Mingrelian

Mingrelian (მარგალური ნინა margaluri nina) is the second-largest Kartvelian language after Georgian, with ~500K speakers in the Samegrelo region of western Georgia. Together with Laz it forms the Zan branch of Kartvelian, sister to Georgian; the closest relatives of Georgian. Speakers are typically bilingual in Georgian, which serves as the literary register and language of education and government — Mingrelian is rarely written. Has the characteristic Kartvelian ergative-absolutive split, complex preverbal system, and rich consonant inventory with ejectives, but is unwritten as a literary language. Some literary efforts since the early 20th century used Georgian Mkhedruli script.