MEGRELIAN TOPONYMY AND THE OUTSIDE WORLD

Abstract

As the title of this article shows, we have touched only two questions: 1.
Arabic-Persian-Turkish lexemes in the toponymy of Samegrelo; 2.Lexicalization
and re-toponymyzation of foreign language toponyms in Megrelian. Lexical
borrowing from Arab- Persian languages started until the establishment of
the literary Georgian language. The process became more active in the Middle
Ages. Introduction of foreign words from different European languages (especially
from Russian - XVIII-XIX centuries) started in the Middle Ages too.
The flow of lexical units from Turkish and North Caucasian languages, from
Abkhazian, Svanuri and Georgian literary languages and neighboring Georgian
dialects is confirmed nearly in the same period.
Two more information: 1. Colchian toponymy is confirmed in antiquity and
Greek historical sources. 2. Up to 180 Russian words have been identified in
the Samegrelo-Samurzakano toponymy (one part of which is taken from the
Georgian literary language and the other part is a result of direct contact with
Russians and Russia).
The first chapter of the article presents the lexemes borrowed from Arab-
Persian-Turkish languages and the toponyms produced out of them in Samegrelo-
Samurzakano: bairaghi, boghazi//bughazi,ducani, kantari, sakantro,
shamchiri, khandaki.
In the second chapter one can meet foreign lexemes that have entered
Megrelian as common names. Later they appeared as toponyms in Samegrelo.
For example: Iordane, Dardaneli, Paliastomi, Kamchatka, orgia.