Documentation and annotations of Megrelian texts in FLEx

Abstract

Megrelian is an unwritten Kartvelian language subdivided into two dialects Zugdidi-Samurzaqano and Senaki-Martvili. Following the approaches widely used in language documentation, the Megrelian texts are described and analyzed by means of FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx). The FLeX provides interlinear glossing of data. At this moment the Megrelian database includes 49 analyzed texts (38510 tokens, 26610 unique forms, 3480 sentences). Dialogues and monologues are recorded in both dialect areas and include information about the beliefs, traditions, rituals etc. All texts are represented with free translations in Georgian and English. The analysis includes the following: Wordbase - division into words done automatically; Wordipa - representation of Megrelian text in IPA done by the online converter (Gersamia, Lobzhanidze 2022) developed to convert Megrelian based on Georgian script into the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), the ISO 9984 romanization scheme, the Gamkrelidze-Machavariani transliteration system (1965) and vice versa; Morphemes - morphological segmentation of words is done manually. The word is subdivided into root and affixes representing fixed linguistic data; The information on morphemes is given in Lex. Entries, the morphological glossing - in Lex. Gloss, while Lex. Gram. Info describes PoS-es and their appropriate categories. Glossing is done following the Leipzig Glossing Rules and Eurotyp Guidelines; Wordcat - information on PoS-es is given separately as well. The morphosyntactic annotation of Megrelian texts collected during the fieldwork and annotated by means of FLEx will be used as a base for the grammar and online dictionary.