CAUCASIAN LANGUAGES/BASQUE LINGUISTICS The book, which is dedicated to the memory of Introduction to the Helma van den Berg, who died during the final Essentials of Georgian weeks of its preparation, is completed by a Study of the Languages comprehensive list of references which should Grammar serve as a useful bibliography for anyone new to With Conjugation Tables of of the Caucasus the subject. 250 Most Commonly Used Verbs Unlike G. Klimov's earlier introduction GEORGE HEWITT (available in both Russian and German SHORENA KURTSIKIDZE SOAS, London translation), with its division into self-contained University of California, Berkeley descriptions for the different language-families, Chapter 1 Origins and Progress of the Study information here is presented on a thematic basis. Essentials of Georgian Grammar is a student- The chapter includes a survey of those who have George Hewitt FBA, is Professor of Caucasian tested basic grammar book for both beginner and made the most significant contributions to our Languages, NME Dept., SOAS. intermediate level students. The book is understanding of the nature of, and relations organized as a 50-lesson course, each lesson between, the relevant languages and notes some ISBN 3 89586 734 9 (Hardbound). LINCOM designed for a 3-hour per-week study. Each websites that offer sources of information. Handbook in Linguistics H19. 420pp. USD lesson is structured in a way that makes it easy for 220.20 / EUR 149.80 / GBP 88.00. 2004. a student to gradually advance from simpler to Chapter 2 The Language-families and Individ- more complex material. ual Languages Students who already have some familiarity The individual languages along with appropriate Abkhazian Folktales with the Georgian language will find it helpful to sociolinguistic data are here introduced. (with grammatical introduction, practice the beginning lessons and then follow the order of the book chapters starting from the new Chapter 3 Phonological Systems translation, notes, and vocabulary) material. Consonant- and vowel-systems, with discussion The book can be used for the classroom of such interesting features as the level of GEORGE HEWITT instruction or for self-study. The structure of the minimalism in the North West Caucasian family SOAS, London book is useful for teachers as well as for and the differing consonantal inventories in the individual students since it has been classroom- North East that one finds in the works of different The inspiration for this introduction to folk-texts tested for several years. The book covers all the commentators, are included here. in Abkhaz (North West Caucasian) was the late essentials of Georgian grammar. Teachers can Helma van den Berg's parallel collection of folk- simply follow the order and use their own Chapter 4 Morphology literature for the North East Caucasian Dargi additional exercises or materials as needed. This is the first of the two central substantial people (Dargi Folktales, CNWS 2001). The small The explanations of grammatical rules are chapters. It compares the ways in which the volume entitled 'Oral Tales of the Abkhazians' (in maximally simple and short. Therefore, anyone different families achieve their levels of Abkhaz) published in 2000 by the Abkhazian who knows elementary grammatical terminology complexity, with polysynthetic verbal systems folklorist Zurab Dzhap’ua (Dzhap’wa) provided should be able to understand it. The book coupled with minimal noun-morphology in the the source for the selection of the twenty texts contains useful exercises, thematic vocabularies, North West contrasting with complex nominal which are here presented in original Cyrillic- and reading texts. In the Appendix of the book, morphologies accompanied by relatively simply based script and accompanied by IPA- there are conjugation tables of 250 most verbal structures in the North Central and North transcription, morphological analysis, morpheme- commonly used Georgian verbs. This is the first East, with South Caucasian occupying a middle glosses, annotation and translation; the volume time these types of tables have been introduced in area of reasonably complex verbal and nominal starts with an extensive grammatical sketch of a Georgian grammar course, making it very easy systems together. Abkhaz and ends with a vocabulary. Included for the student to learn the major tenseformation myths describe the creation of the world, an rules in Georgian. This model proved to be the Chapter 5 Syntax Abkhazian version of Noah and the flood, man's most effective way to learn the conjugation This is the largest of the chapters and introduces relations with the Prince of the Dead, and God's patterns of the Georgian verb. After completing material from members of all the families for all expulsion of the Devil from heaven. The the course, the student will be able to read, write, the major syntactic constructions. Since syntactic Abkhazian version of the Greek Prometheus is and speak in Georgian. The book provides the properties are normally not examined in detail in Abrskj’yl, and five stories relate the cycle of his basic background and gives the student an the traditional grammars produced by native birth, exploissts and death; an appendix presents opportunity to pursue advanced studies in the linguists, the information contained here should for comparison a poem by the Georgian Vazha- Georgian language. be especially useful. Pshavela on the fate of the Georgian equivalent to The author holds a Doctorate in Cultural this hero, Amiran. It is hoped that this book will Anthropology from the Institute of History and Chapter 6 Lexis complement the eleven Abkhazian tales gathered Ethnology of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. Some properties of word-formation are presented, from Abkhazians in Turkey and published with Her professional interests include Linguistic and especially the numerical systems. French translation by Georges Dumézil in his Applied Anthropology, Ethnography, and Etudes Abkhaz (1967) and that it will at the same Folklore. She has done extensive fieldwork in the Chapter 7 What Does the Future Hold? time contribute to a better understanding in the Caucasus and India. The author was a Fulbright There is is a discussion of the scripts employed English-speaking world of Abkhazian society Visiting Scholar at the University of California, for the literary languages of the region, and the through its legends. Berkeley. She has taught the "Georgian Language opportunity is taken to stress views already and Culture" course at the Department of Near expressed by the author as to the possibility of Eastern Studies and at the Department of Slavic introducing a roman-based orthography that could ISBN 389586 797 7. Languages of the Languages and Literatures for both beginner and be used to represent ANY of the northern World/Text Collections 22. 340pp. USD intermediate level students. languages. Failing this, a unified Cyrillic-based 120.80 / EUR 82.20 / GBP 59.20. 2005. system is also discussed. ISBN 3 89586 997 X. LINCOM Student Appendix Kartvelian Preverbs Grammars 02. 463pp. USD 126.10 / EUR 85.80 / GBP 61.80. 2006. Course and students' discounts available! Hewitt: p. 217 (ISBN 3 89586 734 9) Karbardian (East Circassian) JOHN COLARRUSSO McMaster University Kabardian, the eastern form of Circassian, is a member of the Northwest Caucasian language family, which includes the Western Circassian or Adighé dialects, the transitional Besleney Circassian, the distinct Abkhaz and its closely related, Abaza, and Ubykh, transitional between Circassian and Abkhaz-Abaza. It is native to the The LINCOM webshop: www.lincom-europa.com LINCOM EUROPA• project line 18 • 2008 ♦ 71 CAUCASIAN LANGUAGES/BASQUE LINGUISTICS northwestern portion of the Caucasus where it is Lomtatidze in Georgia and G. Hewitt in Great et de fermeture. spoken by roughly 360,000 people. It is the Britain), many aspects of Abkhaz grammar Une place prépondérante est laissée à l'étude household language of a large portion of the 4.5 (especially its syntax) still have to be adequately syntaxique : l'inventaire des classes est ordonné million Circassian of the diaspora (Turkey, described. Abkhaz is the only West Caucasian autour de la dichotomie prédicat non verbal Jordan, Syria, Israel, with a few communities in language to possess the category of grammatical (prédication connective) et prédicat verbal Europe and the United States). The languages of classes, manifested in personal pronouns, verb (prédication nucléaire). L'étude des fonctions this family are notable for their extreme conjugation, numerals and in category of number. syntaxiques, considérées comme des signes complexity at all levels of grammar. While Abkhaz is an ergative language, the ergative linguistiques à part entière, permet de dresser un Karbadian is quite rich syntactically, construction being represented not by case système relationnel cohérent et économique. La morphologically, and phonologically, it is the endings, as in related Circassian and Ubykh structure ergative, la valence des verbes en simplest member of the family phonetically, with (Abkhaz does not have the case system), but by relation avec les rôles sémantiques et les only 49 consonants, where Ubykh 81 for a order of actant markers. The verbal root consists changements diathétiques ont été également maximum. The grammar includes chapters on usually of one consonant, preceded by a string of étudiés. Phonetics, Phonology, Inflectional Morphology, prefixes (class-personal, directional, temporal, La dimension humaine n'a pas été écartée, elle Derivational Morphology, Discourse, and a negational, causative, etc.) and followed by few est présente avec l'étude ethnolinguistique de sample text. suffixes. Verbs can be stative or dynamic, finite quelques concepts (espace, temps…), qui or non-finite. s'expriment à la fois sous des formes ISBN 3 89586 245 2. Languages of the The grammatical sketch of Abkhaz includes grammaticalisées et sous des formes lexicalisées, World/Materials 200. 122pp USD 80.00 / information about its phonological system, montrant ainsi comment les Ingouches envisagent EUR 54.40 / GBP 39.20. 2006. morphology, and syntax. A short text is provided leurs rapports avec le monde.