{{Short description|Reconstructed ancestor of the Kartvelian languages}} {{Infobox proto-language | name = Proto-Kartvelian | familycolor = Caucasian | target = [[Kartvelian languages]] | child1 = [[Proto-Georgian-Zan]] | era = {{circa|2000 BC}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gavashelishvili |first1=Alexander |last2=Chukhua |first2=Merab |last3=Sakhltkhutsishvili |first3=Kakhi |last4=Koptekin |first4=Dilek |last5=Somel |first5=Mehmet |title=The time and place of origin of South Caucasian languages: insights into past human societies, ecosystems and human population genetics |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=13 |article-number=21133 |year=2023 |issue=1 |doi=10.1038/s41598-023-45500-w |pmid=38036582 |doi-access=free |pmc=10689496 |bibcode=2023NatSR..1321133G }}</ref>}} {{Georgians}} The '''Proto-Kartvelian language''', or '''Common Kartvelian''' ({{lang-ka|წინარექართველური ენა|tr}}, {{lang-ka|პროტოქართველური ენა|tr}}), 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 [[Comparative method|comparing]] the existing Kartvelian languages against each other.<ref name="Britannica">[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Caucasian-languages Britannica, 15th edition (1986): Macropedia, "Languages of the World", "Caucasian languages"]</ref> Several linguists, namely Gerhard Deeters and [[Georgy Klimov]] have also reconstructed a lower-level [[proto-language]] called [[Proto-Karto-Zan language|Proto-Karto-Zan]] or [[Proto-Georgian-Zan language|Proto-Georgian-Zan]], which is the ancestor of [[Karto-Zan languages|Karto-Zan]] languages (includes [[Georgian language|Georgian]] and [[Zan languages|Zan]]).<ref>Klimov (1998), p. VIII</ref>
==Influences== {{See also|Proto-Indo-European language}} 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.<ref>Gamkrelidze & Ivanov (1995), pp. 768, 774–776</ref> This is reinforced by cognates with Indo-European, such as the Proto-Kartvelian ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Kartvelian/mḳerd-|{{lang|ccs-x-proto|mḳerd-|nocat=yes}}]]'' ('breast'), and its possible relation to the Proto-Indo-European ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ḱerd-|{{lang|ine-x-proto|ḱerd-|nocat=yes}}]]'' ('heart'). Proto-Kartvelian ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Kartvelian/ṭep-|{{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ṭep-|nocat=yes}}]]'' (warm) may also be related to Proto-Indo-European {{lang|ine-x-proto|*tep-}} 'warm'.<ref name="Britannica" />{{better source needed|date= January 2020}}
==Relation to descendants== The modern descendants of Proto-Kartvelian are [[Georgian language|Georgian]], [[Svan language|Svan]], [[Mingrelian language|Mingrelian]] and [[Laz language|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.<ref name="Britannica" />
The system of [[pronoun]]s of Proto-Kartvelian is distinct on account of its category of inclusive–[[exclusive we|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 language|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 languages|Karto-Zan]]) split into [[Georgian language|Georgian]] and [[Zan languages|Zan]] (Mingrelo-Laz).<ref name="Britannica" />
==Phonology==
===Vowels=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |+ Proto-Kartvelian vowels<ref>Gamkrelidze & Machavariani (1965)</ref><ref>Klimov (1998), p. X</ref><ref>Gamkrelidze (1966), p. 70, 73, 80</ref> ! rowspan="3" | ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | [[Front vowel|Front]] ! colspan="4" | [[Back vowel|Back]] |- ! colspan="2" | unrounded ! colspan="2" | rounded |-class=small ! short || long ! short || long ! short || long |- |- ! [[Close vowel|Close]] | ({{lang|ccs-x-proto|*i}} {{IPAblink|i}}) | | | | ({{lang|ccs-x-proto|*u}} {{IPAblink|u}}) | |- ![[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]] | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*e}} {{IPAblink|ɛ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ē}} {{IPAblink|ɛː}} | | | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*o}} {{IPAblink|ɔ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ō}} {{IPAblink|ɔː}} |- ![[Open vowel|Open]] | | | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*a}} {{IPAblink|ɑ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ā}} {{IPAblink|ɑː}} | | |}
===Consonants=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |+ Proto-Kartvelian consonants<ref>Gamkrelidze (1966), p. 70</ref><ref name="Fae02">Fähnrich (2002), p. 5</ref> |- ! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | ! rowspan="2" | [[labial consonant|Labial]] ! colspan="2" | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]] ! rowspan="2" | [[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]] ! colspan="2" | [[Postalveolar consonant|Postalveolar]] ! rowspan="2" | [[velar consonant|Velar]] ! rowspan="2" | [[uvular consonant|Uvular]] ! rowspan="2" | [[glottal consonant|Glottal]] |- ! {{small|plain}} || {{small|[[sibilant]]}} ! {{small|central}} || {{small|[[Lateral consonant|lateral]]}}<ref name="Fae02">Fähnrich (2002), p. 5</ref> |- ! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]] | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*m}} {{IPAblink|m}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*n}} {{IPAblink|n}} | | | | | | | |- ! rowspan="3" | [[Plosive]] ! {{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*b}} {{IPAblink|b}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*d}} {{IPAblink|d}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ʒ}} {{IPAblink|d͡z}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ʒ₁}} {{IPAblink|d͡ʐ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ǯ}} {{IPAblink|d͡ʒ}} | | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*g}} {{IPAblink|ɡ}} | | |- ! {{small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*p}} {{IPAblink|p}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*t}} {{IPAblink|t}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*c}} {{IPAblink|t͡s}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*c₁}} {{IPAblink|t͡ʂ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*č}} {{IPAblink|t͡ʃ}} | | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*k}} {{IPAblink|k}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*q}} {{IPAblink|q}} | |- ! {{small|[[Ejective consonant|ejective]]}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ṗ}} {{IPAblink|pʼ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ṭ}} {{IPAblink|tʼ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*c̣}} {{IPAblink|t͡sʼ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*c̣₁}} {{IPAblink|t͡ʂʼ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*č̣}} {{IPAblink|t͡ʃʼ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ɬʼ}} {{IPAblink|t͡ɬʼ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ḳ}} {{IPAblink|kʼ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*q̇}} {{IPAblink|qʼ}} | |- ! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative]] ! {{small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}} | | | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*s}} {{IPAblink|s}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*s₁}} {{IPAblink|ʂ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*š}} {{IPAblink|ʃ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*lʿ}} {{IPAblink|ɬ}} | colspan="2" | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*x}} {{IPAblink|x}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*h}} {{IPAblink|h}} |- ! {{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}} | | | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*z}} {{IPAblink|z}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*z₁}} {{IPAblink|ʐ}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ž}} {{IPAblink|ʒ}} | | colspan="2" | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*ɣ}} {{IPAblink|ɣ}} | |- ! colspan="2" | [[Trill consonant|Trill]] | | | | | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*r}} {{IPAblink|r}} | | | | |- ! colspan="2" | [[Approximant]] | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*w}} {{IPAblink|w}} | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*l}} {{IPAblink|l}} | | | {{lang|ccs-x-proto|*y}} {{IPAblink|j}} | | | | |}
Distinction between plain {{IPAblink|q}} and [[ejective]] {{IPAblink|qʼ}} remains only in [[Svan language]]. This distinction also existed in [[Old Georgian]].
==Notes== {{Reflist}}
==References== *{{cite book |title=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]: Macropedia |edition=15th |date=1986 |chapter=Languages of the World |at=[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Caucasian-languages "Caucasian languages" section]}} *{{cite book |last=Fähnrich |first=H. |date=2002 |title=Kartwelische Wortschatzstudien |publisher=Friedrich-Schiller-Universität |place=Jena}} *{{cite journal |last=Gamkrelidze |first=T. |author-link=Tamaz Gamkrelidze |date=January–March 1966 |title=A Typology of Common Kartvelian |journal=[[Language (journal)|Language]] |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=69–83|doi=10.2307/411601 |jstor=411601 }} *{{cite book |last1=Gamkrelidze |first1=T. |author1-link=Tamaz Gamkrelidze |last2=Ivanov |first2=V. |author2-link=Vyacheslav Ivanov (philologist) |date=1995 |title=Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans: A Reconstruction and Historical Analysis of a Proto-Language and a Proto-Culture. |publisher=[[Mouton de Gruyter]] |location=Berlin / New York}} *{{cite book |last1=Gamkrelidze |first1=T. |author1-link=Tamaz Gamkrelidze |last2=Machavariani |first2=G. |date=1965 |title=The system of sonants and ablaut in Kartvelian languages |language=ru, ka <!--the "|location=" parameter requires a "|publisher=" value, which is more important information in the first place. |location=Tbilisi-->}} *{{cite book |last=Klimov |first=G. |author-link=Georgy Klimov |date=1998 |title=Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages |publisher=[[Mouton de Gruyter]] |location=Berlin / New York}} *{{cite book |last=Schmidt |first=Karl Horst |date=1962 |title=Studien zur Rekonstruktion des Lautstandes der südkaukasischen Grundsprache XXXIV No. 3 |language=de |publisher=Abhandlung für die Kunde des Morgenlandes}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kartvelian, Proto, Language}} [[Category:Agglutinative languages]] [[Category:Proto-languages|Kartvelian language]] [[Category:Kartvelian languages|Proto-Kartvelian language]]