The Proto-Kartvelian language, or Common Kartvelian ( Georgian: წინარექართველური ენა, romanized: ts'inarekartveluri ena, Georgian: პროტოქართველური ენა, romanized: p'rot'okartveluri ena), is the linguistic reconstruction of the common ancestor of the Kartvelian languages, which was spoken by the ancestors of the modern Kartvelian peoples. The existence of such a language is widely accepted by specialists in linguistics, who have reconstructed a broad outline of the language by comparing the existing Kartvelian languages against each other. ^[1] Several linguists, namely, Gerhard Deeters and Georgy Klimov have also reconstructed a lower-level proto-language called Proto-Karto-Zan or Proto-Georgian-Zan, which is the ancestor of Karto-Zan languages (includes Georgian and Zan). ^[2]

Influences

The ablaut patterns of Proto-Kartvelian are highly similar to those of the Indo-European languages, and so it is thought that Proto-Kartvelian interacted with Indo-European at a relatively early date. ^[3] This is reinforced by cognates with Indo-European, such as the Proto-Kartvelian *mḳerd- (breast), and its possible relation to the Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd- (heart). Proto-Kartvelian *ṭep- (warm) may also be related to Proto-Indo-European *tep- "warm". ^{[1][ better source needed]}

Relation to descendants

The modern descendants of Proto-Kartvelian are Georgian, Svan, Mingrelian and Laz. The ablaut patterns of Proto-Kartvelian were better preserved in Georgian and (particularly) Svan than in either Mingrelian or Laz, in which new forms have been set up so that there is a single, stable vowel in each word element. ^[1]

The system of pronouns of Proto-Kartvelian is distinct on account of its category of inclusive– exclusive (so, for instance, there were two forms of the pronoun "we": one that includes the listener and one that does not). This has survived in Svan but not in the other languages. Svan also includes a number of archaisms from the Proto-Kartvelian era, and therefore it is thought that Svan broke off from Proto-Kartvelian at a relatively early stage: the later Proto-Kartvelian stage (called Karto-Zan) split into Georgian and Zan (Mingrelo-Laz). ^[1]

Phonology

Vowels

Consonants

Distinction between plain [ q] and ejective [ qʼ] remains only in Svan language. This distinction also existed in Old Georgian.

Notes

References

• Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th edition (1986): Macropedia, "Languages of the World", see section titled " Caucasian languages".
• Fähnrich, H. (2002). Kartwelische Wortschatzstudien. Jena: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität.
• Gamkrelidze, Th. (1966) "A Typology of Common Kartvelian", Language, Vol. 42, No. 1 (Jan. – Mar.), pp. 69–83
• Gamkrelidze, Th. & Ivanov, V. (1995). Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans: A Reconstruction and Historical Analysis of a Proto-Language and a Proto-Culture. 2 Vols. Berlin and New York: Mouton de Gruyter.{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link)
• Gamkrelidze, Th. & Machavariani, G. (1965). The system of sonants and ablaut in Kartvelian languages (in Georgian and Russian). Tbilisi.{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link)
• Klimov, G. (1998). Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
• Schmidt, Karl Horst (1962). Studien zur Rekonstruktion des Lautstandes der südkaukasischen Grundsprache. Abhandlung für die Kunde des Morgenlandes XXXIV #3.