Assimilation in the Shavshian dialect

Аннотация

     We call Shavshian the speech of the inhabitants of historical Shavsheti. We note that the term Imerkhevian dialect was used to denote the dialect mentioned in the Georgian linguistic literature (N. Marri, Iv. Gigineishvili, V. Topuria, Iv. Kavtaradze, Sh. Putkaradze, T. Putkaradze ...), As much as it was believed that the Georgian language survived in only twenty villages in the Imerkhevi gorge. The term was first used by Niko Mari, others echoed his opinion. We introduce the term Shavshian dialect with the following consideration: A. Shavsheti (in today's sense) and Imerkhevi are parts of one historical Georgian country, Shavsheti. B. Georgian language is heard not only in the villages cultivated in Imerkhevi gorge, but also outside it: In Ustamisi, Chakvelta... C. Georgian vocabulary is embedded in the Turkish speech of the Shavshians. D. Georgian toponymy is still alive in the whole territory of Shavsheti;  E. As part of Shavshian, as dialects, we also consider Machakhelian speech. For all the named reasons, we think it is better to use the term Shavshian dialect, in which, according to the available data, two dialects can be distinguished: Imerkhevian and Machakhelian.      Shavshian is a pronounced dialect of the Georgian language. The authors discuss a single phonetic phenomenon based on the various materials obtained through expeditions arranged in the villages of Shavsheti - assimilation in Shavshian dialect. Cases of both vowel assimilation and consonant assimilation are discussed. There is a remarkable linguistic picture, namely: assimilation of vowel:

აე>ეე: დეეხვევა (<დაეხვევა), წევედი (<წავედი)...

აი>ეი (>ეჲ): დეჲწავლა (<დაისწავლა), დიმინახე (<დამინახე)...

დიმივიწყდა (<დამავიწყდა), გემიგონია (გამიგონია)...

ოი>ეი (>ეჲ): მეიკიდე (<მოიკიდე), მეიტანდა (<მოიტანდა), მემიტანა (<მომიტანა)...

ოი>ეი>იი: მიმიწველია (<მემიწველია<მომიწველია)...

აუ>ოუ>უუ: უუღებენ (<ოუღებენ<აუღებენ).

ეუ>უუ: შუუჩივლია (<შეუჩივლია)...

 Assimilation of consonants:

სღ>ზღ: ამეზღამ (შდრ. ამას ღამ)...

სჭ>შჭ: შჭამდა (<სჭამდა)....

გყ>ქყ: ქვყავდა (<გვყავდა)....

გც>ქც: მოქცემ (<მოგცემ)...

Cases of regressive assimilation seem to predominate in Shavshian dialect. The phonetic features of Shavshian dialect are evident in the assimilation.