Gvprtskvni - how is this even a word, Georgian!?

The Georgian language has some highly unusual syllables. Here’s the linguistics behind its complex consonant clusters. Subscribe for more: Become my patron: ~ Briefly ~ Starting from one clustery word, we’ll go on a journey looking for the “root“ of this record-breaking consonant phenomenon known as Georgian. We’ll quickly pass over some of its standout characteristics, from its ejective sounds to its striking writing system, before we settle down into Georgian’s atypical syllable structure. Not only are its syllables long, they’re full of sonority violations. This happens thanks to the language’s morphology, particularly the way its verbs put pieces together. We’ll end with a contrast between the clustered but relatively benign gvprtskvni-like verbs versus ones that look deceptively easier to say but have much trickier grammar. ~ Credits
Back to Top