AN OLD LAYER OF GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES FROM SPER

Abstract

Sper (with Bayburt and Basiani, otherwise, Sper in a broad sense) is a historical Georgian country (Iv. Javakhishvili, S. Janashia, P. Ingorokva). Historical research shows that Sper was cultivated at the headwaters of the Chorokhi and Mtkvari rivers and was divided into three: Upper Sper, Middle Sper and Lower Sper. The aboriginal population of the country was Georgians (Iberians) and Lazi. The geographical name Sper must have been formed in a foreign linguistic world and is a transliteration of the Georgian Iberi.

Of the Georgian provinces, Sper was the first to come under Ottoman rule (1514). The process of assimilation of the country has been ongoing for more than five centuries. Today, the old population of Sper has been assimilated, they have forgotten the language of their ancestors, and the old, Georgian geographical names of Sper have been officially replaced with new, Turkish ones (1959). Despite the oppressive process of assimilation, the land of Sper bears a “Georgian trace”. In general, the land is assimilated the last. It preserves reliable information about the people living here... We note that others are calling Sper, declaring it the heritage of their ancestors, “pressing” on geographical names and changing them. The collection and study of Sper’s toponymy is a way that will allow us to answer many questions.

This study analyzes more than 30 geographical names, selected from a map edited by Iv. Javakhishvili (1903). It is important that all geographical names are Georgian, which is another proof that Sper is a Georgian country.

Keywords: Toponym, Affix, Tao, Dialect, Sper, Klarjeti, Shavsheti.