The functioning of the Kist dialect of the Chechen language within the modern Georgian linguistic Space

Abstract

The Kist dialect is a distinctive element of the Chechen language, spoken by the Kist people living mainly in the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia.

Historically, the Kist language was transmitted from generation to generation through oral tradition, with children naturally acquiring the linguistic heritage within their immediate family. The older generation played a key role in transmitting the language, while children acquired it through everyday communication within the family and community. In this model, language served as both a means of communication and a vital element of cultural memory and ethnic identity. However, over the past few decades, there has been a weakening in the intergenerational transmission of the Kist language due to both internal and external factors.

The Kist population is practically completely bilingual — they are fluent in both Kist and Georgian. This bilingualism is a long-standing linguistic reality, arising from the coexistence of the Kists' ethnic-linguistic identity and the surrounding Georgian-speaking environment.

Over the past thirty years, the Georgian language has gained a leading position, associated with various social, political and cultural factors. Following Georgia's independence, the language gained official status within the country's state institutions and education system. Consequently, for Kist youth, reading and writing in Georgian and receiving an education have become necessary components of life, as has the opportunity for professional development.

The influence of the Georgian language on the Kist dialect is a two-way process: on the one hand, the Georgian language enriches the Kist dialect with new elements; on the other hand, this leads to linguistic assimilation and a gradual weakening of the Kist dialect's presence in various areas of language use.

In October 2023, I conducted a sociolinguistic study in a Chechen (Kist) community to investigate the functioning and intergenerational transmission of the Kist language. As part of the study, I conducted interviews and administered questionnaires to different age groups within the community. This approach provided a multifaceted analysis of the linguistic situation in terms of both linguistic competence and the practical use of language.

The study primarily aimed to reveal how Kist speech functions in specific social contexts (e.g. family life, social relations, education and public spaces) and to assess the sustainability of its intergenerational transmission.