The suffix -et in the toponymy of Machakheli and an aspect of the village structure in Machakheli

Abstract

The article concerns the morphological, semantic, and cultural-historical analysis of geographical names formed with the _et suffix in the toponymy of the Machakhela gorge. The author integrates linguistic and ethno-geographical research methods and, through this approach, attempts to define the function and significance of this suffix within Machakhela's toponymic system. The paper discusses the general system of suffixes of the type -et, -it, -at, -ot, -ut, -ta, where particular emphasis is placed on the -et form, which carries the meanings of plurality, belonging/possession, and origin. The article relies on a long-standing scholarly tradition (Vakhushti Batonishvili, P. Ingorokva, M. Paghava, I. Sikharulidze, and others) and, concurrently, offers a new perspective for evaluating the toponymic layers of Machakhela, Shavsheti, and Klarjeti. The author demonstrates that toponyms formed with the -et suffix (e.g., Shavsheti, Koklieti, Zaki̇eti, Khatusheti, Svaneti, etc.) originate from the addition to a person' proper name or nickname and denote the dwelling place of a specific family, on the basis of which village neighborhoods or the village itself were formed. These forms reflect a type of settlement that emerged as a result of the differentiation of the patriarchal family, and they establish a unified cultural space for Machakhela and the entire Chorokhi River basin. The work concludes that toponyms with the -et suffix represent an ancient stratum in the Georgian geographical nomenclature, and their study is crucial for the reconstruction of the historical-toponymic and social structure of Southern Georgia.