THE KARTVELIAN LINGUISTIC SYSTEM IN THE WORKS OF PROFESSOR REVAZ SHEROZIA

Abstract

Professor Revaz Sherozia is a distinguished representative of Georgia’s scholarly community. His biography stands as an exemplary model of both scientific and human integrity—one that serves as a guide for us today and will remain instructive for future generations. The reading, comprehension, and analysis of his works will provide valuable orientation and guidance not only to young people interested in Georgian studies but also to a wider audience.

Mr. Revaz, first as a teacher and later as a colleague, embodied for us the highest standards of professional privilege, academic rigor, and intellectual refinement. Just as he was in personal relationships, so too do his scientific writings reflect that same elevation of thought.

Professor Sherozia’s research is remarkably diverse. At present, we highlight his contributions to the study of Georgian (Kartvelian) language policy, which necessarily involves reflection on the structure of the Georgian (Kartvelian) linguistic system itself. There is no scholarly work of Professor Sherozia—whether dealing with issues of Kartvelian linguistic structure, etymological inquiry, or other fundamental problems of national Georgian studies—that does not emphatically stress the idea that “the Kartvelian linguistic space is a unified whole and must not be fragmented into several languages.”

“The Georgian nation was shaped by the Kartvelian linguistic system. The Kartvelian ecclesiastical, literary, and state language was created by the Tao-Klarjeti Georgians, the Tush, the Mingrelian-Laz, the Khevsur, the Meskhetian, the Svan, and the Kakheti-Ingilo communities. In this language were written the martyrdoms, the historical chronicles, The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, The Lake of Bazaleti. Even today, the Georgian people perceive, create, and experience the world through the Kartvelian language. The inhabitants of different regions of Georgia, through its diverse dialectal forms, continue to share with one another joy and sorrow, thought and experience. The strength of the Kartvelian language lies in its unity and diversity!”

In Professor Sherozia’s multifaceted works, imbued with deep scholarly integrity, numerous pressing issues of linguistic systems and language policy are raised, issues whose resolution is of paramount importance. For this reason, it is essential that future generations become acquainted with the ethos and legacy of our senior teacher and distinguished researcher.