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Karto-Zan | |
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Georgian–Zan | |
Geographic distribution | South Caucasus, Anatolia, Israel[1] |
Linguistic classification | Kartvelian
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Proto-language | Proto-Georgian–Zan |
Subdivisions | |
Language codes | |
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.[2] It has been hypothesized that the divergence between Svan and Proto-Kartvelian goes back as far as the 19th century BC. Georgian and Zan on the other hand diversified from Proto-Georgian–Zan during the 7th century BC.[3] Both languages share common archaic words related to metallurgy and agriculture absent in Svan.
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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.[1]