Expression of the plural form of the third subjective person In the Taoian dialect of the Georgian language

Abstract

In the Georgian literary language and dialects, the plurality of I-II subjective persons is generally marked similarly (with the -t morpheme). From the point of view of the expression of the third person plural, more or less difference is confirmed, on the one hand, in the ancient and modern literary language, and on the other hand, in the dialects of the Georgian language. An interesting situation is shown by the Taoian dialect, which preserves archaisms along with new linguistic facts.

Our research aims to analyze the occurrence of third-person plural suffixes in the Taoian dialect of the Georgian language, to highlight archaic and dialectal facts. The research is based on new material recorded by us in Tao villages and Taoian texts preserved in Professor Tariel Futkaradze Scientific-Research Center of Kartvelology of Akaki Tsereteli State University recorded in 2006-2024. We have also processed the published samples of Taoian speech (Putkaradze, 1993; Paghava, at al.,  2020).

The issue is relevant since it concerns the dialect that remains outside the borders of the state of Georgia, which has been developing in a foreign, Turkish language environment for four centuries. Thus, it is interesting to what extent the Taoian dialect has preserved the structural features of the Georgian verb.

Scientific novelty: based on the analysis of Taoian dialectal texts, a complete picture of the distribution of the signs of the third subjective person plural according to individual verb paradigms is presented; The situation in  Taoian is comparable to the subsystems of the Georgian language.

In research, we use methods of fieldwork (recording of material), description, comparison, and analysis.

In the study dialect, the suffixes -en, -an, -es, -n are used to express the plural of the third person.

The suffix -en will is attached to the forms of the present and future tense: asheneb-en, cham-en, urev-en, meitaneb-en, isakmeben, atseven, gomovl-en... -av, -am -stem marker vowel a is usually reduced: -av +en > v+en; -am+en > m+en: tibv-en, iburv-en, tesv-en, ikidv-en, sheinaxhven…itsm-en, ikm-en, uzmen. Rarely the stem marking f consonant is also lost: kl-en, tib-en...

The suffix -an is present with both transitive and intransitive verbs in the forms of present and future tense and the Perfect: umziri-an, ijebi-an (<irjebian), etkhoeb-an (‘tkhovdebian’), gaskhni-an, shekhri-an, iarebi-an , midi-an, dzian (‘zian’), ekhvaratebi-an (‘elaparakebian’), dajdebi-an, undan-an / undav-an, miakv-an, mihkav-an, ukvaran…uchami-an (‘uchamiat’), gumukri-an (‘gamoukriat’), gumutsli-an (‘gamoutsliat’), tzomosul-an...

-es formant, like archaic Georgian, appears in Imperfect  and Aorist indicative forms with all types of verbs: Imperfect: tserd-es (‘tserdnen’), ashenebd-es (‘ashenebdnen’), tesvid-es (‘tesavdnen"),  rtskvid-es (‘rtskavdnen’),  itsmid-es (‘itsvamdnen’), smid-es (‘svamdnen’)... kond-es (‘hkondat’), kavd-es (‘hkavdat’)...Verbs with  - av, -am suffixes are also found here in form of -v, -m. Aorist indicative: tser-es, tib-es, deibur-es... chevn-es (‘chavidnen’), ikvn-es (‘ikvnen’)... -es is also noticed in Pluperfect: eetsi-es (‘aetsiat’), meetib-es (‘moetibat’…)

With the suffix -n, the forms of subjunctive are usually formed: [unda] ikitkho-n, imushao-n, meigo-n, kna-n, gabevrne-n...

It can be said that in the Taoian dialect, despite the strong influence of Turkish, the structure of the Georgian verb still maintains its stability, which is confirmed by the morphemes of the third person plural.