Verbs in Georgian can be classified syntactically and morphologically.
Morphological classification
involves describing the rules of verb derivation and verb
conjugation.
Syntactic
classification involves describing the case markings of
the subject and objects of the verb.
Syntactic
classification is quite simple. Morphological classification
is bit more complex. The main schemes are given below.
Syntactic
classification
There are three
verb classes, corresponding to the three clusters of case
marking and person/number marking, distinguished in Georgian.
These three groups are presented below (cf. Table 1). For a
substantial number of the verbs following pattern (B), the
semantic correlate active subject is appropriate, also
called direct verbs. The term inversive verbs
is used for verbs behaving according to pattern (C). Such
verbs may be characterized as having experiencer subjects.
They are not agentive: subject does not act by itself but it
is rather the target of some incoming emotion or stimuli (cf.
also Inversion). Remaining verbs pattern according to (A) and
are not distinguished by those parameters. The term used for
such verbs is neutral verbs (in Western linguistics)
or passive verbs (Georgian grammar tradition).
The choice of person/number-markers in the verb and the patterning of case marking of the verb complements (objects) occur in three clusters. The recurring patterns are represented in Table 1.
Table 1. Case marking and person/number marking
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Subject |
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Subject |
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| Direct object |
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| Indirect object |
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Subject (experiencer) |
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| Inversive verbs | m-series | Dative | ||
| Object (if any) | v-series | Nominative |
The verbs that pattern
according to (A) are a rather heterogeneous group. They may
have one, two or three arguments, but do not express
transitive relations. The examples below show a verb with two
arguments following pattern (A). The verb contains the
relational marker e- e- that is associated with the object, deda-s deda-s mother-DAT,
corresponding to a prepositional object in the English
translation.
| (I) | bavSv-i deda-s
e-mal-eb-a bavshv-i deda-s e-mal-eb-a child-Nom mother-Dat Rel.marker-hide-Them.sufix-IIISubject.Singular.Present The child hides from (its) mother. |
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| (II) | bavSv-i deda-s
da-e-mal-a bavshv-i deda-s da-e-mal-a child-Nom mother-Dat Preverb-Relational marker-hide-IIISubject person. Singular. Aorist The child hid from (its) mother. |
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| (III) | bavSv-i deda-s da-malv-ia bavshv-i deda-s da-mal-v-ia child-Nom mother-Dat Preverb-hide-Them.suffix-Perf (Apparently, it turns out) the child has hidden from (its) mother. |
Some other examples of the
same type:
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kac-i dga-s
magida-ze k'ac-i dga-s magida-ze man-Nom stand-IIISubj.pers.Pres. table-on The man stands on the table. |
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kac-i idg-a
magida-ze k'ac-i idg-a magida-ze man-Nom stand-IIISubj.pers.Aor table-on The man stood on the table. |
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kac-i mdgar-a
magida-ze k'ac-i mdgar-a magida-ze man-Nom stand-IIISubj.pers.Perf. table-on It turns out that the man has stood on the table. |
| (I) | weril-i i-wereb-a
c'eril-i i-c'ereb-a letter-Nom Pass-write-IIISubj.pers.Pres The letter is being written |
| (II) | weril-i da-i-wer-a
c'eril-i da-i-c'er-a letter-Nom Preverb-Pass-write-IIISubj.pers.Aor The letter has been written |
| (III) | weril-i da-wer-il-a
c'eril-i da-c'eril-a letter-Nom Preverb-write-IIISubj.pers.Perf. It turns out that the letter has been written. |
More information:
Transitive verbs in GeorgianSemantic definition of transitive verbs
Formal definition of transitive verbs
Semantic definition of direct and indirect objects
Formal definition of direct and indirect objects
First, some
examples of three valent verbs (verbs having subject and two
objects - direct object and inditect object): swers sc'ers
he writes him it, vaCuqeb vachukeb I give him it (as
a present), vparav vp'arav I steal it from
him and vubrZaneb vubrdzaneb I order him
it. In the third tense/aspect/mood-series, such verbs do not
accomodate a marker for an indirect object; instead the
indirect object appears as a
postpositional phrase (instead of indirect object, an object
with the postposition -Tvis -tvis appears).
| (I) | kac-i Zma-s
weril-s s-wer-s k'ac-i dzma-s c'eril-s s-c'er-s man-Nom. brother-Dat. letter-Dat. III Indirect obj.pers.mark.-write-IIISubj.pers. marker.Present The man writes a letter to his brother |
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| (II) | kac-ma Zma-s
weril-i mi-s-wer-a k'ac-ma dzma-s c'eril-i mi-s-c'er-a man-Erg brother-Dat letter-Nom Preverb-III Indirect obj.pers.mark.-write-IIISubj. pers.marker.Aorist The man wrote a letter to his brother |
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| (III) | kac-s Zm-is-(a)-Tvis
weril-i mi-u-wer-ia k'ac-s dzm-is-(a)-tvis c'eril-i mi-u-c'er-ia man-Dat brother-Gen-(emphatic vowel)-posposition for letter-Nom Preverb-Relational marker-write-Perfect (It turns out that/Apparently) the man has written a letter to his brother |
Transitive
verbs like vwer vc'er I write it, vxatav vxat'av I build it, vaSeneb vasheneb I build it, pattern in the same
way, with the exception that they do not have any indirect
object.
| (I) | (me) weril-s v-wer
(me) c'eril-s v-c'er (I) letter-Dat. ISubject person marker-write-Present I write a letter |
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| (II) | (me) weril-i
da-v-wer-e (me) c'eril-i da-v-c'ere (I) letter-Nom Preverb-ISubject person marker-write-Aorist I wrote a letter |
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| (III) | (me) weril-i
da-m-i-wer-ia (me) c'eril-i da-m-i-c'er-ia (I) letter-Nom Preverb-I Object person marker-Relational marker-write-Perfect (It turns out that/Apparently) I have written a letter |
When comparing the marking of case and person/number in the third tense/aspect-series to the marking in the first and second series, one can observe a "reverse" pattern. The m-series markers/dative case, that were associated with the object positions, are linked to the subject position in the third tense/aspect-series. Conversely, the v-series markers/nominative mark the direct object in the third tense/aspect-series. This "reverse" marking has been called inversion; the subject is marked by the m-series markers in and the object by the v-markers (cf also Inversion).
Subject is changing by the person and number, direct object is the third person singular:
| Subject | Direct object |
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| 1Singular | 3Sg | da-m-i-Wri-a
da-m-i-ch'ri-a |
I have wounded him/her/it |
| 2Singular | 3Sg | da-g-i-Wri-a
da-g-i-ch'ri-a |
You have wounded him/her/it |
| 3Singular | 3Sg | da-u-Wri-a
da-u-ch'ri-a |
He/she/it have wounded him/her/it |
| 1Plural | 3Sg | da-gv-i-Wri-a
da-gv-i-ch'ri-a |
We have wounded him/her/it |
| 2Plural | 3Sg | da-g-i-Wri-a-T
da-g-i-ch'ri-a-t |
You have wounded him/her/it |
| 3Plural | 3Sg | da-u-Wri-a-T
da-u-ch'ri-a-t |
They have wounded him/her/it |
Subject is the third person singular, direct object is changing by the person and number:
| Subject | Direct object |
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| 3Sg | 1Sg | da-v-u-Wri-var
da-v-u-ch'ri-var |
He/she/it has wounded me |
| 3Sg | 2Sg | da-u-Wri-xar
da-u-ch'ri-xar |
He/she/it has wounded you |
| 3Sg | 3Sg | da-u-Wri-a
da-u-ch'ri-a |
He/she/it has wounded him/her/it |
| 3Sg | 1Plural | da-v-u-Wri-varT
da-v-u-ch'ri-vart |
He/she/it has wounded us |
| 3Sg | 2Plural | da-u-Wri-xarT
da-u-ch'ri-xart |
He/she/it has wounded you |
| 3Sg | 3Plural | da-u-Wri-a
da-u-ch'ri-a |
He/she/it has wounded them |
Examples of
one valent activity verbs following pattern (B) include vcekvav vcek'vav I dance (Conjugation type 3), vtiri vt'iri I am crying (Conjugation type
4), duRs
dughs it boils (Conjugation type 5). Some of these
verbs are compatible with "content" objects, i.e. "to dance a
dance" or quantifier phrases like bevri
bevri "a lot",
that is case marked as a direct object.
| (I) | is cekv-av-s
(bevr-s) is cek'v-av-s (bevr-s) he-Nom dance-Them. suffix-III Subject person marker.Sg.Present (a lot-Dat) He dances (a lot) |
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| (II) | man i-cekv-a (bevri)
man i-cek'v-a (bevr-i) he-Erg Rel.mark.-dance-III Subject person marker.Sg.Aor He danced (a lot) |
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| (III) | ma-s u-cekv-ia
(bevri) ma-s u-cek'v-ia he-Dat Rel.mark.-dance-Perf Apparently he has danced (a lot). |
| (I) | (me) m-iyvar-s
(is) (me) m-iq'var-s is (I/Dat./) IObject pers.marker-love-IIISubject pers. marker.Pres. (he.Nom) I love him(/her/it) |
| (I) | (ma-s)
v-uyvar-var (me) (ma-s) v-uq'var-var (me) (he-Dat) ISubject pers. marker-love-auxiliary verb.Pres (I/Nom/)) He loves me |
Note that the
terms inversive, direct and neutral verbs will be used as
referring to verbs selecting those marking patterns (A-C)
described above in combination with certain semantic
correlates. There is not a perfect correlation between the
semantic correlates "active" and "experiencer" subjects and
the verbs selecting marking patterns (B) and (C),
respectively. Rather, if a predicate has an "active" subjects,
then pattern (B) is the unmarked choice and if it has an
experiencer subject, then pattern (C) is appropriate (=
inversive verbs)
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More
information:
Morphological classification
Voice of
verb in Georgian