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M. MIKELADZE AND OTHERS The World Reflected in the Vocabulary (On the Example of the Unwritten Language)
The paper deals with the lexical peculiarities of the unwritten Tsovatush language, revealed through typological comparison with the Georgian language. The Tsovatush language still functions in Georgia, belonging to the eastern branch of the Iberian-Caucasian languages, spoken by population of only half of the village Zemo Alvani, counting the last days of its long existence. The work shows how the world (objective reality) is reflected lexically in Tsovatush language, which is especially evident on the light of typological analysis of this language. In particular, unlike the Georgian language, in the Tsovatush language: the rainbow is represented not as a ‘belt of the sky’, but as a ‘bow and arrow of God’; The rain (or spring) does not ‘come’, and the candle does not ‘burn and do not spill’, but it also ‘cries’; The tree (plant) does not ‘stand and does not get tired of standing’, but ‘sits’ at rest (it seems that in the perception of the bearers of this language, the fauna, as a source of livelihood, is realized as a gift of special kindness); Birds do not ‘fly’ in the sky, but, like humans, ‘walk’; A child remains a child not only for the rest of his life, but also for generations to come; Our long-term lexicographical experience have convinced us that the Tsovatush word ‘tialô’ has been so peculiar, so ‘direct’ and ‘wild’ that it is practically not subject to translation, in the absolute sense of the word. A general observation shows that the vision (perception) of the world and, consequently, its lexical reflection in the Tsovaush language speakers is clearly different, special and original. The wide spectrum of linguistic tools used for formation of lexical units proves that the so called Small languages may just have the similar high linguistic values as the Big languages do. Key words: Tsovatush Language, Unwritten Language, Vocabulary, Idiomatic Expressions, Phraseological Expressions.
