Lezgi language

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The Lezgi language is part of the Lezgian group, which falls under the broader category of Northeast Caucasian languages. These languages are spoken in the Caucasus region, primarily in southern Dagestan and Azerbaijan.12

Key features of Lezgian languages include:
* Speakers: Lezgi itself has about 240,000 speakers in Dagestan and around 170,000 in Azerbaijan.1
* Grammar: While many Northeast Caucasian languages have noun classes, this feature has largely disappeared in Lezgi. However, it retains a complex case system for nouns and uses an ergative construction in sentences.3
* Writing System: Among the Lezgian languages, only Lezgi and Tabasaran are written.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Caucasian languages
The Lezgian languages
This language group includes Lezgi (with 240,000 speakers in Dagestan and about 170,000 in Azerbaijan); Tabasaran (about 90,000); Agul (about 12,000); Rutul (about 15,000); Tsakhur (about 11,000); Archi (fewer than 1,000); Kryz (about 6,000); Budukh (about 2,000);
Read More
This language group includes Lezgi (with 240,000 speakers in Dagestan and about 170,000 in Azerbaijan); Tabasaran (about 90,000); Agul (about 12,000); Rutul (about 15,000); Tsakhur (about 11,000); Archi (fewer than 1,000); Kryz (about 6,000); Budukh (about 2,000);
Read More