How did contact with Caucasian languages affect Ossetic sounds and vocabulary?

The Ossetic language, an East Iranian language spoken in the Caucasus, has been significantly shaped by its long-term contact with non-Indo-European Caucasian languages.

Regarding its development, the phonology of Ossetic has been greatly influenced by these neighboring languages, leading to structural changes that distinguish it from other Iranian languages.1

In terms of vocabulary, Ossetic occupies an exceptional position within the Iranian language family. While it has incorporated Persian and Arabic borrowings—often mediated through Turkish—it is particularly notable for the large number of words it has borrowed directly from Caucasian languages, most notably Georgian.2