Prospectus

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The Grammar of the Georgian Verb

Course
2022-2023

Admission requirements

Not applicable.

Note: Extracurricular Elective for MA-students Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Description

The course ““The Grammar of Georgian Verb” is a course for MA students, intended for non-native speakers of Georgian. Georgian is one of the world’s oldest languages. It is very important and interesting from a linguistic point of view, as well as from cultural and anthropological points of view. Some general issues of the modern Georgian verb will be analyzed, such as: 1. Subject person and number, 2. Object Person and number, 3. System of the Georgian Verb – Series and screeves, 4. Conjugation system of the modern Georgian language: 4.1. I first conjugation, 4.2. II conjugation 4.3. III Conjugation, 4.4. IV Conjugation.

And as the course is intended as an introduction to Georgian verb, practical exercises will be presented as well.

Course objectives

The objectives of the course “The Grammar of the Georgian Verb” are:

  • To provide students with a general knowledge of the Georgian verb.

  • To develop students’ necessary insights for analyzing Georgian verb data.

  • To make students practically use their Georgian speaking skills

Timetable

The timetables are available through My Timetable.

Mode of instruction

Seminar

Assessment method

2 written examinations, closed-ended and open-ended questions (50% each), the first in the middle and the second at the end.

Resit

In consultation with the teacher.

Reading list

Compulsory readings: Howard I. Aronson, Georgian Reading Grammar, Slavica Publishers, Inc. 2nd edition 1990, for pdf version of this book see Georgian Reading Grammar

Additional readings: George Hewitt, Georgian: A Learner’s Grammar (Routledge Essential Grammars) 2nd edition,2005, for pdf version of this book see A Learner's Grammar

Registration

Enrolment through My Studymap is mandatory.

Contact

  • For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.

  • For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Reuvensplaats.

Remarks

Course outline

Week 1
1. Conjugation. Subject person and number. I conjugation. Present, future, imperfect and conditional. Nominal System Nominative and Dative. Word building, Verbal Nouns.
2. I and II conjugation of d passive verbs. II conjugation of passive verbs. Imperfect, Conditional of I and II conjugation. Syncope / Reduction. Truncation.

Week 2
3. Series. Conjunctive (function and formation). Verb of motion.
4. Regular verbs. Aorist series. Ergative. Aorist, Aorist of regular verbs. Aorist first and second conjugations of d passive verbs. Aorist first and second conjugations of i passive verbs. Aorist of Irregular verbs. Aorist/Imperfect of the verb to be. Aorist of the verb to go.

Week 3
5. Optative of regular verbs. Functions of Optative. Imperative. Negation.
6. Object Markers. Rules for the object markers. Indirect object markers with I conjugation verbs. The u-series with indirect object markers. Meaning of indirect objects. H series of indirect object markers. Absolute and relative verbs. Relative forms of the second conjugation of d passive verbs. Meaning of relative second conjugation forms. The irregular verb mitsema “to give something to somebody”.

Week 4
7. Third conjugation. Formation of III conjugation screeves. Verbal nouns of III conjugation verbs. Relative forms of third conjugation verbs. Word building: Derived III conjugation forms and derivatives of III conjugation verbs. Irregular verb tqma “ to say”.
8. Irregularities in conjugation. Irregularities I conjugation verbs. Irregularities in II conjugation verbs. Verbs denoting position. Irregular verb itsis “he/she knows” Personal pronouns.

Week 5
9. Perfect series of I and III conjugation verbs. The present perfect tense. The pluperfect with third person direct object or without direct object. Perfect series with direct object in the first and second person. Pluperfect series with direct object in the first and second person. Present perfect. Pluperfect. Summary of case markings for I and III conjugation verbs.
10. The perfect participle. Perfect series of II conjugation verbs. Periphrastic passive. Causative of I conjugation verbs. Word building: Participles. The present (active) participle. The future (passive) participle. The negative participle. Perfect participle in na-.

Week 6
11. IV conjugation. Expression of ‘can’ in Georgian. Future participle. Word building: Verb forms related to IV conjugation verbs. Summary chart of subject and object cases, summary of vocabulary entry forms for verbs.
12. Reflexive indirect objects. The superessives. Passive of state. The Resultative. Functions of preradical vowels.

Week 7
13. Peculiarities in the verbal system. Semantic peculiarities: Verbs of politeness. Personal and non-personal verbs. Singular and plural verbs. Conjugation and voice.
14. Formal peculiarities. Suppletion. Verbs conjugated with forms of aris / q’ofna “is”. Special functions of preverbs.