Lezgic languages
The Lezgic languages 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.
Classification
- Peripheral: Archi – 1,700 speakers
- Samur
- * Eastern Samur
- **Caucasian Albanian † – extinct
- ***Udi – 6,600 speakers
- ** Lezgin–Aghul–Tabasaran
- ***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, but a few examples are:- Non-Lezgic: Avar ; Lezgic: Rutul, Tsakhur 'name'
- Non-Lezgic: Archi, Lak ; Lezgic: Rutul, Tabassaran, Aɡul 'beard'
- Non-Lezgic: Avar ; Lezgic: Tabassaran 'moon'