Editing Nakh languages (section)

== Proposed connections to extinct languages ==
Many obscure ancient languages or peoples have been postulated by scholars of the Caucasus as Nakh, many in the South Caucasus. None of these have been confirmed; most are classified as Nakh on the basis of placenames.

===Èrsh===
{{Infobox language
|name=Èrsh
|nativename=
|region= [[Caucasus]], modern [[Armenia]]
|ethnicity=Èrs people
|era=Antiquity
|familycolor=Caucasian
|fam1=[[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian]]?
|fam2=[[Nakh languages|Nakh]]?
|iso3=none
|glotto=none
}} 
The Èrsh language, language of the Èrs who inhabited Northern Armenia, and then, (possibly) later, mainly [[Hereti]] in Southeast Georgia and Northwest [[Azerbaijan]]. This is considered to be more or less confirmed as Nakh.<ref name=Jaimoukha>Jaimoukha, Amjad. ''The Chechens: A Handbook''. Routledge Curzon: Oxon, 2005.</ref> They were assimilated eventually, and their language was replaced by Georgian or Azeri.

===Malkh===
The language of the [[Malkh]]s<ref name=Jaimoukha/> (whose name, malkh, refers to the sun) in the North Caucasus, who lived in modern day [[Kabardino-Balkaria]], [[Karachay–Cherkessia]], and once briefly conquered [[Ubykhia]] and [[Abkhazia]], is believed to be of Nakh affiliation. They were conquered first by Scythian-speaking Alan tribes and then by Turkic tribes, and seem to have largely abandoned their homeland and found shelter among the [[Chechens]], leading to the formation of a [[teip]] named after them. Those who stayed behind were either wiped out or assimilated.

===Dval===
The language of the [[Dvals]] is thought to be Nakh by many historians,<ref name=Jaimoukha/><ref>Гамрекели В. Н. Двалы и Двалетия в I—XV вв. н. э. Тбилиси, 1961 page 138</ref><ref>Меликишвили Г. А. К изучению древней восточномалоазийской этнонимики. ВДИ, 1962,1 page 62</ref><ref name=Kuznetsov>{{Citation| last=Kuznetsov| first=V.| authorlink=Vladimir Alexandrovitch Kouznetsov| title=Essays on the history of Alans (in Russian)| publisher=IR| place=Vladikavkaz| year=1992|isbn=978-5-7534-0316-2  |url = http://iratta.com/2007/06/05/09_alanyovsy_i_gruzija_pervaja_chast.html}}</ref> though there is a rivaling camp arguing for its status as a close relative of [[Ossetic language|Ossetic]].<ref name=Kuznetsov/> Various backing for the Nakh theory (different scholars use different arguments) includes the presence of Nakh placenames in former Dval territory,<ref name=Kuznetsov/> evidence of Nakh–Svan contact which probably would've required the Nakh nature of the Dvals or people there before them,<ref name=Jaimoukha/> and the presence of a foreign-origin Dval clan among the Chechens,<ref name="Melikishvilli">Melikishvilli</ref> seemingly implying that the Dvals found shelter (like the Malkhs are known to have done) among the Chechens from the conquest of their land by foreign invaders (presumably Ossetes).

===Tsov===
According to Georgian scholars I. A. Javashvili and [[Giorgi Melikishvili]], the [[Urartu|Urartian]] state of [[Sophene|Supani]] was occupied by the ancient Nakh tribe Tsov, whose state is called Tsobena in ancient Georgian historiography.<ref>Джавахишвили И. А. Введение в историю грузинского народа. кн.1, Тбилиси, 1950, page.47-49</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ахмадов |first=Шарпудин Бачуевич |title=Чечня и Ингушетия в XVIII - начале XIX века |year= 2002|publisher= "Джангар", АПП|location=[[Elista]] |isbn= <!-- 5-94587-072-3 note: this ISBN is invalid - probably a publisher error, or OCR error-->|page= 52}}</ref><ref>Гаджиева В. Г. Сочинение И. Гербера Описание стран и народов между Астраханью и рекою Курой находящихся, М, 1979, page.55.</ref> The Tsov language was the dominant language spoken by its people, and was thought by these Georgian historians (as well as a number of others) to be Nakh. Tsov and its relatives in the area may have contributed to the [[Hurro-Urartian languages|Hurro-Urartian]] substratum in the [[Armenian language]].