Toward a historical grammar of elevation in Kartvelian


2024. №3, 31-59

Alexander A. Rostovtsev-Popiel
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany; rostovts@uni-mainz.de
Merab J. Chukhua
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia; mchukhua@yahoo.com

Abstract:

This paper in detail addresses and, for the first time in the field, presents linguistic evidence related to the expression of elevational semantics in the Kartvelian languages. The domains of its expression include a wide range of parts of speech, such as adverbs, adjectives, postpositions, and verbs. Provided with a broad synchronic illustrative base, as well as with respective diachronic commentaries, the material under discussion is meant to lay the groundwork for the establishment of a diachronic grammar of elevation in Kartvelian.

Keywords
diachrony
elevation
Kartvelian
spatial semantics

For citation:

Rostovtsev-Popiel A. A., Chukhua M. J. Toward a historical grammar of elevation in Kartvelian. Voprosy Jazykoznanija, 2024, 3: 31–59.

Acknowledgements:

This paper is based on our talk presented at and designed for the purposes of the Zoom Workshop “Typology and Diachrony of Elevational Spatial Deixis” (23–24.11.2020; convenors: Gilles Authier, Antoinette Schapper). We are indebted to the participants thereof and to Timur Maisak and Yakov Testelets for their valuable comments. Sofia Ovchinnikova and Michael Ireton deserve special thanks for their assistance in the refinement of the pilot questionnaire. We would also like to credit our native consultants: Sopo Berulava, Maia Memišiši, Natia Poniava, Lile Tandilava (Laz); Lik’a Ǯalaγonia (Megrelian); Rusudan Ioseliani, Medea Saγliani and Nat’o Šavrešiani (Svan). The rest goes to the anonymous reviewers who made their comments on the previous versions of the paper.