View source for Tsezic languages

{{Short description|One of the seven main branches of Northeast Caucasian language family}}
{{Infobox language family
|name=Tsezic
|region=Southwest [[Dagestan]]
|familycolor=Caucasian
|fam1=[[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian]]
|glotto=tsez1239
|glottorefname=Tsezic
|map=Northeast Caucasian languages.png
|mapcaption={{legend|#FFA3B1|Tsezic}}
}}

The '''Tsezic languages''' (also called '''Didoic languages''') form one of the seven main branches of [[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian language family]]. It branches into Tsez–Hinukh and Bezhta–Hunzib–Khwarshi, according to research published in 2009.<ref name="Schulze09">[http://wolfgangschulze.in-devir.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=63 The Languages of the Caucasus, by Wolfgang Schulze (2009)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918202042/http://wolfgangschulze.in-devir.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=63 |date=2017-09-18 }}</ref> They were formerly classified geographically into East Tsezic ([[Hinukh language|Hinukh]], and [[Bezhta language|Bezhta]]) and West Tsezic ([[Tsez language|Tsez]], [[Khwarshi language|Khwarshi]], and [[Hunzib language|Hunzib]]).{{citation needed|date=January 2010}}
The [[Avar language]] serves as the literary language for speakers of Tsezic languages.

== Internal branching ==
Schulze (2009)<ref name="Schulze09" /> gives the following family tree for the Tsezic languages:

{{tree list}}
*'''Tsezic languages'''
**Tsez–Hinukh
***[[Tsez language|Tsez]] (15,400)
***[[Hinukh language|Hinukh]] (550)
**Bezhta–Hunzib–Khwarshi
***[[Bezhta language|Bezhta]] (6200)
***[[Hunzib language|Hunzib]] (1840)
***[[Khwarshi language|Khwarshi]] (1870)
{{tree list/end}}

Figures retrieved from Ethnologue.<ref name="Ethnologue">[http://www.ethnologue.com Ethnologue]</ref>

Kassian and Testelets (2015) do not consider Tsez and Hinukh to form a distinct subgroup.<ref>Алексей Касьян, Яков Тестелец. ''[https://starling.rinet.ru/confer/Kassian-2015.pdf Филогения цезской языковой группы: лексикостатистика и грамматические инновации]''. X традиционные чтения памяти С. А. Старостина, РГГУ, Москва, 27 марта 2015 г.</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== See also ==
*[[Languages of the Caucasus]]

{{Northeast Caucasian languages}}
{{Languages of the Caucasus}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Northeast Caucasian languages]]


{{NEC-lang-stub}}