ON THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF DIALECTS IN ZAN

Abstract

In the Chan-Mingrelian linguistic literature, the term Zan has become established, while today it is also referred to as Colchian. Chanuri (Laz) and Mingrelian are considered dialects of a single language, Zan (Colchian). At the beginning of our era, the Laz and Mingrelian peoples still maintained territorial unity. According to Iv. Javakhishvili, this was the case in the 1st–2nd centuries. Later, one of the Georgian tribes penetrated into the middle region, separating the Mingrelians and the Chans. Naturally, their linguistic interaction ceased, and their development followed independent paths.

Despite the significant political and cultural influence of Byzantium and Turkey on Chanuri, the process of mutual influence between the Georgian and Zan linguistic spheres never slowed. This was facilitated by both the territorial proximity and close cultural-economic ties of the Georgian tribes, as well as the unity of the Kartvelian linguistic world and the long historical path of national consolidation. It should also be noted that the unity of linguistic norms brings together Mingrelian and Chanuri. Therefore, they are dialects of a single language.

Keywords: Zan, Colchian, Chanuri, Laz, Mingrelian, Sheni, Shakis, Rakhants, Ni, Na.