ECLINGEndangered Caucasian Languages

in Georgia

Interim report

16.4.2003

ECLING Languages

• Tsova-Tush (Batsbi)– Affiliation: NE-

Caucasian, Nakh

– Location: Zemo-Alvani (Tushetia, NE-Georgia)

– Number of speakers: less than 1000, all bilingual with Georgian

ECLING Languages

• Udi– Affiliation: NE-

Caucasian, Lezgian

– Location: Oktomberi (Kakhetia, E-Georgia)

– Number of speakers: less than 200 speakers, all bilingual with Georgian

ECLING Languages

• Svan– Affiliation: SE-Caucasian

(Kartvelian)

– Dialects: Upper-Bal, Lower-Bal, Lashkh, Cholur, Lentekh

– Locations: Svaneti (NW-Georgia), Bolnisi region (S-Georgia)

– Number of speakers: ca. 30,000, all bilingual with Georgian

ECLING Teams

• Frankfurt:– Jost Gippert– Manana Tandaschwili– Svetlana Ahlborn

• Munich:– Wolfgang Schulze– Arnd Sölling

ECLING Teams

• Tbilisi: Tsova-Tush team:– Maia Machavariani– Bela Shavkhelishvili– Donanna Dingashvili

• Tbilisi: Svan team:– Iza Chantladze– Rusudan Ioseliani– Medea Saghliani

• Tbilisi: Ethnological advisor:– Roland Topchishvili

Collected Recordings(as of 31.3.2003)

• Tsova-Tush:– 5 hrs. video & audio

recordings

– digitized by MPI

– IMDI metadata structure provided

– monological texts

– narratives, explanations of every-day life & environment, historical accounts; poetic texts

– 40 texts fully transcribed

– 70 sentences fully analyzed

Collected Recordings(as of 31.3.2003)

• Udi– 1.2 hrs. video & audio

recordings– digitized by MPI– IMDI metadata structure

provided– monological & dialogical

texts– narratives, explanations of

every-day life & environment, historical accounts

– 3 texts fully transcribed– 90 sentences fully analyzed

Collected Recordings(as of 31.3.2003)

• Svan– 7 hrs. video & audio

recordings– 4 hrs. digitized by MPI– IMDI metadata structure in

process– monological & dialogical

texts– narratives, explanations of

every-day life & environment, historical accounts, legends, toasts; musical ballads AVI / MPG

– 5 texts fully transcribed– 70 sentences fully analyzed

Text transcription and analysis• Raw transcription (Shoebox format): Svan

Text transcription and analysis• Linguistic analysis (Shoebox format): Tsova-Tush

Text transcription and analysis• Basic dictionary (Shoebox format): Svan, Udi

IMDI Data Structure

• General structure: Udi

IMDI Data Structure• Monological and dialogical data structure: Udi

IMDI Data Structure• Monological and dialogical data structure: Tsova-Tush

IMDI Data Structure• Elicitation and non-linguistic data: Tsova-Tush

Publications

• Provisional Project Web Page– http://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/ecling/ecling.htm

• Historical and ethnological description of the Svan speaking areas (R. Topchishvili; manuscript, 99 pp.)

• Svan sample text in: • Kartvelologiuri krebuli I, Tbilisi 2002, 121-128

Requirements

• IMDI Metadata system:– Language names for

the languages concerned missing in language list

Requirements

• Adaptation of annotation systems to language-specific requirements (Example: Svan)

Requirements

• Adaptation of annotation systems to language-specific requirements (Example: Udi)

Requirements• Adaptation of annotation systems to code-switching

(multilingual speakers; example: Udi) AVI / MPG

Prospects

• Material to be recorded (2nd year):

– Tsova-Tush:• Dialogical texts

• Recordings in natural environment

• Elicitation of special terminology

Prospects

• Material to be recorded (2nd year):

– Udi: • Dialogical texts

• Historical texts

• Elicitation of special terminology

Prospects

• Material to be recorded (2nd year):

– Svan:• Extension of dialectal basis (Cholur)

• Recordings in traditional environment (Upper / Lower Svanetia)

• Elicitation of special terminology