Kartvelian languages
| Kartvelian | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Western Georgia, Northeast Anatolia |
| Ethnicity | Georgians, Laz people |
| Linguistic classification | One of the world's primary language families |
| Proto-language | Proto-Kartvelian |
| Subdivisions |
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| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-5 | ccs |
| Linguasphere | 42-C |
| Glottolog | kart1248 |
The Kartvelian languages (/kɑːrtˈvɛliən, -ˈviːl-/ kart-VEL-ee-ən, -VEEL-; Georgian: ქართველური ენები, romanized: kartveluri enebi), also known as South Caucasian or Kartvelic languages, are a language family indigenous to the South Caucasus and spoken primarily in Georgia. There are approximately 5 million Georgian language speakers worldwide. The Kartvelian family has no known relation to any other language family, making it one of the world's primary language families.
The most widely spoken Kartvelian language, and the only literary language in the family, is the standard Georgian. The earliest written source in any Kartvelian language is an Old Georgian inscription at the once-existing Georgian monastery near Bethlehem, dated to c. 430 AD. Georgian scripts are used to write all Kartvelian languages.