Lezgic languages

The Lezgic languages are one of seven branches of the Northeast Caucasian language family. Lezgin and Tabasaran are literary languages.

Classification

 * Peripheral: Archi – 1700 speakers
 * Samur (Nuclear Lezgic)
 * Eastern Samur
 * 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 – 1500 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 (Rutul is inconsistent in the examples), 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'

A similar change has taken place in non-initial position in the Nakh languages.