Zan
Subdivisions
Glottolog geor1252

The Karto-Zan languages, also known as Georgian–Zan, are a branch of the Kartvelian language family that contains the Georgian and Zan languages. The Svan language forms the other branch of the Kartvelian family, showing characteristic differences from the Karto-Zan group. [1] It has been hypothesized that the divergence between Svan and Proto-Kartvelian goes back as far as the 19th century BCE. Georgian and Zan on the other hand diversified from Proto-Georgian–Zan during the 7th century BCE. [2] Both languages share common archaic words related to metallurgy and agriculture absent in Svan.

Classification

Proto-Kartvelian
Family tree of the Kartvelian languages

The Karto-Zan languages constitute a branch of the Kartvelian language family. Glottolog internally divides the Karto-Zan group into the Georgic languages, which contain Georgian and its dialects, and Old Georgian, and the Zan languages, which contain the Mingrelian and Laz languages. [3]

References

  1. ^ Linguistics. Mouton. 1999.
  2. ^ Soviet Anthropology and Archaeology: ISAP Translations from Original Soviet Sources. International Arts and Sciences Press. 1965.
  3. ^ "Glottolog 4.1 – Georgian-Zan". glottolog.org. Retrieved 2020-01-08.