Rare 1964 Soviet Linguistics Book: Consonantism of Andi Languages – T.E. Gudava (Ed. Chikobava) | Tsar to Soviet Books

For scholars of comparative philology, structural phonology, and Caucasian languages, this 1964 original Soviet hardcover represents a critical piece of 20th-century academic history. Published by the Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR (Издательство Академии наук Грузинской ССР), Consonantism of the Andi Languages: A Historical-Comparative Analysis is a highly specialized work exploring the phonetic structures of the Northeast Caucasian language family.

Edited by the renowned academician Arnold Chikobava, this volume was printed in an exceptionally restricted run of only 1,000 copies, making it a highly sought-after volume for university libraries, research institutions, and private collectors of rare Soviet publications.

Deep-Dive Focus: Caucasian & Dagestanian Phonology

Togo Evstafievich Gudava’s research remains a foundational text for the typological mapping of indigenous Caucasian languages. This monograph provides granular, section-by-section analysis of the consonant grids, phonetic mutations, and historical sound laws governing the Andic branch, including:

• Languages Covered: Andi, Botlikh, Godoberi, Chamalal, Tindi, Bagvalal, Karata, and Akhvakh.

• Phonetic Processes: Detailed focus on labial/dental stop reductions, desonorization (de-abruptivization), and delabialization.

• Proto-Language Reconstructions: Historical comparative tracking of Proto-Andic stops and affricates ($*b, *p, *t, *k, *c$).

Complete Bibliographic Specifications

• Author: Того Евстафьевич Гудава (Togo Evstafievich Gudava)

• Editor-in-Chief: А. С. Чикобава (Arnold S. Chikobava)

• Publisher: Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR / Инcтитут языкознания им. А. Чикобава

• Publication Date: 1964 (Tbilisi, Georgia, USSR)

• Language: Russian text with linguistic notation

• Binding: Original publisher's blue-grey industrial cloth boards

• Print Run / Circulation: 1,000 copies (Original Soviet Тираж)

• Pages: 219 pages

• Dimensions: Standard Soviet academic octavo size

Condition Report & Provenance

• Exterior: The original cloth binding is firm and clean. Silver foil stamping on the front board remains crisp and legible. Very slight rubbing to the spine tips and corners.

• Interior Structural Integrity: The text block is robust, pages are firmly attached, and the hinges are fully intact.

• Paper Condition: Clean and unmarred pages with uniform, light age-toning typical of 1960s USSR paper stocks. No marginalia, underlines, library stamps, or previous owner inscriptions.