GEORGIAN DIALECT CLASSIFICATIONS

The Georgian language belongs to the Kartvelian language family (also known as South Caucasian languages). At present, Georgian dialects are spread both inside and outside the territory of Georgia (Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan). This paper presents a historical overview of the classifications of the dialects of Georgia that can be derived from the isoglottic dialect studies. The present-day dialect landscape developed differently from that in other parts of Europe. The country of Georgia has been rich in ethnographic diversity throughout its history, resulting in large differences in ecologies, folklore, customs, cuisine and linguistic characteristics. Special attention is given to the political factors and the massive internal migrations over the past two centuries that caused changes in the dialect landscape.