Aims

At the end of the course,the student must be able to write and read ancient Georgian, as well as to master the morphology and the syntax of the ancient Georgian language, in order to read and to understand by himself texts of average difficulty, such as the Georgian translation of the New Testament or works by ancient authors like the Martyrdom of Shushanik. He will also have an insight into the history of the Georgian language and of its characteristics among the languages of the Caucasus.

Main themes

The course focuses on the structures and the functioning of the Georgian language in ancient times (Vth-VIIIth cent.). After an introduction devoted to the Georgian language, its history and of its characteristics among the languages of the Caucasus, the course presents the morphology (morphology of nouns and of verbs) and the syntax (sentence patterns, use of verbs) of ancient Georgian.

Content and teaching methods

The course consists of the following parts:
- introduction to the Georgian language, its history and of its characteristics among the languages of the Caucasus;
- reading and writing of the Georgian alphabet;
- morphology (nominal and verbal);
- syntax;
- reading and grammatical analysis of Georgian texts;
- introduction to Georgian culture (history, literature).

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Prerequisite : none.
Evaluation: continuous evaluation through the involvement in the preparation of the lessons, and oral exam at the end of the year.
Teaching materials: Reference paper (provided by the teacher): B. Coulie, Manual of Ancient Georgian.

Other credits in programs