Abkhaz language
| Abkhaz | |
|---|---|
| Abkhazian | |
| аԥсшәа/аҧсшәа; аԥсуа бызшәа apsshwa; apsua byzshwa | |
| Native to | Abkhazia, Krasnodar Krai |
| Region | Caucasus |
| Ethnicity | Abkhazians |
Native speakers | 190,000 (2015–2019) |
Northwest Caucasian
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Cyrillic (Abkhaz alphabet) Historically: Latin, Georgian | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Republic of Abkhazia |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | ab Abkhazian |
| ISO 639-2 | abk Abkhazian |
| ISO 639-3 | abk Abkhazian |
| Glottolog | abkh1244 Abkhaz |
Abkhaz is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Abkhaz, also known as Abkhazian, is a Northwest Caucasian language most closely related to Abaza. It is spoken mostly by the Abkhaz people. It is one of the official languages of Abkhazia, where around 190,000 people speak it. Furthermore, it is spoken by thousands of members of the Abkhazian diaspora in Turkey, Georgia's autonomous republic of Adjara, Syria, Jordan, and several Western countries. 27 October is the day of the Abkhazian language in Georgia.