The Most Famous
LINGUISTS from Georgia
Top 4
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Georgian Linguists of all time. This list of famous Georgian Linguists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Nicholas Marr (1864 - 1934)
With an HPI of 61.47, Nicholas Marr is the most famous Georgian Linguist. His biography has been translated into 39 different languages on wikipedia.
Nikolai Yakovlevich Marr (Никола́й Я́ковлевич Марр, Nikolay Yakovlevich Marr; ნიკოლოზ იაკობის ძე მარი, Nikoloz Iak'obis dze Mari; 6 January 1865 [O.S. 25 December 1864] — 20 December 1934) was a Georgian-born historian and linguist who gained a reputation as a scholar of the Caucasus during the 1910s before embarking on his "Japhetic theory" on the origin of language (from 1924), now considered as pseudo-scientific, and related speculative linguistic hypotheses. Marr's hypotheses were used as a rationale in the campaign during the 1920–30s in the Soviet Union of introduction of Latin alphabets for smaller ethnicities of the country. In 1950, the "Japhetic theory" fell from official favour, with Joseph Stalin denouncing it as anti-Marxist.
2. Tamaz V. Gamkrelidze (1929 - 2021)
With an HPI of 52.58, Tamaz V. Gamkrelidze is the 2nd most famous Georgian Linguist. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Tamaz Valerianis dze Gamkrelidze (Georgian: თამაზ ვალერიანის ძე გამყრელიძე; 23 October 1929 – 10 February 2021) was a Georgian linguist, orientalist public benefactor and Hittitologist, Academic (since 1974) and President (2005–2013) of the Georgian Academy of Sciences (GAS), Doctor of Sciences (1963), Professor (1964).
3. Vasily Abaev (1900 - 2001)
With an HPI of 49.70, Vasily Abaev is the 3rd most famous Georgian Linguist. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Vasily (Vaso) Ivanovich Abaev, also Abayev or Abayti (Russian: Василий Иванович Абаев, Ossetian: Абайты Иваны фырт Васо; 15 December 1900 – 18 March 2001) was a Soviet Ossetian linguist specializing in Iranian, particularly Ossetian linguistics.
4. Arnold Chikobava (1898 - 1985)
With an HPI of 47.09, Arnold Chikobava is the 4th most famous Georgian Linguist. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Arnold Chikobava (Georgian: არნოლდ ჩიქობავა; March 14 (26), 1898 – November 5, 1985) was a Soviet Georgian linguist and philologist best known for his contributions to Caucasian studies and for being one of the most active critics of Nicholas Marr's controversial monogenetic "Japhetic" theory of language. Chikobava was born in the small village of Sachikobavo in Samegrelo, western Georgia (then part of Imperial Russia). He graduated from the recently established Tbilisi State University in 1922 and earned a degree there, later serving as a docent (1926–33) and professor (1933-85). For years, he headed the Department of Caucasian Studies at Tbilisi State University (1933–60), and the Department of Ibero-Caucasian languages at the Institute of Linguistics in Tbilisi (1936–85). The institute, briefly directed by Chikobava from 1950 to 1952, now bears his name. In 1941, he became one of the founding members of the Georgian Academy of Sciences and was elected to its Presidium from 1950 to 1963. For his prolific work, he was awarded numerous Soviet and international prizes and titles. He authored a series of Georgian dictionaries and influential works on the structure and history of Caucasian languages. Most of his fame, however, came through his criticism of Marr's speculative linguistic theory that had been adopted, for a while, as an official ideology by Soviet scholars. While most of Marr's opponents came under heavy pressure from the Soviet authorities, Chikobava benefited from his friendship with the First Secretary of the Georgian Central Committee, Kandid Charkviani, and continued his attacks against Marr's hypotheses. Finally, he sent his report to Joseph Stalin; he met Stalin personally in 1950. Soon, Stalin denounced Marr's theory in his famous Pravda article on linguistics (one ghostwriter was, most probably, Chikobava himself). Chikobava died in Tbilisi at the age of 87. He was buried on the grounds of Tbilisi State University.
People
Pantheon has 4 people classified as Georgian linguists born between 1864 and 1929. Of these 4, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased Georgian linguists include Nicholas Marr, Tamaz V. Gamkrelidze, and Vasily Abaev. As of April 2024, 1 new Georgian linguists have been added to Pantheon including Arnold Chikobava.
Deceased Georgian Linguists
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Nicholas Marr
1864 - 1934
HPI: 61.47
Tamaz V. Gamkrelidze
1929 - 2021
HPI: 52.58
Vasily Abaev
1900 - 2001
HPI: 49.70
Arnold Chikobava
1898 - 1985
HPI: 47.09
Newly Added Georgian Linguists (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Linguists were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Linguists since 1700.
