"evropuli qartia saqarTvelo "European Charter for Regional or ...

University in 2005; the center aims at preparing a draft dictionary of a
literary language on the basis of data from the Kartvelian dialects (Megrelian-Laz,
Svan or Rachan-Imeretian, etc.). The Center was named
after St. Ambrose Khelaia (The Scientific-Educational Center named
after St. Ambrose Khelaia) on March 29, 2008, the day of his commemoration.
It is desirable to establish departments/centers with similar objectives
at the universities of all Georgian regions which will be coordinated
by Institute of Linguistics.
Cf.: in 1981 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
issued a recommendation #928 aiming to facilitate protection of
the minority languages and dialects in Europe. At this point, many of
the dialects of the official language are indeed exposed to the risk of extinction.
By assuming full responsibility, we argue that:
At present the conditions of the Kartvelian dialects (ranging from
Tushian to Laz) is catastrophic! Soon, like Dvalian 382 , many of the
Georgian dialects might have similar future 383 . With regard to the
Georgian dialects, while discussing the Qizlar-Mozdokian-Plastunka
dialects R. Topchishvili’s concludes the following: "in the course of
time the Georgian dialects disappeared even on the territory of Georgia;
namely, Dvalian, Trialetian, Erushian, Klarjian, Qola-Artaanian, etc. 384
"
382 The Kartvelian community of the Dvalis resided on the central slopes of the Caucasus
Mountains (in Zhghele, Zramaga, Zakha, Nara, Kasri gorges; at the sources of fiagdonid
and ardon), in Maghran-Dvaleti (source of Greater Liakhvi River) and Truso
(source of the Terek River); they used one of the Kartvelian dialects (for the history of
the issue see: R. Topchishvili, Issues on Ossetian Settlement in Georgia and Shida (Inner)
Kartli Ethnohistory, 1997; Topchishvili, Problems of Ethnogenesis and Ethnic History
of the Georgians, Tbilisi, 2008, pp. 84-85, 100; see also: N. Otinashvili, Georgian-
Ossetian lexical toponymic meetings, materials of materials of XXVII Republican Dialectological
Scientific Sessions, Telavi, 2007).
383 By some reasons the authors of “Linguarium Register” hurriedly declared Taoan as a
dead dialect; in their opinion, Taoan was spoken by the Georgians residing in
Oltisi/Oltu (Turkey, Erzurum province) until the 18 th century.
(http://linguarium.iling-ran.ru/publications/caucas/alw_cau_kartv.shtml). It is noteworthy
that Taoan dialect of the Georgian language is still spoken by autochthonous Georgians
in the same Oltisi-Parkhali Area – a few villages of the Yusupel region (Khevai,
Kobai, Balkhi, etc.
384 R. Topchishvili, Ethnology of Georgia, Tbilisi, 2008, pp. 50-51.
319