Languages of Georgia
National or
official language: Georgian. 5,059,000 (1998 UN). Formerly part of USSR.
Capital: Tbilisi. 26,911 square miles. Literacy rate 99%. Also includes Armenian
448,000, North Azerbaijani 308,000, Chechen, Greek 38,000, Judeo-Crimean Tatar,
Kurmanji 33,000, Lak 246, Lezgi 3,650, Lishan Didan 50, Pontic 120,000, Russian
372,000, Tatar 3,102, Turkish 3,102, Udi, Ukrainian 52,000. Information mainly
from T. Sebeok 1963; E. Haby 1975, A. Kibrik 1991. Data accuracy estimate: B.
The number of languages listed for Georgia is 11. Of those, all are living
languages. Diversity index 0.57.
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Spoken living languages
ABKHAZ
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[ABK] 101,000 in Georgia (1993), 94% speak it as
mother tongue. Population total all countries 105,000 (1993 UBS). Alternate
names: ABXAZO. Dialects:
BZYB, ABZHUI, SAMURZAKAN. Classification:
North Caucasian, Northwest, Abkhaz-Abazin.
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ASSYRIAN NEO-ARAMAIC
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[AII] 3,000 in Georgia (1999) out of an ethnic
population of 14,000. Erevan and scattered throughout Transcaucasia. Alternate
names: AISORSKI. Classification:
Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, Aramaic, Eastern, Central, Northeastern.
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BATS
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[BBL] 2,500 to 3,000 (1975 SIL). Georgia, spoken by
about half the inhabitants of Zemo-Alvani. Alternate
names: BATSI, BATSAW, TSOVA-TUSH, TUSH, BATSBI, BAC, BATSBIITSY. Classification:
North Caucasian, North Central, Batsi.
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BOHTAN NEO-ARAMAIC
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[BHN] 1,000 in Georgia (1999 Samuel Ethan Fox).
Population total both countries 1,000. Classification:
Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, Aramaic, Eastern, Central, Northeastern.
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GEORGIAN
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[GEO] 3,901,380 speakers (98%), out of 3,981,000 in
the ethnic group in Georgia (1993 UBS). Population total all countries
4,103,000. Alternate names:
KARTULI, GRUZINSKI. Dialects:
IMERETIAN, RACHA-LEXCHXUM (LECHKHUM), GURIAN, ADZHAR (ACHARIAN), IMERXEV
KARTLIAN, KAXETIAN (KAKHETIAN), INGILO, TUSH, XEVSUR (KHEYSUR), MOXEV (MOKHEV),
PSHAV, MTIUL, FEREJDAN, MESKHUR-JAVAKHURI. Classification:
South Caucasian, Georgian.
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JUDEO-GEORGIAN
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[JGE] 20,000 in Georgia (1995). Some have gone
elsewhere in the former USSR and to other countries. Classification: South Caucasian, Georgian.
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LAZ
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[LZZ] 2,000 in Georgia (1982 estimate). Adjar,
Georgia, a couple of villages. Alternate
names: LAZE, CHAN, CHANZAN, ZAN, CHANURI. Dialects:
XOPA (HOPA), CHXALA (CKHALA), VICE-ARXAVA (VITAL-ARKHAVA), ATINA,
SAMURZAKAN-ZUGDIDI, SENAKI. Classification:
South Caucasian, Zan.
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MINGRELIAN
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[XMF] 500,000 (1989 B.G. Hewitt). Lowland west
Georgia. Alternate names:
MARGALURI, MEGREL, MEGRULI. Classification:
South Caucasian, Zan.
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OSETIN
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[OSE] 164,000 in Georgia (1993 Johnstone). Population
total all countries 593,000. Alternate
names: OSSETE. Dialects:
DIGOR, TAGAUR, KURTAT, ALLAGIR, TUAL, IRON. Classification:
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern, Northeastern.
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SVAN
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[SVA] 35,000 (1975). Alternate
names: LUSHNU, SVANURI. Dialects:
UPPER BAL, LOWER BAL, LASHX, LENTEX. Classification:
South Caucasian, Svan.
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URUM
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[UUM] Most in Georgia (1985 B. Podolsky). Caucasus.
In recent years there has been emigration of Urum speakers from Georgia to
Greece. Also spoken in Greece, Ukraine. Classification:
Altaic, Turkic.
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