Proto-Kartvelian language

Reconstructed ancestor of the Kartvelian languages

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

1. Britannica, 15th edition (1986): Macropedia, "Languages of the World", "Caucasian languages"
2. Klimov (1998), p. VIII
3. Gamkrelidze & Ivanov (1995), pp. 768, 774–776
4. Gamkrelidze & Machavariani (1965)
5. Klimov (1998), p. X
6. Gamkrelidze (1966), p. 70, 73, 80
7. Gamkrelidze (1966), p. 70
8. Fähnrich (2002), p. 5

References

• "Languages of the World". Encyclopædia Britannica: Macropedia (15th ed.). 1986. "Caucasian languages" section.
• Fähnrich, H. (2002). Kartwelische Wortschatzstudien. Jena: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität.
• Gamkrelidze, T. (January–March 1966). "A Typology of Common Kartvelian". Language. 42 (1): 69–83.
• Gamkrelidze, T.; Ivanov, V. (1995). Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans: A Reconstruction and Historical Analysis of a Proto-Language and a Proto-Culture. Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
• Gamkrelidze, T.; Machavariani, G. (1965). The system of sonants and ablaut in Kartvelian languages (in Russian and Georgian).
• Klimov, G. (1998). Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages. Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
• Schmidt, Karl Horst (1962). Studien zur Rekonstruktion des Lautstandes der südkaukasischen Grundsprache XXXIV No. 3 (in German). Abhandlung für die Kunde des Morgenlandes.