Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This article presents an analysis of the morphological and semantic structure of the Georgian and Abkhaz toponyms of Samurzaqano. The relevance of the topic is determined by the following circumstance: specifically, after 1993, the toponymic situation in this region changed radically: all toponyms of Georgian origin were prohibited, and Abkhaz names invented by separatists - names that had never existed before or were unofficial versions of Georgian toponyms adapted into the Abkhaz language—became dominant. Our aim is to provide a detailed morphological analysis of the Georgian and Abkhaz toponyms from the pre-occupation period of the Samurzaqano region in Abkhazia. The research is based on toponyms recorded by the well-known Georgian researcher Paata Tskhadaia. It was found that the majority of microtoponyms in the studied area are entirely Georgian in structure: they are Georgian, or Mingrelian, or contain Mingrelian roots, bases, and affixes used as derivational affixes. The second group of toponyms is entirely in the Abkhaz language, and here too, a diverse picture emerges in terms of morphological analysis. Specifically, there are both simple-rooted Abkhaz toponyms and complex-rooted, composite-derived Abkhaz toponyms, in which the morphological and syntactic features characteristic of Abkhaz determinatives and boundary markers are preserved. The examined material clearly shows that the toponyms of Samurzaqano represent a variety of morphological and semantic groups. It is noteworthy that Kartvelian toponyms and derivational affixes are more dominant, and even in Abkhaz roots, Kartvelian derivational affixes are often present.
Source: Studia Philologica
Author: Monika Khobelia
Institution: Sokhumi State University
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4410965322