The Fascinating Languages of the Caucasus Mountains

🏔️The Caucasian languages are spoken in the region surrounding the Caucasus Mountains.

💬These languages are divided into several language families, including Kartvelian, Northwest Caucasian, and Northeast Caucasian.

🔠Caucasian languages share features such as large consonant inventories and laryngeal and labialized sounds.

⬆️⬇️They exhibit ergative word order and evidentiality, indicating the source of the speaker's knowledge.

❓The genetic links of Caucasian languages to other language families remain unknown, leading to intriguing theories about their origins.

What are the main language families within the Caucasian languages?

—The main language families within the Caucasian languages are Kartvelian, Northwest Caucasian, and Northeast Caucasian.

What are some unique features of the Caucasian languages?

—Some unique features of the Caucasian languages include large consonant inventories, laryngeal and labialized sounds, ergative word order, and evidentiality.

Where are the Caucasian languages spoken?

—The Caucasian languages are spoken in and around the Caucasus Mountains, which serve as a geographic border between Europe and Asia.

Do Caucasian languages have any known genetic links to other language families?

—No, the genetic links of Caucasian languages to other language families are currently unknown, leading to various theories about their origins.

What is the significance of evidentiality in Caucasian languages?

—Evidentiality is a feature in Caucasian languages where verbs are inflected to indicate the source of the speaker's knowledge, distinguishing between witnessed events and information obtained through other means.

00:00The Caucasian languages are a group of languages spoken in and around the Caucasus Mountains.

02:59The Caucasian languages are divided into several language families, including Kartvelian, Northwest Caucasian, and Northeast Caucasian.

07:32Caucasian languages share features such as large consonant inventories and laryngeal and labialized sounds.

10:08They exhibit ergative word order and evidentiality, indicating the source of the speaker's knowledge.

13:07The genetic links of Caucasian languages to other language families remain unknown, leading to intriguing theories about their origins.