Georgian Dialects

Georgian Dialects

Georgian (Georgian: ქართული, Kartuli) is a Kartvelian language spoken by about 4.1 million people primarily in Georgia, but also in Russia, Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan. It is a highly standardized language, with the first attempts to establish literary and linguistic norms dating back to the 5th century. Yet, at least eighteen dialects can be identified that fall into two major groups: Western and Eastern. Standard Georgian is largely based on Kartlian dialect of the Eastern (Central) group, with more or less noticeable contributions from several other dialects. In its turn, Standard Georgian has significantly influenced, especially through educational system and the mass media, all dialects except for those spoken outside Georgia. However, dialects still retain many of their unique features. In spite of considerable regional variations in certain aspects of phonology, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary, the Georgian dialects are mostly intelligible with each other. The three other South Caucasian/Kartvelian languages – Mingrelian, Laz, and Svan – are sisters to Georgian, but are mutually unintelligible.

Some of the basic variations among the Georgian dialects include:

• The presence of y (ჲ) and w (ჳ) before certain vowels;
• The presence of q (ჴ) and q' (ყ) sounds;
• Distinction between long and short vowels;
• Extra vowel sounds not found in Standard Georgian;
• The usage of n (ნ) plural form;
• Plural adjectival forms;
• Non-standard verb forms;
• Archaisms and borrowings from neighboring languages not found in Standard Georgian.