Ethnolinguistics of the Dali (resp. Kodori) Gorge

The Kodori Gorge, a historically significant region in West Georgia, exhibits a rich linguistic and toponymic diversity shaped by millennia of cultural exchange. The study reveals that the gorge's toponymy reflects multiple layers of historical influence, including Svan, Abkhazian, Megrelian, and Russian elements, with Svan origins dominating microtoponyms, hydronyms, and oikonyms. Notably, the Kodorian Svan dialect demonstrates interferential linguistic features, blending Upper and Lower Bal dialects at phonetic, morphological, and syntactic levels. This interference suggests a distinct dialectal identity for Kodori's speech, supported by decades of systematic onomastic and ethnolinguistic fieldwork. The research underscores the strategic importance of the gorge as a crossroads between Byzantine and Central Asia, with its toponymy serving as a 'language of earth' that encodes historical movements and cultural interactions.

Margiani, K. (2023). Ethnolinguistics of the Dali (resp. Kodori) Gorge. Collection of Scientific Works of Sokhumi University. https://doi.org/10.52340/sou.2023.19.05