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Encyclopedia > Georgian language
Georgian
ქართული Kartuli
Spoken in: Georgia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia
Total speakers: 4.1 million [1]
Language family: South Caucasian
 Georgian
 
Writing system: Georgian alphabet 
Official status
Official language in: Georgia
Regulated by: no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1: ka
ISO 639-2: geo (B)  kat (T)
ISO 639-3: kat

Georgian (ქართული ენა, kartuli ena) is the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... A language family is a group of languages related by descent from a common proto-language. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Writing systems of the world today. ... The Georgian alphabet (Georgian: ) is the script currently used to write the Georgian language and other Kartvelian languages (Mingrelian, Svan and sometimes Laz), and occasionally other languages of the Caucasus (such as Ossetic and Abkhaz in the 1940s). ... ISO 639-1 is the first part of the ISO 639 international-standard language-code family. ... ISO 639-2 is the second part of the ISO 639 standard, which lists codes for the representation of the names of languages. ... ISO 639-3 is an international standard for language codes. ... The Unicode Standard, Version 5. ... An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... The Ethnolinguistic patchwork of the modern Caucasus - CIA map This article concerns the geographic region. ...


Georgian is the primary language of about 3.9 million people in Georgia itself (83 percent of the population), and of another 500,000 abroad (chiefly in Turkey, Iran, Russia, USA and Europe). It is the literary language for all ethnographic groups of Georgian people, especially those who speak other South Caucasian languages (or Kartvelian languages): Svans, Mingrelians, and the Laz. Gruzinic, or "Kivruli", sometimes considered a separate Jewish language, is spoken by an additional 20,000 in Georgia and 65,000 elsewhere (primarily 60,000 in Israel). For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... The Georgians (ქართველი ერი (Kartveli Eri) or ქართველები (Kartvelebi) in the Georgian language) are a nation or an ethnic group, originating in the Caucasus. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Svan language (ლუშნუ ნინ/შკა̈ნ lušnu nin/šḳän in Svan; სვანური ენა, svanuri ena in Georgian) is a language spoken in Northwest Georgia. ... The Megrelian language (Megruli ena in Georgian, Margaluri nina in Megrelian), sometimes called Mingrelian, is a language spoken in northwest Georgia. ... The Laz language (lazuri, ლაზური or lazuri nena, ლაზური ნენა in Laz; ლაზური, lazuri, or ჭანური, chanuri, in Georgian) is spoken by the Laz people on the Southeast shore of the Black Sea. ... Gruzinic (also known as Kivruli and Judæo-Georgian) is the traditional language spoken by the Georgian Jews, the ancient Jewish community of the Caucasus nation of Georgia. ... The Jewish languages are a set of languages that developed in various Jewish communities, in Europe, southern and south-western Asia, and northern Africa. ...

Contents

Classification

Part of the series on
Georgians
ქართველები

Georgian culture
Architecture · Art · Cinema · Cuisine ·
Dance · Dress · Literature · Music ·
Media · Religion · Sport A page from a rare 12th century Gelati Gospel depicting the Nativity from the Museum of Fine Arts in Tbilisi. ... Gremi Church The Architecture of Georgia is the architecture native to Georgia. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... There are a number of dances of Georgia, these folk dances of the Georgian people have a number of purposes. ... Georgian literature may refer to: Augustan literature, the style of literature of English literature from 1700 up to approximately 1760 (or, for some, 1789) (during the reigns of Queen Anne, George I, and George II), or to British literature of the Georgian era, which ran from 1714-1830. ... Georgian folk musicians, 1890 // Georgian folk music possesses what the oldest tradition of polyphonic music in the world, predating the introduction of Christianity. ... Ancient Georgian iconic art depicting wrestling Historically, Georgia has been famous for its physical education; it is known that the Romans were fascinated with Georgians physical qualities after seeing the training techniques of ancient Iberia. ...

By country and regions
Georgia,
Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia
Autonomous Republic of Adjara
Capital Sokhumi Official languages Abkhaz, Georgian Government  -  Chairman, Cabinet of Ministers  -  Chairman, Supreme Council Temur Mzhavia Autonomous republic of Georgia  -  Georgian independence Declared Recognised 9 April 1991 25 December 1991  Currency Georgian lari (GEL) Anthem Aiaaira Capital Sukhumi Official languages Abkhaz, Russian1 Government  -  President Sergei Bagapsh  -  Prime Minister Alexander Ankvab... Official language Georgian Capital Batumi ISO code GE.AJ Head of the Government Levan Varshalomidze Area  - Total  - % water 2,900 km² n/a Population  - Total (1989)  - Density 392,432 135. ...

Religion
Georgian Orthodox Church
Georgian Catholicism · Islam The Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church (Saqartvelos Samotsiqulo Avtokepaluri Martlmadidebeli Eklesia in Georgian language) is one of the worlds most ancient Christian Churches, founded in the 1st century by the Apostle Andrew. ... The Georgian Catholic Church refers to the church of Georgian Catholics reunited to Rome and following the Byzantine Rite. ... Islam in Georgia was introduced in 645 A.D. when army sent by Second Caliph of Islam, Umar, conquered Eastern Georgia and established Muslim rule in Tbilisi. ...

Languages and dialects
Georgian language
Georgian dialects · Georgian alphabet Georgian (Georgian: , Kartuli) is a South Caucasian, or Kartvelian, language spoken by about 4. ... The Georgian alphabet (Georgian: ) is the script currently used to write the Georgian language and other Kartvelian languages (Mingrelian, Svan and sometimes Laz), and occasionally other languages of the Caucasus (such as Ossetic and Abkhaz in the 1940s). ...

Georgian History Georgia has one of the world’s richest and oldest history, stretching back to the prehistoric times. ...

v  d  e

Georgian is the most pervasive of the South Caucasian languages, a family that also includes Svan and Megrelian (chiefly spoken in Northwest Georgia) and Laz (chiefly spoken along the Black Sea coast of Turkey, from Melyat, Rize to the Georgian frontier). This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Svan language (ლუშნუ ნინ/შკა̈ნ lušnu nin/šḳän in Svan; სვანური ენა, svanuri ena in Georgian) is a language spoken in Northwest Georgia. ... Megrelian or Mingrelian (მარგალური ნინა, Margaluri nina, in Megrelian; მეგრული ენა, Megruli ena, in Georgian) is a language spoken in northwest Georgia. ... The Laz language (lazuri, ლაზური or lazuri nena, ლაზური ნენა in Laz; ლაზური, lazuri, or ჭანური, chanuri, in Georgian) is spoken by the Laz people on the Southeast shore of the Black Sea. ... Rize is the capital of Rize Province, in north-east Turkey, on the Black Sea coast. ...


Dialects

Main article: Georgian dialects

Dialects of Georgian include Imeretian, Racha-Lechkhumian, Gurian, Adjaran, Imerkhevian (in Turkey), Kartlian, Kakhetian, Ingilo (in Azerbaijan), Tush, Khevsur, Mokhevian, Pshavian, Fereydan dialect in Iran in Fereydunshahr and Fereydan, Mtiuletian, Meskhetian. Georgian (Georgian: , Kartuli) is a South Caucasian, or Kartvelian, language spoken by about 4. ... Imereti is a historic province in Western Georgia, situated along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni river. ... Racha (Ratcha is a more correct spelling) (Georgian: რაჭა, Rača) is a historic province in Georgia, in the mountainous northwestern part of the country. ... Lechkhumi, also spelled Lecxumi (Georgian: ლეჩხუმი) is a historic province in northwestern Georgia which comprises the area along the middle basin of the Rioni and Tskhenistskali and also the Lajanuri river valley. ... Guria is a region in Georgia (Caucasus), in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the Black Sea. ... Adjaran (Acharuli / აჭარული) is one of the Georgian Dialects primarily spoken within the borders of the autonomous republic of Adjara, Georgia, also in two villages of the adjacent region of Guria, and the ethnic Georgian-inhabited areas of Turkey. ... Imerkhevi (იმერხევი in Georgian, İmerhev in Turkish) is a valley in the north of Şavşat district in Artvin Province of Turkey along the border with Georgia. ... Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia. ... Categories: Caucasus geography stubs | Georgia (country) ... Saingilo (საინგილო in Georgian) was a historic part of Georgia (Kingdom of Iberia) from ancient time. ... Tusheti, or Tushetia, is a historic region in northeast Georgia. ... Khevsureti mountains Khevsureti is a historic province in eastern Georgia, located along both the northern and southern slopes of the Great Caucasus Mountains. ... Khevi (Georgian: ხევი) is a small historical-geographic area in northeastern Georgia. ... A fortress village of Shatili Khevsureti mountains Khevsureti is a historic province in eastern Georgia, mainly on the southern slopes of the Great Caucasus Mountains. ... The Georgian language is used by some people in Iran. ... Fereydoon Shahr or Fereydunshahr is a city in the western part of the Isfahan province of Iran. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Mtiuleti (Georgian: ; literally, the land of mountains) is a historical province in eastern Georgia, on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. ... Meskheti is a mountainous area and a province in the South-West of Georgia. ...


History

Georgian is believed to have separated from Megrelian and Laz in the first millennium BC. Based on the degree of change, linguists (e.g. Klimov, T. Gamkrelidze, G. Machavariani) conjecture that the earliest split occurred in the second millennium BC or earlier, separating Svan from the other languages. Megrelian and Laz separated from Georgian roughly a thousand years later. The Megrelian language (Megruli ena in Georgian, Margaluri nina in Megrelian), sometimes called Mingrelian, is a language spoken in northwest Georgia. ... The Laz language (lazuri, ლაზური or lazuri nena, ლაზური ნენა in Laz; ლაზური, lazuri, or ჭანური, chanuri, in Georgian) is spoken by the Laz people on the Southeast shore of the Black Sea. ... The Svan language (ლუშნუ ნინ/შკა̈ნ luÅ¡nu nin/šḳän in Svan; სვანური ენა, svanuri ena in Georgian) is a language spoken in Northwest Georgia. ...


Georgian has a rich literary tradition. The oldest surviving literary text in Georgian is the "Martyrdom of the Holy Queen Shushanik" (Tsamebay tsmindisa Shushanikisi, dedoplisa) by Iakob Tsurtaveli, from the 5th century AD. The Georgian national epic, "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" (Vepkhistqaosani), by Shota Rustaveli, dates from the 12th century. The Martyrdom of the Holy Queen Shushanik (also translated as The Passion of Saint Shushanik; Georgian: წამებაჲ წმიდისა შუშანიკისი დედოფლისაჲ, C’amebay C’midisa Shushanikisi Dedop’lisay) is the first extant piece of Georgian literature. ... Jacob of Tsurtavi (Georgian: იაკობ ცურტაველი, Iakob Tsurtaveli) also known as Jacob the Priest (იაკობ ხუცესი, Iakob Khutsesi) was the 5th-century Georgian religious writer and priest from Tsurtavi, then the major town of Gogarene and the Lower Iberia. ... King Rostevan and Avtandil go hunting. ... Shota Rustaveli, an artistic notion of the poet by Sergo Kobuladze (1937). ...


Sounds and Writing system

Main article: Georgian alphabet

Georgian has been written in a variety of scripts over its history. Currently one alphabet, mkhedruli ("military") is almost completely dominant; the others are mostly of interest to scholars reading historical documents. The Georgian alphabet (Georgian: ) is the script currently used to write the Georgian language and other Kartvelian languages (Mingrelian, Svan and sometimes Laz), and occasionally other languages of the Caucasus (such as Ossetic and Abkhaz in the 1940s). ... The Georgian alphabet is the script currently used to write the Georgian language and occasionally other languages of the Caucasus. ...


Mkhedruli has 33 letters in common use; a half dozen more are now obsolete. The letters of mkhedruli correspond to the sounds of the Georgian language.


According to the traditional accounts written down by Leonti Mroveli in the 11th century, the first Georgian alphabet was created by the first King of Caucasian Iberia (also called Kartli), Pharnavaz in the 3rd century BC. However, the first examples of that alphabet, or its modified version, date from the 4th-5th centuries CE. During the centuries the alphabet was modernized. Nowadays there are three Georgian alphabets which are quite different from each other, so that knowing one of them can't help you to read a text written in the others. These alphabets are called asomtavruli (Capitals), nuskhuri (Small letters) and mkhedruli. The first two are used together as capital and small letters and they form a single alphabet used in the Georgian Orthodox Church and called khutsuri (priests'). Leonti Mroveli (Georgian: ლეონტი მროველი) was the 11th-century Georgian historian and priest. ... Ancient countries of Caucasus: Armenia, Iberia, Colchis and Albania Iberia was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli (4th century BC-5th century AD) corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia. ... Kartli is the largest and most populated province of Eastern Georgia. ... Pharnavaz I (also written Parnavaz, P’arnawaz, or Farnavaz) (Georgian: ფარნავაზი) (ca 335-237 BC) was the first king of the ancient Georgian kingdom of Iberia (Kartli) in ca 302-237 BC. Founder of the royal dynasty of Pharnavazians, he is also said to have established a new official religion, a... The Georgian alphabet is the script currently used to write the Georgian language and occasionally other languages of the Caucasus. ... The Georgian alphabet is the script currently used to write the Georgian language and occasionally other languages of the Caucasus. ... The Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church is one of the worlds most ancient Christian Churches, founded in the 1st century by the Apostle Andrew. ... The Georgian alphabet is the script currently used to write the Georgian language and occasionally other languages of the Caucasus. ...


In mkhedruli, there are no separate forms for capital letters. Sometimes, however, a capital-like effect is achieved by scaling and positioning the ordinary letters so that their vertical sizes are identical and they rest on the baseline with no descenders. These capital-like letters are often used in page headings, chapter titles, monumental inscriptions, and the like.


Consonants

Symbols on the left are those of the IPA and those on the right are of the Georgian alphabet The Georgian alphabet (Georgian: ) is the script currently used to write the Georgian language and other Kartvelian languages (Mingrelian, Svan and sometimes Laz), and occasionally other languages of the Caucasus (such as Ossetic and Abkhaz in the 1940s). ...

Georgian consonants[2]
  Labial Dental/
Alveolar
Post-
alveolar
Velar Uvular Glottal
Nasal m n
Plosive aspirated
voiced b d g
ejective
Affricate plain ts
voiced dz
ejective tsʼ tʃʼ
Fricative voiceless s ʃ x1 h
voiced v z ʒ ɣ1
Rhotic r
Lateral l
  1. Opinions differ on how to classify /x/ and /ɣ/; Aronson (1990) classifies them as post-velar.[3]. Hewitt[4] views the phonemes rather as ranging from velar to uvular according to context, and many other scholars simply treat the phonemes as purely velar.

Labials are consonants articulated either with both lips (bilabial articulation) or with the lower lip and the upper teeth (labiodental articulation). ... Dentals are consonants such as t, d, n, and l articulated with either the lower or the upper teeth, or both, rather than with the gum ridge as in English. ... Alveolars are consonants articulated with the tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge, the internal side of the upper gums (known as the alveoles of the upper teeth). ... Postalveolar (or palato-alveolar) consonants are consonants articulated with the tip of the tongue between the alveolar ridge (the place of articulation for alveolar consonants) and the palate (the place of articulation for palatal consonants). ... Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue (the dorsum) against the soft palate (the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum). ... Uvulars are consonants articulated with the back of the tongue against or near the uvula, that is, further back in the mouth than velar consonants. ... Glottal consonants are consonants articulated with the glottis. ... A nasal consonant is produced when the velum—that fleshy part of the palate near the back—is lowered, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. ... A stop or plosive or occlusive is a consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the vocal tract. ... In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. ... A voiced consonant is a sound made as the vocal cords vibrate, as opposed to a voiceless consonant, where the vocal cords are relaxed. ... Ejective consonants are a class of consonants which may contrast with aspirated or tenuis consonants in a language. ... Affricate consonants begin as stops (most often an alveolar, such as or ) but release as a fricative (such as or or, in a couple of languages, into a fricative trill) rather than directly into the following vowel. ... A voiced consonant is a sound made as the vocal cords vibrate, as opposed to a voiceless consonant, where the vocal cords are relaxed. ... Ejective consonants are a class of consonants which may contrast with aspirated or tenuis consonants in a language. ... Fricatives (or spirants) are consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together. ... Rhotic consonants, or R-like sounds, are non-lateral liquid consonants. ... Laterals are L-like consonants pronounced with an occlusion made somewhere along the axis of the tongue, while air from the lungs escapes at one side or both sides of the tongue. ... Georgian (, kartuli ena) is the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. ...

Vowels

Vowels[5]
Front Back
Close i u
Mid ɛ ɔ
Open   ɑ

Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... A back vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... A close vowel is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. ... A mid vowel is a vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... An open vowel is a vowel sound of a type used in most spoken languages. ...

Phonotactics

Some features of the Georgian phonotactics. Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ...

  • The language contains some formidable consonant clusters, as may be seen in words like გვფრცქვნი gvprtskvni ("You peel us") and მწვრთნელი mtsvrtneli ("trainer").

In linguistics, a consonant cluster is a group of consonants which have no intervening vowel. ...

Grammar

Main article: Georgian grammar

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Georgian language. ...

Morphology

  • Georgian is an agglutinative language. There are certain prefixes and suffixes that are joined together in order to build a verb. In some cases, there can be up to 8 different morphemes in one verb at the same time. An example can be ageshenebinat ("you (pl) had built"). The verb can be broken down to parts: a-g-e-shen-eb-in-a-t. Each morpheme here contributes to the meaning of the verb tense or the person who has performed the verb (See Georgian grammar for a more detailed discussion).

For other uses, see Morphology. ... An agglutinative language is a language in which the words are formed by joining morphemes together. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Georgian language. ...

Morphophonology

  • In Georgian morphophonology, Syncope is a common phenomenon. When a suffix (especially the plural suffix -eb-) is attached to a word which has either of the vowels a or e in the last syllable, this vowel is, in most words, lost. For example, megobari means "friend." To say "friends," one says, megobØrebi (megobrebi), with the loss of a in the last syllable of the word root.

Morphophonology (also morphophonemics, morphonology) is a branch of linguistics which studies: The phonological structure of morphemes. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Inflection

  • Georgian has seven noun cases: nominative, ergative, dative, genitive, instrumental, adverbial and vocative. An interesting feature of Georgian is that, while the subject of a sentence is generally in the nominative case, and the object is in the accusative case (or dative), in Georgian, one can find this reversed in many situations (this depends mainly on the character of the verb). This is called the dative construction. In the past tense of the transitive verbs, and in the present tense of the verb "to know", the subject is in the ergative case.

The nominative case is a grammatical case for a noun, which generally marks the subject of a verb, as opposed to its object or other verb arguments. ... In ergative-absolutive languages, the ergative case identifies the subject of a transitive verb. ... The dative case is a grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In linguistics, the instrumental case (also called the eighth case) indicates that a noun is the instrument or means by which the subject achieves or accomplishes an action. ... The adverbial case is a noun case in the Abkhaz language and Georgian language that has function similar to the translative and essive cases. ... The vocative case is the case used for a noun identifying the person (animal, object, etc. ... The accusative case (abbreviated ACC) of a noun is the grammatical case used to mark the direct object of a transitive verb. ... The dative construction is a grammatical way of constructing a sentence, with the subject in the dative case and the direct or the indirect object in the nominative case. ...

Syntax

  • Georgian is a post-positional language, meaning that adpositions are placed after (rather than before) the nouns they modify, either as suffixes or as separate words. Many Georgian postpositions correspond to the meanings of prepositions in English. Each postposition requires the modified noun to be in a specific case. (This is similar to prepositions governing specific cases in many Indo-European languages such as German, Latin, Russian, and so on.)
  • Georgian has a subject-verb-object primary sentence structure, but the word order is not as strict as in some Germanic languages such as English. Not all word orders are acceptable, but it is also possible to encounter the structure of subject-object-verb. Georgian has no grammatical gender; even pronouns are gender-neutral. The language also has no articles. Therefore, for example, "guest", "a guest" and "the guest" are said in the same way. In relative clauses, however, it is possible to establish the meaning of the definite article through use of some particles.

A postposition is a type of adposition, a grammatical particle that expresses some sort of relationship between a noun phrase (its object) and another part of the sentence; an adpositional phrase functions as an adjective or adverb. ... In grammar, an adposition is an element that, prototypically, combines syntactically with a phrase and indicates how that phrase should be interpreted in the surrounding context. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... In linguistic typology, subject-verb-object (SVO), is a sentence structure where the subject comes first, the verb second, and the object third. ... The Germanic languages are a group of related languages constituting a branch of the Indo-European (IE) language family. ... In linguistics, grammatical gender is a morphological category associated with the expression of gender through inflection or agreement. ... An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. ... A relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun. ...

Vocabulary

Georgian has a rich word-derivation system. By using a root, and adding some definite prefixes and suffixes, one can derive many nouns and adjectives from the root. For example, from the root -Kart-, the following words can be derived: Kartveli (a Georgian person), Kartuli (the Georgian language) and Sakartvelo (Georgia). In linguistics, derivation is the process of creating new lexemes from other lexemes, for example, by adding a derivational affix. ...


Most Georgian surnames end in -dze ("son") (Western Georgia), -shvili ("child") (Eastern Georgia), -ia (Western Georgia, Samegrelo), -ani (Western Georgia, Svaneti), -uri (Eastern Georgia), etc. At least two personalities with Georgian surnames are known abroad: Eduard Shevardnadze and Joseph Stalin, whose birth name was Dzhugashvili. Samegrelo (Mingrelia) is a historic province in the western part of the republic of Georgia, formerly also known as Odishi. ... Svaneti (სვანეთი. Also known as Svanetia or Svania in Russian and Western languages) is a historic province in Georgia, in the northwestern part of the country. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Georgian: , Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jughashvili; Russian: , Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili) (December 18 [O.S. December 6] 1878[1] – March 5, 1953), better known by his adopted name, Joseph Stalin (alternatively transliterated Josef Stalin), was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Unions Central Committee from...


Georgian has a vigesimal number system, based on the counting system of 20, like Basque or Old French. In order to express a number greater than 20 and less than 100, first the number of 20s in the number is stated and the remaining number is added. For example, 93 is expressed as ოთხმოცდაცამეტი - otkh-m-ots-da-tsamet'i (lit. four-times-twenty-and-thirteen). The vigesimal or base-20 numeral system is based on twenty (in the same way in which the ordinary decimal numeral system is based on ten). ... Basque (native name: euskara) is the language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain and the adjoining region of South-Western France. ...


Examples

Word formations

Georgian has a word derivation system, which allows the derivation of nouns from verb roots both with prefixes and suffixes. For example:

  • From the root -ts'er- ("write"), the words ts'erili ("letter") and mts'erali ("writer") are derived.
  • From the root -tsa- ("give"), the word gadatsema ("broadcast") is derived.
  • From the root -tsda- ("try"), the word gamotsda ("exam") is derived.
  • From the root -gav- ("resemble"), the words msgavsi ("similar") and msgavseba ("similarity") are derived.
  • From the root -šen- ("build"), the word šenoba ("building") is derived.
  • From the root -tskh- ("bake"), the word namtskhvari ("cake") is derived.
  • From the root -tsiv- ("cold"), the word matsivari ("refrigerator") is derived.
  • From the root -pr- ("fly"), the words tvitmprinavi ("plane") and aprena ("take-off") are derived.

It is also possible to derive verbs from nouns:

  • From the noun -omi- ("war"), the verb omob ("wage war") is derived.
  • From the noun -sadili- ("lunch"), the verb sadilob ("eat lunch") is derived.
  • From the noun -sauzme ("breakfast"), the verb ts'asauzmeba ("eat a little breakfast") is derived (The preverb ts'a- in Georgian could add the meaning "VERBing a little."
  • From the noun -sakhli- ("home"), the verb gadasakhleba (the infinite form of the verb "to relocate, to move") is derived.

Likewise, verbs can be derived from adjectives:

  • From the adjective -ts'iteli- ("red"), the verb gats'itleba (the infinite form of both "to blush" and "to make one blush") is derived. This kind of derivation can be done with many adjectives in Georgian. Other examples can be:
  • From the adjective -brma ("blind"), the verbs dabrmaveba (the infinite form of both "to become blind" and "to blind someone") are derived.
  • From the adjective -lamazi- ("beautiful"), the verb galamazeba (the infinite form of the verb "to become beautiful") is derived.

Words that begin with multiple consonants

In Georgian many nouns and adjectives begin with two or more contiguous consonants.

  • Some linguists[attribution needed] assert that almost half of the words in Georgian begin with double consonants. This is because most syllables in the language begin with certain two consonants. Some examples of words that begin with double consonants are:
    • წყალი, (ts'q'ali), "water"
    • სწორი, (sts'ori), "correct"
    • რძე , (rdze), "milk"
    • თმა, (tma), "hair"
    • მთა, (mta), "mountain"
    • ცხენი, (tskheni), "horse"
  • There are also many words that begin with three contiguous consonants:
    • თქვენ, (tkven), "you (plural)"
    • მწვანე, (mts'vane), "green"
    • ცხვირი, (tskhviri), "nose"
    • ტკბილი, (t'k'bili), "sweet"
    • მტკივნეული, (mt'k' ivneuli), "painful"
    • ჩრდილოეთი, (črdiloeti), "north"
  • There also a few words in Georgian that begin with four contiguous consonants. Examples are:
    • მკვლელი, (mk'vleli), "murderer"
    • მკვდარი, (mk'vdari), "dead"
    • მთვრალი, (mtvrali), "drunk"
    • მწკრივი; (mts'k'rivi), "row"
  • There can also be some extreme cases in Georgian. For example, the following word begins with six contiguous consonants:
    • მწვრთნელი, (mts'vrtneli), "trainer"
  • And the following words begin with eight consonants:
    • გვფრცქვნი (gvprtskvni), "you peel us"
    • გვბრდღვნი (gvbrdgvni), "you tear us"

A screeve is a tense/aspect/mood form of a verb. ...

See also

A page from a rare 12th century Gelati Gospel depicting the Nativity from the Museum of Fine Arts in Tbilisi. ... The Georgian language is used by some people in Iran. ... April 14, 1978, demonstrations in Tbilisi, capital of the Georgian SSR (Georgia), took place in response to an attempt by Communist party officials to change the constitutional status of the indigenous Georgian language. ... Chveneburi (Georgian: ), meaning of us in Georgian, is an autonym of Muslim immigrants of Georgian descent who had settled in non-Georgian majority regions of Turkey, thus, of us signifies a triple distinction from Christian Georgians, Muslim Turks, and autochthonous Muslim Georgians. ...

References

  1. ^ Encyclopedia of the Languages of Europe By Glanville Price
  2. ^ Shosted & Shikovani (2006:255)
  3. ^ Aronson, H. I. 1990 Georgian: a reading grammar. Slavica: Columbus.
  4. ^ Hewitt, B. G. 1995 Georgian: a structural reference grammar. John Benjamins: Amsterdam.
  5. ^ Shosted & Chikovani (2006:261)

Georgian (, kartuli ena) is the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. ... Georgian (, kartuli ena) is the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. ...

Bibliography

  • Pavle Ingorokva. Georgian inscriptions of antique.- Bulletin of ENIMK, vol. X, Tbilisi, 1941, pp. 411-427 (in Georgian)
  • Zaza Aleksidze. Epistoleta Tsigni, Tbilisi, 1968, 150 pp (in Georgian)
  • Korneli Danelia, Zurab Sarjveladze. Questions of Georgian Paleography, Tbilisi, 1997, 150 pp (in Georgian, English summary)
  • Elene Machavariani. The graphical basis of the Georgian Alphabet, Tbilisi, 1982, 107 pp (in Georgian, French summary)
  • Ivane Javakhishvili. Georgian Paleography, Tbilisi, 1949, 500 pp (in Georgian)
  • Ramaz Pataridze. The Georgian Asomtavruli, Tbilisi, 1980, 600 pp (in Georgian)
  • "Great discovery" (about the expedition of Academician Levan Chilashvili).- Newspaper "Kviris Palitra", Tbilisi, April 21-27, 2003 (in Georgian)
  • Shosted, Ryan K. & Chikovani Vakhtang (2006), "Standard Georgian", Journal of the International Phonetic Association 36 (2): 255-264

This article needs cleanup. ... Ivane Javakhishvili (April 11, 1876 - November 18, 1940) was an outstanding Georgian historian and public benefactor, co-founder of the Tbilisi State University, one of founders of the modern scientific school of history of Georgia and the Caucasus, Academician (Full Member) of the Academy of Sciences of former Soviet Union...

External links

Wikipedia
Georgian language edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1058x1058, 477 KB) aa Wikipedia logo, version 1058px square, no text Wikipedia logo by Nohat (concept by Paullusmagnus); compare Wikipedia File links The following pages link to this file: Arabic language Talk:Anarcho-capitalism Talk:Algorithm Talk:Anno Domini Talk:The... Wikipedia (IPA: , or ( ) is a multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization. ...


 

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