Abstract:
Indeed, the formation of Georgian linguistic schools is related to the 20th
century, however, it should also be noted that the previous century created
the foundation for fundamental studies. The attempts made on the part of
the Georgians to compile various types of dictionaries in some cases suggested
a spontaneous desire of a self-taught lexicographer, yet such
attempts are still highly valuable. Unquestionably, lexicography is mainly of practical and applied nature, and a unique character of a particular dictionnary
is achieved by finding appropriately selected lexical units and an
equally appropriate selection of dictionary principles. In the present case,
this involves dictionaries compiled by Kote Kipiani, the son of D. Kipiani, part
of which has not yet been published so far and which are preserved in the
form of manuscripts at the Museum of Theatre, Music, Cinema and Choreography
in Tbilisi. These include Georgian-Russian-Latin Botanical Dictionary
and Academic Dictionary.
Kote Kipiani with his excellent expertise in French and Russian languages
was well aware of underachievement of countries under the Russian
imperial rule in this respect. He was striving for the development of particular
fields, on the one hand, and aiming to achieve the purity of the Georgian
language, on the other, because the language of the Russian-educated
Georgians was characterized by excessive use of barbarisms. Producing a
truly flawless translation by someone without specific linguistic knowledge is
the most intricate task, therefore, it took Kote Kipiani fifteen years to work
on the Academic Dictionary.
The Russian-Georgian Dictionary was the only one published [1896]. It
features particularly interesting entries in the fields of mineralogy, astronomy,
and zoology. The Russian-Georgian Dictionary should have become the
basis for development of specific fields within the scope of the Georgian
language, and the dictionaries compiled by K. Kipiani allowed for the use of
appropriate lexical units in the mother language. A proper vision of the future
of the Georgian science and the relevant persistent work towards accomplishing
it distinguishes him not only as an author at a particular stage in the
development of the Georgian lexicography but also as a man of principle and
a sensible public figure.
