Afusi Microtoponyms (Structural and Semantic Analysis)

Abstract

Apusi / Afusi is one of the old settlements in Fereydan. In 1996, due to the increase in the number of its population, Afusi was given the status of a town. Based on the 2011 census data, its residents made 4 313 people (1 243 households).

The name Afusi is mentioned in Persian and Armenian sources, as well as in old documents and all the headstone inscriptions in the area. However, the Georgian sources and the memory of Fereydani people have kept the other name – Ruispiri.          

Regrettably, the Georgian language is no longer spoken in Afusi as it has been completely forgotten, but it should be noted that the Afusi population is generally regarded as Georgian (e.g., on the Town Mayor’s official website Afusi residents are called Georgians). The majority of the Afusi population is still proud of their Georgian origin.

The process of language attrition supposedly started in the 19^th century. Mohammad Safian considered the frequent visits of the Qajar dynasty Princes, who used to hunt in Afusi, as a significant factor contributing to the language loss. According to the locals, the violence committed by Khans and rulers, and the failure of the Georgian speaking Afusians to defend their rights led the population to language attrition.

It is noteworthy that in “The Geographical Dictionary of Iran” (1954) Persian and Georgian are mentioned as the two languages spoken by the Afusi population.

As for the name of the settlement, the sources and folk speech suggest different versions:  Afusi/Afus, Apusi/Apus, Afruzi, Ruispiri, Rustavi.

There are not many Georgian micro toponyms in Afusi. The geographical names are mostly composites (consisting of a determiner and a word it determines).

1. The words described by determiners are Georgian: გორა (gora – “a hill”), თავი (tavi – “a top”), რუვი (ruvi – “a rivulet”), ღელე (ghele – a river), (წ)ყარო (ts)karo – “a spring”); ყელი (keli – “a neck, a gorge”), ყრა (kra – “division”), ჯვარი (jvari – a cross)...

ახალრუი (akhalrui – “a new rivulet”); დიდრუი (didrui – “a big rivulet”); ზეჲთ რუი (zeit rui – “an upper rivulet”); თავქე რუი (tavke rui  – “a downward rivulet”); ქოვით რუი (kovit ru – “a rivulet in a lower place”)... სამზე ყარო (samze karo – “a full spring”)... ხერსის ღელე (// ხირსი დარა  (khersis Ghele/ khirsi dara – “a bear’s river”)... დიდგორა (didgora – “a big hill”); ქამარყელი (kamarkeli); მეროყრა (merokra<meore kra – “division for the second time); მესამე ყრა (mesame kra  – “division for the third time”); გალოსთავი (galostavi < kalos tavi – “the top of a rock”); ნაონჯვარი (naonjvari < naomari jvari – “a cross that has been in a battle”)...

1. Foreign (Persian, Turkish, Arabic) words are used as determiners: ბააყ (baak, Persian “garden”), დარეჰ (dareh “gorge”)... გოლი (goli, Turkish “lake”), თაფე (tape “hill”)... მაზრა (mazra, Arabic “field, grove”), მაჰალე (mahale “district”), ყალჸე (kalkhe, Arabic “castle”), ყარ (kar “cave”)...

ბაყე ნესარ (bake nesar – “a shadowy garden”); დარე სიბჰა (dare sibha – “apple valley”);  ჩეშმე ბალა (chemshe bala – “an upper stream”); ჩეშმე ფაინ (chemshe pain – “a lower stream”); თაფე მუში (tape mushi – “mouse hill”); მაზრა მიანეჰ (mazra myaneh - “mid district”); მაჰალე მიანე (mahale miane – “mid region”); ყალჸე ბალა (kalkhe bala – “an upper castle”); ყალჸე ფაინ  (kalkhe pain – “a lower castle”)...

The Afusi dialect contains toponyms with Georgian affixes:

Toponyms with სა – ე (sa – e) confix: სა-ბუქრ-ე (sa-bukr-e), სა-თაფლ-ე (sa-tapl-e – “a place where honey can be found”); სა-კრ-ე (sa-kr-e < sakare – “a door bolt”); სა-ჩოგნ-ე (sa-chogn-e – “a place for rackets”).

Words formed with ნა – ალ (na-al) confixes: ნა-სერ-ალ-ი (na-ser-al-i – “a former hillock”).

Words formed with ნა – არ (na-ar) confixes: ნა-მახოდვ-არ-ი (na-makhodv-ar-i).

The Georgian micro toponyms of Afusi are a clear proof that at some time Georgians lived in that place and spoke the Georgian language. Over time, the linguistic situation has changed; In Afus, the Georgian language was replaced by Persian, which was more or less reflected in the geographical names.