[Ethnocomm] Issues in Kartvelian Studies

[Dessy Vassileva]

To Whom It May Concern,



I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to you as we have recently
published a book that we believe may be of interest to you and your
institution. The book is entitled *Issues in Kartvelian Studies**,* edited
by Tamar Makharoblidze.



Kind regards,


Dessy Vassileva
*Vernon Press*
dessy.vassileva at vernonpress.com

*Book details:*



*ISBN: *978-1-64889-475-6

https://vernonpress.com/book/1552
[image: image.png]
Georgia is a part of the Caucasus region, located at the intersection of
Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is bounded to the west by the Black
Sea, to the north and east by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia,
and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. Georgia covers a territory of 69,700
square kilometres (26,911 sq mi), and its approximate population is about
3.716 million. Georgia is a motherland of Iberian or Kartvelian languages:
Georgian, Svan, Megrelian and Laz, a language family native to the South
Caucasus.


This diverse collection is devoted to a wide range of linguistic works,
such as descriptive studies of the Kartvelian languages and Georgian sign
language, along with some theoretical contributions, dialectology,
lexicography, psycholinguistics and computational linguistics, as well as
history, ethnography, religion and educational issues. These articles are
not only the best studies of Kartvelology but also clearly show its
contribution to world science.


The Caucasian Republic of Georgia is a veritable paradise for linguists and
folklorists. Unfortunately, few know this. Fortunately, Makharoblidze (Ilia
State University) created the key to this paradise: the twelve articles in
her “Issues in Kartvelian Studies” guide us through this tantalizing
paradise. The book starts with a comprehensive article on the history of
Georgian dialects—some outside Georgia—and another about their
interrelations and relations with non-Georgian languages, incorporating
recent findings and theories. Several articles discuss the Georgian
literary language: its ergative case system still poses questions, as do
its morphosyntactic predictability and its expressions of space, location,
negation and its relative pronouns, all of which are the subject of
perceptive articles. An article about Georgian Sign Language, which
replaced a Russian Sign Language unsuitable for non-Russians, interestingly
includes facial expressions. We also find a helpful overview of Georgian
dictionaries, beginning in the 11th century! We then learn about the
creation of the Georgian national language, its problems beginning in
Tsarist times through the Soviet period and now continuing in dealings with
minorities. Finally, there is a fascinating and wide interview with a
‘tav-khevisberi’ (chief priest) about what could be described as the
Georgian Paganism of the northeastern highlands, followed by a detailed
article on the influence of the Georgian Church.

Prof. Dr. Bert Beynen
Temple University


The volume offers original and fascinating investigations into a broad
spectrum of topics in Kartvelian Studies. Contributions by renowned
scholars in the field of Kartvelology explore historical and dialectal as
well as synchronic perspectives on Kartvelian languages, including
Georgian, Mingrelian and Laz. Georgian sign language is studied in one
chapter. The book is of interest to readers also outside the field of
Kartvelology. Specialists in typological and digital linguistics,
psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics will discover contributions in their
areas of specialization. In addition to Kartvelian linguistics, the volume
embraces religious topics, such as traditional religious practices in the
Georgian highlands and the role of the Georgian Orthodox Church in state
and nation building, from earliest times and to the present day. This
empirically rich volume with explorative and well-argued analyses is
stimulating reading for those who want to gain further understanding of
linguistic, historical and religious perspectives on this complex region.

Karina Vamling
Professor of Caucasus Studies
Malmö University, Sweden
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