On Some Peculiarities of teaching the Formation of Geographical Names in Georgian

Abstract

Geographical names constitute a significant component of the lexical system of the Georgian language. They reflect historical, ethnocultural, social, and environmental experience and serve as an important source of evidence for linguistic, historical, and ethnographic research. Semantically, this group of names is diverse and can be classified into several major categories based on functional-semantic criteria.

The Georgian language is distinguished by a rich and multilayered system of geographical names and employs a variety of word-formation mechanisms in their creation. Alongside derived forms, the system includes compound structures, particularly attributive-determinative formations. Monoreferential compound toponyms in Georgian are formed according to both attributive and substantival models, and numeral elements may also function as structural components. Geographical names further include coordinative compounds, borrowings from foreign languages, and elements of ancient toponymy. The latter is characterized by structural and semantic stability as well as diachronic resilience: such names often preserve archaic forms and stems that are no longer part of the active lexicon or have undergone formal transformation. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of geographical names is formed through affixation, with the most productive patterns involving the suffixes -ეთ (-ით) and the circumfix სა-ეთ.

The names within this group are semantically diverse and may denote specific geographical entities - continents, countries, cities, villages, oceans, lakes, rivers, mountains, and other spatial units. However, they function not merely as designations. Each name may encode information about a particular locality, its historical development, its population, and, in certain cases, the events associated with it.

The present study addresses key issues that are significant not only from the perspective of word formation but also in terms of pedagogical application. The teaching of geographical name formation in Georgian requires a systematic, sequential, and research-oriented approach. Particular attention should be paid to semantic analysis, etymology, and the identification of the relevant word-formation model. Within the instructional process, toponymic material should be interpreted within an interdisciplinary framework, drawing on data from history, geography, and ethnology. Such an approach ensures a multidimensional understanding of linguistic units and contributes to the development of research skills.