ივანე ჯავახიშვილი − ლინგვისტიკური კავკასიოლოგიის მესაძირკვლე საქართველოში

Abstract

A new era in Georgian science begins with the establishment of the First National University in Tbilisi. Ivane Javakhishvili led a group of Georgian intellectuals from the University of St. Petersburg and other scientific centers abroad. They all gathered at the newly established University in Tbilisi at the Caucasus Cultural Center, where the Kartvelological-Caucasian research began. Studying the languages of the Caucasus and the people of the Caucasus, along with the study of the history of the Georgian-Kartvelian languages and the Georgian nation, has been on the agenda since the founding of the first Georgian University. Ivane Javakhishvili’s scientific concept was to study Georgia in the context of the Caucasus. The “Introduction to the History of the Georgian Nation” (in two books) were followed by the the five-volume “History of the Georgian Nation”. Familiarity with the titles of these papers alone is enough to prove the above. The first book’s title is “Historical-Ethnological Problems of Georgia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East”. The second book is dedicated to the relation of Kartvelian languages to Caucasian languages, which is called “The Original Nature and Kinship of the Georgian and Caucasian languages”. Ivane Javakhishvili encountered an obstacle while researching the ethnogenesis of Georgians only considering the material of Kartvelian languages: “It became clear to me that it is impossible to identify and resolve the issues of Georgian disputes and ancient culture only by using existing ethnological and linguistic sources and only by analyzing Georgian-Kartvelian language material. For this, ethnographic and linguistic materials of Caucasian nations and languages are still necessary” (Javakhishvili, 1937, p. XI). Ivane Javakhishvili needed to study the genesis of the Kartvelian-Caucasian languages to solve historical problems. He, as a historian, wanted to lay down a linguistically reasoned basis before beginning historical research. Ivane Javakhishvili applied historical linguistics; he took historicism as the main principle during the morphological-etymological search of Kartvelian- Caucasian languages. The researcher was fully aware of the importance of diachronic linguistics in affirming the kinship of languages. In the landmark work “The Original Nature and Kinship of the Georgian and Caucasian Languages”, the relationship between Kartvelian and Caucasian languages is resolved. In the same work, the concept of the scientist can be seen as a formula: “Only in this direction, with these methods and the use of such materials will it be possible to pave the way, which will take us to a wider arena from now on and will be able to solve an interesting and fundamental problem in every way” (Javakhishvili, 1937, p. 625). Thus, Ivane Javakhishvili should be considered the founder of Linguistic Caucasology, later called “Iberian-Caucasian Linguistics” by his student Arnold Chikobava. It should be noted that one of the most interesting works created by the Tbilisi School of Caucasiology is Arnold Chikobava’s “The Oldest Structure of Noun Bases in Kartvellian Languages” (1942). In this paper, the author follows Ivane Javakhishvili’s steps; in particular, he studies the problem of the root formation of Kartvelian languages – the structure of the noun bases − the issue of root, grammatical class category formats, and determinant suffixes. According to Arnold Chikobava, the result of the research was identical to the model of the roof formation of other Caucasian languages. The will left by Ivane Javakhishvili, which stipulates the need for Georgians to study Caucasian languages, is being enforced today by the Institute of Caucasology. The representatives of latter are trying to walk the path set by their great ancestors.