qarTuli wignis mxardaWeris fondi

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whe re as the ir nominative case takes the same marker -i (Davit! cf. nomina
tive: Da vi t-i).
Sharing the viewpoint that vocative is not a case, but on ly a form
of address, the author of this paper suggests widening of the semantics
of the concept of addressing. She presents a new classification of address
forms: 1. The nominal (the vocative) ad dres sings; 2. The verbal
(the imperative) addressing; 3. The interrogative addressing, and 4. The
el li ptical addressing (nouns / adverbs with omission of verbs). All of
them are uni ted by opposing to the indicative mood and neutral in to nation.
This classification has been motivated also by the usage of dif fe rent
groups of address in combination (the vocatives with the imperatives, or
with the stimulating interjections).
The paper deals with the most frequently used address forms, including
the spe cific features of a certain epoch (e.g. of Rustaveli, 12-th c.),
e.g. the most frequently used form of ad dress mze (‘the sun’), is not only
a meta phor of a good-looking person, but it also differentiates social relations,
cha ra c te ri zing only high class per sons, as well as lomi (‘lion’)can
be only a knight’s epithet. However, merchants and their wi ves, servants,
persons with lower status are never defined by the se metaphors.
The results of the analysis of the Georgian poetic works support well
this po int of view by showing numerous illustrations with such combinations
of ex pressive word-forms (vocative-imperative-interrogative).
Besides the basic parts of speech (nouns and verbs), some interjections
with stimulating sema n tics successfully combine with the vocatives:
“hoj, mtacminda!” ‘oh, Mtacminda! lit. ‘Holy Mountain’; “he, ghmerto
erto!”Oh, you God the One!”, meaning three hy postases forming one
whole.
Apart from the communicative character of address-forms in everyday
pragma tic usage of the language, both oral or written, whenever the
speaker expects an ade quate reaction from the ad dressee, the character
of address-forms in the poetic disco urse is rather abstract, as they do
not require any answer. Among the means express ing such abstract and
am bi va lent feelings or thoughts, there should be mentioned rhe to ric questions.
They serve to ex press grief, regret, nostalgy etc., and the main
mo ti va tions for abo ve-mentioned feelings are as follows: nostalgy for
the native coun t ry (via the ima ges of its rivers and mou n tains) or the
hopeless present, grief for the perso nal solitude, for the dis ta n ce existing
between the lyrical hero and his be lo ved person and /or homeland, for the
departure of the most beloved persons.