Languages and Cultures in the Caucasus. Papers from the International Conference "Current Advances in Caucasian Studies" Macerata, January 21-23, 2010.

The present volume contains several papers, written in English and Russian, reflecting different approaches to the Caucasus region, with particular attention to contact phenomena at all levels of social and cultural life. Some of them are devoted to sociolinguistic problems, which are becoming more and more topical after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the following redistribution of political and cultural influence. Others examine concrete questions of linguistic contact and discuss different types of interference, including peripheral or dialectal features; lexicology and idioms also are investigated. Particular attention is dedicated to political, historical and cultural questions, in medieval as well as in modern times; the Christian tradition and the importance of Bible translation, with respect to contact phenomena in the past as well as nowadays, are also investigated. Finally, quite a few contributions approach various aspects of different geographic areas and language groups (Armenian, Kartvelian, West Caucasian and Daghestanian Languages). The volume is addressed to specialists, postgraduates and students specializing in the field of Caucasian languages and cultures