| Kartvelian | |
|---|---|
| ქართველური | |
| Geographic distribution | Western Trans-Caucasus, Northeast Anatolia |
| Linguistic classification | One of the world's primary language families |
| Proto-language | Proto-Kartvelian |
| Subdivisions |
|
| 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, Kartvelic, and Iberian languages[1]) are a language family indigenous to the South Caucasus and spoken primarily in Georgia. There are approximately 5 million Georgian language speakers worldwide, with large groups in Russia, Iran, the United States, the European Union, Israel,[2] and northeastern Turkey.[3] The Kartvelian family has no known relation to any other language family, making it one of the world's primary language families.[4]
The most widely spoken of these languages is Georgian. The earliest literary source in any Kartvelian language is the Old Georgian Bir el Qutt inscriptions, written in ancient Georgian Asomtavruli script at the once-existing Georgian monastery near Bethlehem,[5] dated to c. 430 AD.[6] Georgian scripts are used to write all Kartvelian languages.