Department of Caucasian Languages

Research activities of the Department concern the synchronic and diachronic study of Caucasian languages with the application of both typological and theoretical approaches. The main research focuses of the Department are the following:

  1. Grammatical structure of Dargin languages, research supervisor Rasul Mutalov;
  2. Grammaticalization in Caucasian languages, research supervisor Timur Maisak;
  3. Areal and genetic relationships of Caucasian languages and dialects, research supervisor Natalia Donadze.

The Department is also home to the Atlas Linguarum Europae project.

The History of the Department

The Laboratory of Caucasian Languages was founded in 1922 at the Japhetic Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences in Leningrad. In Moscow, the Section of Japhetic Languages was created in 1943, on the basis of the previously established Research Committee on Ethnic and Linguistic Communities of the North Caucasus.

The Leningrad Japhetic Institute disbanded in 1950, the Section of Caucasian Languages was transferred to Moscow and merged with the Laboratory of Iranian Languages. Such association existed until 1958. At the time, Yunus Desheriev, a prominent specialist in Nakh languages, was Department Head. Among the staff members of the Department were Yevgeny Bokarev, Muhadin Kumakhov, Zara Kumakhova, Said Khaidakov, Amin Shagirov. Bukar Talibov worked briefly at the Department, too, alongside with Armenian language specialists Joseph Kusikyan and Eteri Tumanyan.

Conducting research on comparative-historical phonetics of the Nakh-Dagestanian languages, Yevgeny Bokarev was Department Head from 1956 till 1971. He then was succeeded by Georgy Klimov, a prominent specialist in Kartvelian languages, who headed the Department during the next 25 years. From 1997 till 2002, Amin Shagirov, a specialist in lexicology and etymology of Northwest Caucasian languages, was Department Head. From 2002 till 2014, prof.Mikhail Alekseev., PhD was Department Head. Since 2014 the Department is headed by Jacob Testelets.

Recent Publications

  • Alekseev M. E. Alipbi. Èksperimental’nyj bukvar’ cezskogo jazyka [Experimental Dictionary of the Tsez Language]. M., 1993.
  • Alekseev M. E. Sravnitel’no-istoričeskaja morfologija naxsko-dagestanskix jazykov. Kategorii imeni [Comparative-Historical Morphology of the Nakh-Dagestanian languages. Name Categories]. M.: Academia, 2003. — 246 s.
  • Alekseev M. E. Perevod Biblii na jazyki narodov Rossii: sociolingvističeskie aspekty [Biblical Translations into Russian: Sociolinguistic Aspects]. M.: Academia, 2011. — 150 s.
  • Alekseev M. E. (sost.) Kto est’ kto v kavkazovedenii? Biobibliografičeskij slovar’-spravočnik [Glossary of Caucasology]. M.: Academia, 1999. — 196 s.
  • Alekseev M. E., Ataev B. M. Avarskij jazyk [Avar Language]. M.: Academia, 1998. — 144 s. [«Jazyki narodov Rossii»]
  • Alekseev M. E., Zagirov V. M. Škol’nyj ètimologičeskij slovar’ tabasaranskogo jazyka [School Etymological Dictionary of Tabasaran Language]. Maxačkala, 1991.
  • Alekseev M. E., Kazenin K. I., Sulejmanov M. S. Dagestanskie narody Azerbajdžana: politika, istorija, kul’tura [Azerbaïdjan’s Dagestani peoples: Politics, History, Culture]. M.: Evropa, 2006.
  • Alekseev M. E., Šejxov È. M. Lezginskij jazyk [Lezgian Language]. M.: Academia, 1997. [«Jazyki narodov Rossii»]
  • Alekseev M. E., Šixalieva S. X. Tabasaranskij jazyk [Tabasaran Language]. M.: Academia, 2003. — 140 s. [«Jazyki narodov Rossii»]
  • Aliroev I. Ju. Čečenskij jazyk [Chechen Language]. M.: Academia, 1999; 2001. — 147 s. [«Jazyki narodov Rossii».]
  • Kazenin K. I. Sintaksis sovremennogo lakskogo jazyka [Syntax of Modern Lak Language]. Maxačkala: IJaLI DNC RAN, Izd-vo ALEF, 2013. — 328 s.
  • Klimov G. A. Drevnejšie indoevropeizmy kartvel’skix jazykov [Ancient Indo-European elements of Kartvelian Languages]. M.: Nasledie, 1994. — 249 s.
  • Kumaxov M.A., Kumaxova Z. Ju. Nartskij èpos: jazyk i kul’tura [Nart Saga: Language and Culture]. M.: Nasledie, 1998. — 310 s.
  • Majsak T. A. Tipologija grammatikalizacii konstrukcij s glagolami dviženija i glagolami pozicii [Typology of Grammaticalization of Verbs of Movement and Position. M.: Jazyki slavjanskoj kul’tury, 2005. — 478 s.
  • Majsak T. A. Agul’skie teksty 1900—1960-x godov [Aghul Texts of the 1900—1960s]. [Issledovanija i materialy po jazykam Kavkaza, vyp. 2.] M.: Academia, 2014. — 496 s.
  • Mutalov R. O. Slovoobrazovatel’nyj slovar’ glagolov icarinskogo dialekta darginskogo jazyka [Derivational Dictionary of Icari Dialect of Dargin Language]. M.: Izd. centr ISAA pri MGU, 2011.
  • Šejxov È. M. Sopostavitel’naja grammatika lezginskogo i russkogo jazykov [Contrastive Grammar of Lezgian and Russian Languages]. M., 2004. — 262 s.
  • Tense, mood, aspect and finiteness in East Caucasian languages. / Ed. by G. Authier, T. Maisak. Bochum: Brockmeyer, 2011. — 204 pp.
  • The semantics of verbal categories in Nakh-Daghestanian languages: Tense, aspect, evidentiality, mood and modality / Ed. by D. Forker, T. Maisak. Leiden: Brill, 2018. — 218 pp.

Contacts

Адрес: Moscow 125009
B. Kislovsky per. 1/12
Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, room 45 
Tel.: (495) 691-63-06
E-mail: kavkaz (at) iling-ran.ru