DAGESTANIAN LANGUAGES

also called East Caucasian Languages, group of languages spoken in the northeastern part of the Caucasus and including the Avar-Andi-Dido, the Lak-Dargin (Lak-Dargwa), and the Lezgian groups. One of the distinctive characteristics of a majority of these languages is the contrast of strong and weak voiceless consonants. The Dagestanian languages are often classified together with the Nakh languages (q.v.) as the Nakho-Dagestanian, or Northeast Caucasian, language group. See also Avar-Andi-Dido languages; Lak-Dargin languages.