group of languages spoken in western and central Dagestan republic, Russia, and in part of Azerbaijan. The group includes the Avar language, the Andi languages (Andi, Botlikh, Godoberi, Chamalal, Bagvalal, Tindi, Karata, and Akhvakh), and the Dido languages (Dido or Tsez, Khvarshi, Hinukh, Bezhta, and Hunzib or Kapucha). Avar, the only language in the group with a written form, is also used for intertribal communication by native users of the Andi and Dido languages. All of these languages are often classified together with those of the Lak-Dargin (Lak-Dargwa) and Lezgian groups as the Dagestanian languages (q.v.).