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Keywords: Evidentiality, Kartvelian Languages, Proverbs
Abstract: Evidentiality is a universal morphosyntactic category expressed through morphological, syntactic, and lexical means. However, its linguistic expression varies not only between unrelated languages but also among related ones (Margiani, Kurdadze, Lomia 2019:427). In the Kartvelian languages, evidentiality is conveyed both morphologically and semantically, with different types of evidentiality emerging at various linguistic levels. In Georgian, for instance, evidentiality is indicated through perfect verb forms, lexical elements, indirect speech markers, evidential particles, and more. Analysis of the empirical material reveals that proverbs with simple structures are often expressed using subordinate clauses only, which are more productive in the Kartvelian languages. The main clauses in such proverbs imply present and past tense forms of Georgian verbs of saying (e.g., “they say,” “it is said,” “they have said”), though these verbs are typically omitted due to ellipsis. In Kartvelian proverbs, evidentiality can be marked by single (morphological or syntactic), double, or multiple markers. The latter is indicated by both indirect speech particles and evidential tenses simultaneously. However, the natural structure of Georgian paremic units is most often represented by evidential forms with single markers, particularly indirect speech particles.
Keywords: Voice of Verb, Kartvelian Languages, Megrelian, Laz
Abstract: The voice of the verb is topical not only from the Kartvelian but also from the general linguistic viewpoint. It is approached differently in both European and Georgian linguistic literature. For example, in Georgian, voice is considered a lexical-grammatical category (A. Shanidze), a morphological category (A. Chikobava), a syntactic-morphological category (B. Jorbenadze), or a semantic category (D. Melikishvili). The issue of distinguishing opposition systems within the voice category remains controversial and relevant. These unresolved problems concerning verb voice call for a new understanding of the category and approaches that account for the specific characteristics of the language under study.
A typological analysis of Zan verbal forms confirms that, structurally, Megrelian-Laz and Georgian belong to the same type, though the formal characteristics of the voice category developed independently in Zan. Differences can even arise between Megrelian and Laz, but in most cases, the content and grammatical form in Zan are closely aligned. The morphology of Megrelian and Laz is more regular compared to that of Svan and Georgian.
Keywords: Georgian Language, Approximative Verbs, Nominal and Verbal Domain
Abstract: This paper deals with the question of Nominal and Verbal Domain in Georgian. The Georgian language can merge verbal and nominal elements together and thus form approximative verbs. These approximative verbs differ in their semantics as well as their grammatical features from each other: semantically, they can express approximativity, epistemic modality, attempts, or contextual evidentiality (certainly, there are even more semantic classifications). Grammatically, they provide a broad variety of different grammatical features, such as screeves/series, transitivity, voice, and person & number. The different semantic functions can be paraphrased with synonymous constructions; It was also observed that these approximative verbs often cooccur with certain other elements such as evidential adverbs (titkos ‘as if’), nonspecific adverbs (raġac/raġacnairad/racxa ‘somehow’) or grading adverbs (cota ‘little, few’, ḳidev upro ‘even more’).
Keywords: Grammaticalisation, Georgian Language, Functional and semantic Analysis of grammaticalized items
Abstract: The present paper refers to the process of grammaticalization, the functional and semantic analysis of grammaticalized items, and the ways to tackle the problems that arise in computer linguistics due to grammaticalized elements of verbal origin. The main objective is to illustrate the grammaticalized function of the verbal form a-dg-a (PR-standAOR.S3.SG), meaning both ‘stood up’ and ‘abruptly stopped an action and began a new one,’ as well as its semantic and functional dimensions.
The study employs both corpus-based and corpus-oriented methods, utilizing data from the Georgian National Corpus (GNC; www.gnc.gov.ge). The empirical material is drawn from the Old, Middle, and Modern Georgian corpora, alongside the subcorpora of juridical and political texts. To explore the functional and semantic traits of the grammaticalized form a-dg-a, we applied methods such as lexical substitution and elimination. To further describe its functions, a language competency test was administered, with results presented in chart form.
The paper also addresses the issue of homonymy arising from the grammaticalization of a-dg-a and suggests strategies for resolving this ambiguity within the GNC. Based on the gathered data, it proposes a set of rules, which are visualized through charts. These rules aim to enhance the corpus-internal mechanism for morphological analysis.
Keywords: Caucasian Languages, Khinalug, Verbal Roots
Abstract: Khinalug verbal roots consist of a characteristic consonant, which may form stems of different shapes, depending on the respective verb type. Khinalug verbs can be assigned to specific verb types, according to their pattern of forming imperfectives. The verb types also differ with regard to the distinction between a short and a long imperfective stem, and the suffixes used for the formation of the Habitual, the Hortative Inclusive, the negative imperfective participle, and two converbs of simultaneity. Khinalug distinguishes perfective, (short and long) imperfective, and modal stems. The latter are formed on a basis that may be homonymous with the short imperfective stem (r-type verbs) or the perfective stem (all other types). A schwa is added between the root consonant and -n to enable pronunciation; it is usually pronounced as /i/, /ı/, or, after labial consonants, /u/. Stems in low vowel + C maintain their low vowel in the modal stem. Root consonants with their respective meaning may occur in different verb types. Their basic meaning is maintained, but it is further specified by the verb type itself and the combination with specific preverbs. The investigation of root consonants (including the distinction of homonyms with different meanings and etymologies) as well as their detection in the different verb types is the topic of current research.
Keywords: Argumentative Structure, Georgian Language, Political Discourse
Abstract: Researching argumentative structures in the context of natural language processing has become a very active process over the past few years. One of the main focuses is on the computational processing of argumentative texts, which significantly increases the feasibility of automatic processing and the semantic analysis of large volumes of text data. This paper aims to describe and reveal argumentation structures in the spoken Georgian language. The research data comes from a sub-corpus of the Georgian National Corpus, the Georgian Political Text Corpus. The database is thematically diverse and contains politicians’ speeches and TV debates, specifically: a) public speeches of the Presidents of Georgia and other politicians (Zviad Gamsaxurdia, Eduard Shevardnadze, Mikheil Saakashvili, Noe Jordania, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Shalva Natelashvili), b) recordings of Parliament and TV debates (Parliament sessions, political TV shows). This article analyses the constituent parts of an argumentative text such as premises and reasoning and their connections, with the aim to generally characterize the argumentative structures in Georgian on the basis of Janier and Saint-Disier (2019).
Keywords: Georgian Political Speech, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Ethnic Minorities, Hate Speech
Abstract: This study deals with the question of how Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the first president of the independent Republic of Georgia, spoke about the ethnic minorities against the background of the increasing territorial conflict after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The impetus for the study was the idea of empirically examining the theory – widespread in the scientific literature – that Gamsakhurdia used hate speech against ethnic minorities. The study draws on the speeches of Zviad Gamsakhurdia which have been compiled and published since a couple of years and have been incorporated into the political sub-corpus of the Georgian National Corpus. The study paves the way for a political-linguistic investigation using corpus-linguistic means. With the help of a quantitative as well as qualitative analysis, it was possible to work out that, based on the available data (speeches of Zviad Gamsakhurdia collected during the time of his presidency) and in contradiction to the general assumption, it cannot be proven that he systematically used hate speech against ethnic minorities. However, the analysis made it possible to extract some key characteristics of Gamsakhurdia’s speeches related to ethnic minorities.
Keywords: Georgian Political Speech, Lingopolitology, Political Discourse, Content Analysis
Abstract: The scientific analysis of political discourse has gained more attention in the Georgian academic space, especially in recent years, although relevant studies are rarely conducted from the perspective of linguopolitology as a relatively new humanitarian discipline. The purpose of the present paper is the linguopolitological analysis of Georgian political speech, based on the example of a TV interview with a contemporary politician of Georgia, here referred to as T. T., as a concrete political discourse. The research methodology applied in this work is determined by the interdisciplinary nature of the research topic. In particular, the empirical material is examined according to the methods of critical and content analysis as well as statistical research. The mentioned methodology allows us to describe and analyse the presented material considering linguopolitological aspects (i.e. from the perspective of a linguistic analysis of political speech). The paper pays specific attention to the statistical aspects of the linguistic analysis, which allows qualitatively important and interesting preliminary conclusions.
Keywords: Translation studies, Digital Rustvelology, Georgian Language, Deontic Modal Semantics
Abstract: Deontic semantics is one of the types of the category of modality which expresses the need for actions to be performed by morally responsible agents at the level of possibility (Lyons: 1977, 823). F. R. Palmer classifies deontic modality as “discourse-oriented” because, in his view, deontic semantics inherently involve both the speaker and the addressee (Palmer, 1999:36). In the poem The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, various deontic modal meanings are expressed through different verbs: Suitability/Inadequacy – hshvenis, egebis; Obligation – egebis, khams, unda; and Estimation – egebis, khams, unda. A study of the English translations of the epic revealed that deontic modality manifests through a range of semantic groups and expressions in the poem. As a result, we find diverse translations where deontic modal meanings are generally conveyed accurately, sometimes using the same modal verbs and sometimes through synonymous equivalents. In rare instances, modal meanings are diminished in translation. This occurs more frequently in Lynn Coffin’s translation than in Wardrop’s. The discrepancy may stem from the fact that Wardrop’s translation is in prose, allowing him to select more precise contextual equivalents with relative ease. In contrast, Lynn Coffin, in her effort to preserve the poem’s metric structure, sometimes struggled to use exact modal verbs or constructions, leading her to opt for alternative expressions in certain contexts.
Keywords: Translation studies, Digital Rustvelology, Georgian Language
Abstract: The present paper analyses Rustaveli’s vision based on two concepts, namely, მიჯნური /miǯnuri/ (‘beloved’) and მოყვასი /moq̇ vasi/ (‘friend’). The methodology used in the paper is a corpus linguistic analysis of the epic and its Russian translations, i.e. the complete poetic translations made by Konstantine Balmont, Shalva Nutsubidze, and Archil Khalvashi. Based on the empirical material, the paper analyses the issue of transfer of the above-mentioned concepts in the process of translation. The paper evaluates the degree of equivalence and the relations between the original text and its translations. The empirical material has been obtained by means of a beta-version of the parallel corpus of translations Rustaveli Goes Digital. Our research of the Russian translations of the epic has revealed the diversity of equivalents used. The analysis of the translations has yielded the contextual and functional equivalents of the words მიჯნური /miǯnuri/ (‘beloved’) and მოყვასი /moq̇ vasi/ (‘friend’). The investigation has proven that Nutsubidze and Khalvashi apply the method of lexical borrowing when translating the two above-mentioned concepts. The aim of applying lexical borrowing is to preserve an adequate degree of the aesthetic and emotional impact of the original concept in the translated versions.
Keywords: Georgian Folklore, Epos of Amiran, Hubris, Comparative Literature Studeis
Abstract: Despite its diversity and rich tradition, the epic genre is less represented in the Georgian folklore. In Georgian folklore, there is no evidence of a historical epic, there is no clearly defined historical or pseudo-historical hero. In Georgian folklore, Amirani belongs to the genre of tragic epic, where the drama of the rise and fall of a man is told by means of heroic-adventure and mythological motifs. Despite the fact that Amiranian is often discussed in relation to the myth of Prometheus, it has much more in common with Greek classical drama than with the myth of Prometheus. “Amiranian”, like Greek drama, is built on hubris (Z. Kiknadze 2011). The present article discusses the motif of hubris in a comparative perspective according to the Anglo-Saxon “Beowulf” and the Georgian “Amiraniani”.
Keywords: North Caucasian Languages, Ossetic Language, Software Engineering
Abstract: The languages of the North Caucasus have traditionally been overlooked by large consumer-oriented language enterprises such as Google Translate or Duolingo; this is partly due to the small number of speakers, partly due to the absence of consistent institutional support and simple lack of resources. Many solutions have been emerging from the grounds over the last decade with the increased availability and the general spread of technologies and software engineering. However, mainly due to the mentioned lack of resources, several products were not able to keep up in the race with the rapid technological progress and ever-increasing user-expectations. The apparent obsolescence of existing solutions demands for an updated approach and new initiatives. In this paper we describe Bazur (Digor Ossetic “wing”) which is available as a mobile application for Android, for iOS, and as a desktop version. The application currently consists of 18 languages and dialects. A friendly user interface, powerful search capabilities, and convenient cloud-availability were the key areas of the development. Additionally, we have built the crowdsourcing functionality, making every speaker a potential contributor.
