Lexicographic Centre at Tbilisi State University

In May 2011, by the decision of the Academic Council and the Council of Representatives of Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Lexicographic Centre was granted the status of a University centre. The decision of the University was aimed at consolidating the role of the Georgian language as a national language and as the language of science in Georgia. This is especially important at this particular moment in the history of Georgia, when, after the restoration of independence, the Georgian language has regained its function as the State language and begun to develop in order to adapt to the realities of contemporary life, when there are brought into use words and expressions connected with international politics and diplomacy, free market economy and judicial procedures, as well as military and scientific and technical terms.

As a separate entity, the Lexicographic Centre (LC) was established by the Chair of English Philology back in 1995 and included the editorial team of the Comprehensive English-Georgian Dictionary who had been revising and editing dictionary material since 1980s. In the same year, there was initiated the publication of the Comprehensive English-Georgian Dictionary in volumes and the aim of the Centre was to edit and prepare for publication the material of the said Dictionary. Editorial work on dictionary entries has been carried on for 30 years. Currently, printed and published are 14 volumes of the English-Georgian dictionary, which cover 2 380 pages of the dictionary proper (www.margaliti.ge).

In 2009 LC started the work on an electronic platform for English-Georgian Dictionary and in 2010 the Comprehensive English-Georgian Online Dictionary was posted on the Internet (www.dict.ge). The online version is based on the published volumes of the Comprehensive English-Georgian Dictionary and includes 110 000 entries.

In 2008, the LC was transformed into a faculty-level centre within the Faculty of Humanities, TSU. In the same year LC started compilation of a series of specialized dictionaries. English-Georgian Online Military Dictionary (http://mil.dict.ge) was created in 2009 at the request of the Georgian Ministry of Defence. In 2011 – 2013  editors of the Lexicographic Centre compiled English-Georgian Online Biology Dictionary (http://bio.dict.ge), financed with the support of Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation. Currently the work is underway on the English-Georgian Online Dictionary of Technical Terminology, also financed by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation.

One of the goals of LC is promoting the development of bilingual lexicography in respect to European languages. For this purpose MA and PhD programs were launched at the Faculty of Humanities. In 2011 a joint MA program was set up with the Department of the Italian language and the work on a New Italian-Georgian Learner’s Dictionary is alredy underway. LC plans to initiate bilingual projects in respect to other European languages as well.

In 2010 LC founded international symposium in lexicography together with Arn. Chikobava Institute of Linguistics and Batumi State University. Two symposia were held in 2010 and 2012. The purpose of the first assembly of lexicographers in Batumi was to analyze the problems existing in this field and to discuss the prospects and possible ways of development of lexicography in Georgia. The participants of the symposium adopted a document of major significance for the history of the modern Georgian lexicography: The Appeal of Georgian Lexicographers to the Georgian Government and the Academic Community. The document focuses on the problems hindering the development of lexicography in Georgia: Lexicography is not regarded as a scientific discipline, lexicographers are not awarded academic or scientific degrees for the academic dictionaries they create, lexicographic projects are not viewed as priorities with respect to funding grant-based projects, and so on.

The organizers of the symposium sent the Appeal to the Executive Board of the European Association for Lexicography (EURALEX). The Association supported the appeal of the Georgian lexicographers and Mr. Geoffrey Williams, the President of EURALEX, sent back to Georgia a highly noteworthy and substantial letter addressed to the Georgian Government and Academic Community, which has greatly contributed to the formation of more adequate approach towards lexicography in Georgia.

From 2011, the Lexicographic Centre functions as the University Centre for Bilingual Lexicography. One of the major areas of the Centre’s activities is the publication of bilingual dictionaries with respect to European languages. Another important area is encouraging the youth to work in this field and providing them with the adequate education. The Centre pays great attention to the promotion of Lexicography as a branch of science. With that end in view, the Centre delivers public lectures, gives presentations, has trainings with teachers of foreign languages, etc. LC was one of the initiaters of seting up a State Committee for the Enhancement of Lexicography in Georgia at the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia. The Committee is developing the National Programme of Lexicography, which is intended to comprise Georgian explanatory and historical dictionaries, specialist terminological dictionaries, as well as bilingual and electronic lexicography.

In 2012 LC started to work on a new project, namely Parallel Corpus of English-Georgian Scientific Texts, which will later become a part of the Georgian National Corpus.

Lexicographic Publications

a.    print dictionaries:

• Tinatin Margalitadze (Editor-in-chief), Giorgi Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. XIV volume, Letter P, 270 pp.
• Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 2012.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (Editor-in-chief), Giorgi Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. XIII volume, letter O, 125 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 2008.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. XII volume, letter N, 100 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 2006.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. XI volume, letter M, 150 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 2003.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. X volume, letters J,K,L, 190 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 2001.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. IX volume, letter I, 160 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 1999.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. VIII volume, letter H, 160 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 1998.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. VII volume, letter G, 145 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 1998.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. VI volume, letter F, 170 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 1997.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. V volume, letter E, 130 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 1997.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. IV volume, letter D, 180 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 1996.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. III volume, letter C, 260 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 1996.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. II volume, letter B, 180 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 1996.
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “English-Georgian Dictionary”. I volume, letter A, 160 pp. Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 1995.

b.  Online dictionaries:

• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor-in-chief), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze, Ariane Chanturia, Shukia Apridonidze. “A Comprehensive English-Georgian Online Dictionary” (110 000 entries). Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 2010.   www.dictionary.ge  www.dict.ge
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze. “English-Georgian Military Online Dictionary” (10 000 entries). Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 2009.  http://mil.dict.ge
• Tinatin Margalitadze (editor), George Meladze, Gela Khundadze. “English-Georgian Biology Online Dictionary” (20 000 entries). Lexicographic Centre, Tbilisi State University. Tbilisi, 2013. http://bio.dict.ge