Georgian
- Language Family
- Kartvelian
- Subgroup
- —
- Area
- —
Summary
When the reduced thematic suffix '-v' is adjacent to the sonorants, metathesis occurs.
Type(s) of metathesis
| Type | Status | Optionality | Position | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. CC/CV | Synchronic | Obligatory | Adjacent | Between root and suffix |
Case types and qualities
-
- CC/CV
-
- C1:
- Alveolar nasal
- C1:
- Rhotic
- C1:
- Alveolar lateral
- C2:
- Labio-dental fricative
Examples
The thematic suffix '-av' reduces to '-v' in the masdar (verbal noun). This reduction results in the /v/ being adjacent to a sonorants, leading to metathesis.
cf.
k’l + av
k’vla
‘you kill them’
xn + av
xvna
‘you plough them’
jr + av
jvra
‘you set them in motion’
cf.
rva
*vra
‘eight’
tvramet’i
‘eighteen’
Conditions
No conditions could be found
Motivations
No motivations could be found
Symbols
Comments
Bibliography
- Butskhrikidze, M. & J. van de Weijer 2001. On v-metathesis in Modern Georgian. In E. Hume, N. Smith & J. van de Weijer (eds.), Surface Syllable Structure and Segment Sequencing. Leiden, NL: HIL Occasional Papers.
- Hewitt, B. G. 1995. Georgian. A Structural Reference Grammar. John Benjamins Publishing Company. Amsterdam/Philadelphia.