The Nakh-Daghestanian languages
Language family · Eurasia
WALS includes 28 Nakh-Daghestanian languages in 6 branches; all of them are in Eurasia.
All 11 members coded for basic word order are subject-object-verb (SOV).
The most solid shared trait: all 22 members coded for The Velar Nasal have no velar nasal.
Of these, 7 have a full page on this site.
Word order against the world
Members with at least 30 coded features, compared with every language WALS codes for each pairing.
dependent before the headboth or otherafter the head
- Subject and verbNakh-Daghestanian100% · none of 10All WALS80% · 13% of 1,496
- Object and verbNakh-Daghestanian100% · none of 9All WALS47% · 46% of 1,518
- Noun phrase and adpositionNakh-Daghestanian100% · none of 9All WALS49% · 43% of 1,184
- Genitive and nounNakh-Daghestanian100% · none of 9All WALS55% · 37% of 1,249
- Adjective and nounNakh-Daghestanian100% · none of 10All WALS27% · 64% of 1,367
- Demonstrative and nounNakh-Daghestanian100% · none of 9All WALS45% · 48% of 1,225
- Numeral and nounNakh-Daghestanian100% · none of 9All WALS42% · 53% of 1,154
- Relative clause and nounNakh-Daghestanian83% · none of 6All WALS17% · 70% of 824
Shared and split traits
| Feature | Most frequent value | Members |
|---|---|---|
| The Velar Nasal | No velar nasal | 22 of 22 |
| Order of Adjective and Noun | Modifying adjective precedes noun (AdjN) | 15 of 15 |
| Position of Case Affixes | Case suffixes | 14 of 14 |
| The Optative | Inflectional optative present | 14 of 14 |
| Order of Subject and Verb | Subject precedes verb (SV) | 14 of 14 |
| Coding of Nominal Plurality | Plural suffix | 13 of 13 |
| Order of Object and Verb | Object precedes verb (OV) | 13 of 13 |
| Order of Genitive and Noun | Genitive-noun (GenN) | 13 of 13 |
| Feature | Largest group | Members |
|---|---|---|
| Weight-Sensitive Stress | Left-edge: Stress is on the first or second syllable | 3 of 8 |
| Weight Factors in Weight-Sensitive Stress Systems | Prominence: other factors are heavy for stress | 3 of 8 |
| Semantic Distinctions of Evidentiality | Only indirect evidentials | 4 of 10 |
| Coding of Evidentiality | Part of the tense system | 4 of 10 |
| Productivity of the Antipassive Construction | partially productive | 4 of 9 |
Members
| Language | Branch | Basic order | Features coded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archi | Lezgic | SOV | 55 |
| Avar | Avar-Andic-Tsezic | SOV | 50 |
| Chechen | Nakh | SOV | 39 |
| Dargwa | Dargwic | not coded | 25 |
| Godoberi | Avar-Andic-Tsezic | not coded | 42 |
| Hunzib | Avar-Andic-Tsezic | SOV | 107 |
| Ingush | Nakh | not coded | 108 |
| Lak | Lak | not coded | 62 |
| Lezgian | Lezgic | SOV | 135 |
| Rutul | Lezgic | SOV | 32 |
| Tsez | Avar-Andic-Tsezic | not coded | 29 |
| Tsova-Tush | Nakh | SOV | 39 |
Not listed: 16 further Nakh-Daghestanian languages with fewer than 20 coded features.