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Caucasian languages
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Distribution of the Caucasian languages
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Caucasian languages summary
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Also known as: Ibero-Caucasian languages, Paleocaucasian languages
Written by
Thomas V. Gamkrelidze
Director, Oriental Institute, Georgian Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi. Author of Alphabetic Writing and the Old Georgian Script and others.
Thomas V. Gamkrelidze,
T.E. Gudava
Professor of Linguistics, Tbilisi State University, Georgian S.S.R.
T.E. Gudava•All
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Also called:
Paleo-Caucasian
Or:
Ibero-Caucasian

The original vocabulary of the North Caucasian languages has been fairly well preserved in the modern languages, although many words have been borrowed from Arabic (through Islām), the Turkic languages, and Persian. There are also loanwords that have been taken from the neighbouring languages (Georgian, Ossetic). Russian, which was a major influence from the late 19th century, was for decades the main source for new words, especially technical terminology.

T.E. Gudava