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Paper abstract:

This paper focuses on the genesis of the class category in the Ibero-Caucasian languages and uses descriptive and comparative methods.

The universal class category, used to classify substantives according to social role, is the core of the grammar of the Ibero-Caucasian languages, completely penetrating the morphological structure of the noun and the verb (A. Dirr, Arn. Chikobava...). Except for Kartvelian, Circassian, and some Lezgi (Lezgi, Agul, and Udi) languages, classifiers have been confirmed in other studied languages. According to the singular forms, two-, three- and four-class regressive systems are now observed in the Ibero-Caucasian languages. In particular, the class systems are distributed as follows: a) binary opposition is typical only for the northern dialect of the Tabasaran language: I class {d-}, II class {b-}; b) in the regressive three-class system, the human class of the binary opposition is differentiated into the classes of men (I - w) and women (II - j), while all the rest are grouped in the class of things (III - b). Three-class systems are attested in the Dargwa, Avar, and some Andian languages, and in other languages, four-class neutral systems function.

According to the specialized literature, different points of view are presented in the studied languages in connection with the genesis of the class category (G. Dumézil, Arn. Chikobava, N. Trubetskoy, N. Andguladze, G. Topuria...).

In our opinion, the binary opposition (I - w, II - b) should have been characteristic in the initial class system. As regards the progressive three-class system, it maintained the aforementioned binary opposition, with the difference that the first class was separated from the second class by the proper marker{j-}. It is assumed that in the Proto-North Caucasian only the exponent {d-} initially functioned as a class IV formant, while in the Proto-Daghestanian it was represented by the allomorphs {d-/r-}. The evolution of classes is schematically represented as follows:

a) Proto-North Caucasian, b) Proto-Nakh

My class *w

II class * j

III class *b

IV class *d

d) Proto-Daghestanian

I class *w

II class * j

III class *b

IV class *d/r

The system of grammatical classes of the Ibero-Caucasian languages, starting from their Proto-Caucasian to the synchronous position, follows the main trend of change - the cardinal line of reduction of classes.

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The paper aims at defining the semantic distinctive features of the Georgian verbal affix or infix -am-, found, e.g. in vsvam, “I drink.” Only about 15 verbs have this infix, also called present/future stem formant (P/FSF); there are four other such infixes: -av-, -i-, -eb- , -ob- and maybe -op-. A few verbs, the so called “root verbs”, have a zero infix (Aronson, "Georgian ... ," 40; Tschenkeli, "Einführung ... " I ," 70). The verbs with the -am- infix describe a situation where the subject can be observed in close contact with the object while influencing it, while the object still can be observed outside the described situation without contact with the subject. The juxtaposition, influence and separateness are described using Jakobson’s semantic distinctive features, supplemented by the three features later proposed by van Schooneveld. The juxtaposition is described by the feature van Schooneveld first called “duplication” and later “enumeration:” the perception of the verbal root—“drink” in this case—implies the perception of an additional linguistic unit—the direct object in this case. For example: “to sit” implies “chair” or “sofa” or even “floor.” The influence of the subject on the object is described by the feature Jakobson called “directionality ” and van Schooneveld “extension,” although the occurrence of the object outside the described situation could maybe also be described by what Jakobson called “partitive” and van Schooneveld “objectiveness.” Finally, the initial separateness of subject and object can be best described by “demarcatedness,” the feature van Schooneveld found in the preposition and prefix “in” where it differentiates “in” from “on.” Some scholars, e.g. Martha McGinnis-Archibald, propose that the verbal infixes do not have different meanings, if they have meanings at all. Others, e.g. Kevin Tuite and Givi Mach’avariani, see a semantic element in the infixes/affixes. This paper proposes that at least one infix, -am, has a clear meaning that can be formulated in terms that have been proven useful in the description of other languages, Russian and Slavic languages, and that may be universal

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Iacob the Priest tells that before her death St Shushanik “summoned the bishop attached to her household, Aphots, and thanked him for his kindness, which equaled that of a father and a foster-parent. She called for me, sinner and wretch that I am, and committed to us the relics of her bones, commanding us to bury them in that place from which she was first dragged forth” (Lang 56).

When Shushanik died John and Apoth the bishops as the “yoked bulls carrying heavenly treasure” took her holy bones, the parish with candles and perfumed incense followed them. They brought them to the church in the indicated place. The parish with the bishops spent all night chanting psalms of David as the angels and praised God.

I have to dwell on the image of “yoked bulls” that has a very interesting meaning in Christian culture in general and especially in Georgian Christianity. The images of bulls are curved on the relief of Georgian temples. Bull in Christianity is a symbol of the loyalty to Christian faith. The Georgian folklore contains a lot of songs and poems about the yoked bull that is very faithful to the farmer.

From the “Martyrdom of St Shushanik” we learn that there were a lot of martyriums at that time in Kartli. St Shushanik addresses to her husband: “Your father raised up sepulchers for the martyrs and built churches, and you have ruined the deeds of your father and destroyed his good works” (Lang 48). So in Georgia Christianity was very strong in the 5th century (the hagiographic work is written in 476-482 years) because a lot of churches were built and the sepulchers for the martyrs were made.

As we can see, some very special Christian rites are mentioned in the “Martyrdom of St Shushanik’’. It is known that the Christian Church paintings of early time depicted only few topics from the Bible. They were: Birth of Christ, regret about the mankind’s sins, Easter, and waiting for the Second Coming of Christ. But these scenes were only painted on the inner walls of church or on the altar. We encounter some of such topics in the “Martyrdom of St Shushanik,’’ for example, regret about the sins of humankind (when Iacob of Tsurtavi cries about the sins), waiting for the Second Coming of Jesus etc.