ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE SPEECH OF PONTIC GREEKS LIVING IN ADJARA TO THE PONTIC DIALECT

Abstract

Lexis plays a crucial role in the study of linguistic features of various dialects. After all, the linguistic features typical of a specific dialect or region find their most tangible expression in lexis. It is also known that the lexical fund of a language undergoes more changes than its grammatical structure. Along with social and socio-geographical changes, the lexical fund also changes, directly reflecting these transformations.

It is urgent work to document and study the lexical units of specific territorial dialects since the passage of time and generational changes always leave certain traces on languages and dialects. This work becomes even more pressing when a particular dialect exists within a foreign linguistic environment and faces a significant risk of assimilation.

The object of our research is the Pontic vocabulary characteristic of the speech of Pontic Greeks living in Adjara, since the long time  migrations of Greeks, their contacts with foreign languages, and cultural encounters leave certain marks on their way of life and language, which are reflected in their lexis.

Taking these circumstances into account, it is interesting to examine to what extent the speech of one region maintains the characteristics specific to its dialect, where changes emerge, and what forms these transformational changes take.

We are interested in the relationship between lexis with the aim of revealing how far the speech of the Greeks of the Black Sea coast of Adjara has diverged from their native dialect, specifically Pontic, and to what extent the passage of time influences lexis, which, in turn, provides an important foundation for determining whether the speech of a particular region forms or does not form a separate subdialect or variant.

For the classification of the material to be analyzed, we will identify several groups, specifically:

1. Authentic Pontic dialectal lexemes in the speech of Pontic Greeks in Adjara are being replaced by borrowings from foreign languages, such as γάι[sh] (qaish) - ყაიში, [sh]αρβάλ (sharval) - შარვალი, among others.
2. Phonetic/phonological alterations are attested, such as - βρεσή (vresi) - βρε[sh]ήν (vreshin) - წვიმა.
3. "The vocabulary characteristic of the Pontic dialect itself is identical to that used in the speech of Pontic Greeks living in Adjara, as exemplified by the word εκικά (ekika) – meaning 'there" - იქ.
4. We shall separately examine the speech samples of Pontic Greeks living in Georgia, recorded years ago, alongside the paradigm of their present-day lexis, as a reflection of language changes over time."
5. "We present distinctive lexical units that have become characteristic of the Pontic Greeks of Adjara, such as 'chala semon' (ჩალის ზვინი) and similar constructions."

Keywords: Pontic dialect; speech of Pontic Greeks; Pontic Greeks; Pontic dialect of Adjara; linguistics.