Svann.

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. vi. iv. 117 You meet with another river called Charien: upon which bordereth the nation of the Salæ, named in old time Phthirophagi and Suani... The river Cobus,..issueth out of Caucasus, and runneth through the country of the Suani abovesaid.

1814 F. Shoberl tr. J. Klaproth Trav. Caucasus & Georgia xxiv. 298 The village of Chulam is inhabited by families of Ssuanes.

1814 F. Shoberl tr. J. Klaproth Trav. Caucasus & Georgia xxiv. 292 About six German miles to the south-west of the village of Ckaratschai lies the mountain Dshuman-taw, where commence the settlements of the Ssuanes.

1869 D. W. Freshfield Trav. in Central Caucasus x. 292 Suanetia is the general name bestowed..on the upper valley of the Ingur, and is derived from the inhabitants, who from very ancient times have been called the Suani, or Suanetians.

1959 B. Geiger et al. Peoples & Lang. Caucasus iv. 15 Svan... English variants: Svan, Svanetians... The Svan language is a member of the S. Caucasian..language-family, to which belong..Mingrelo-Laz and Georgian, the latter languages forming one group as against Svan.

1962 D. M. Lang Mod. Hist. Georgia i. 10 The Svans were cut off for centuries from the main stream of Georgian civilization.

1939 L. H. Gray Found. Lang. 375 South Caucasian..consists of four languages: Georgian.., Mingrelian, Laz, and Svanian.

1962 D. M. Lang Mod. Hist. Georgia i. 18 Svanian and Mingrelo-Laz..are separate languages.

1910 Encycl. Brit. XI. 760/1 The Svanetians, Shvans, or Swanians, on the Upper Ingur.