This new საიდუმლო ქართული (Secret Georgian) series is all about topics that are usually not taught in Georgian lessons or treated textbooks due to their delicate nature. Even for advanced learners other sources are not readily available and the interested student has to spend a lot of time digging through the internet and interviewing close friends on these uncomfortable topics. So I am quite happy now (and a bit uneasy, of course) that I can provide you with a quite thorough introduction to these topics today. It is aimed at advanced learners, but even a novice to Georgian might find it an interesting and rare read with some new words and phrases coming in handy here and there during your next travel to Georgia. For now, three issues are planned and in the works:
- Part 1 - სხეულის ფუნქციები // Bodily Functions
- Part 2 - სექსუალობა // Sexuality
- Part 3 - ბილწსიტყვაობა // Profanity
This series aims at giving an overview over the basic vocabulary and common phrases navigating around these sensitive topics and should enable you to understand more when Georgians are talking about these topics, when reading modern Georgian literature (with not so many taboos as in traditional Georgian books) and give you some orientation on how to use the Georgian language actively yourself without offending your surroundings. I am also trying to give some advise on what words and phrases might be appropriate on different formal levels (profane, normal, formal).
As always I have taken special care to include links to detail pages, mostly on the verbs and for most of the new verbs I have provided their full conjugation tables for all moods and tenses with example sentences in English and German. I learned from the feedback that most members value the verb pages the most here on kartuliena.eu, so I am happy to provide!
საიდუმლო ქართული 1 - სხეულის ფუნქციები // Bodily Functions
Natural needs are part of the daily life of every human being, but despite being natural, they often lead a secret life in most societies due to the foul odors, less appealing colors, smelly fluids and dirty matter involved. The novice learner of any foreign language can do very well without learning vocabulary and phrases concerning this part of human life especially because of its hushed-up nature. Even native speakers need to use such vocabulary only very rarely. Concerning Georgian, this is even more emphasized due to the quite conservative and modest nature of public conversations among Georgians, who mostly avoid speaking about these topics in public. That is why all Georgian textbooks never go beyond teaching polite phrases like "Where is the toilet?" or "Where is the restroom?".
Natural needs like urinating and defecating are generally referred to as ბუნებრივი საჭიროები or ბუნებრივი მოთხოვნილებები (ბუნებრივი - natural, საჭიროება - need, მოთხოვნილება - addressing something). Addressing natural needs could be translated as ბუნებრივი მოთხოვნილებების დასაკმაყოფილება - literally the satisfying of natural needs. The expression სხეულის ფუნქციები just means bodily functions (სხეული - body, ფუნქცია - function).
In the sections below you find an overview on how to understand and express phrases concerning natural human needs and bodily functions as well as how to name the involved body parts and common sanitary items and installations in Georgian as well as some examples for profane, normal and polite/medical expressions. They are ordered from top to bottom, that is from head to, well, anus.
Content:
- თვალები და ყურები // Eyes and Ears - Crying, Tears and Ear Wax
- ცხვირი // Nose – Clearing the Nose
- პირი // Mouth - Eating, Drinking, Spitting, Vomiting
- კანი // Skin - Sweat
- ღძის ჯირკვლები // Milk Glands - Milk
- სასქესო სისტემა // Genital/Sexual System
- შარდმდენი სისტემა // Excretory System - Urine
ტუალეთის სარგებლობა // Using the Toilet - მომნელებელი სისტემა // Digestive System - Feces
- სხვა // Other - Blood, Pus
1. თვალები და ყურები // Eyes and Ears
A number of verbs relating to liquids flowing or being secreted from the body stem from the word დენა - the flowing, the trickling, the leaking. One active verb in Georgian would be დის - to flow, to trickle, to stream: ცრემლი გამოდის თვლიდან - the tear is coming/flowing from the eye.
An important Georgian word for any liquid oozing, leaking, seeping or otherwise coming from the body is სდის; so crying could be translated as: ცრემლები ამოსდის მას თვლიდან - he is crying (tears from his eyes). The proper verb vor crying, however, is ტირის: ის სულ ტირის - he is always crying.
Blinking of the eye is expressed using the verb ხამხამებს: თვალი ხამხამებს - the eye is blinking.
2. ცხვირი // Nose
The nose is our primary sense for smelling something: სუნი მიმდის - I am smelling something (literally a smell is coming to me). This phrase makes use of the useful verb სდის again. The proper word for smelling something is ყნოსავს: რომელ სუნს ვყნოსავ? Which smell am I smelling?
The Georgian word for breathing is ისუნთქავს: კარგად ისუნთქავ? Can you breathe well? ნელნელა, შეისუნთქე, ამოისუნთქე! Slowly, breathe in, breathe out! მეტისმეტად ისუნთქავენ ცხვირით - most often one breathes through (with) the nose. You can use this verb with an object, too: მთებში კარგ ჰაერს ვისუნთქავ - in the mountains I am breathing good air.
A running nose during a cold (სურდო) can be expressed as ლორწო სდის ცხვირს - snot is running from the nose. Nasal mucus (snot) can be referred to by ცხვირის ლორწო or ცხვირის გამონადენი (literally, what is coming out of the nose).
To wrinkle (pull up, scrunch) the nose in distaste could be expressed using the verb წევს: მან ნიშნად აწია ცხვირი - he tellingly wrinkled (turned up, scrunched) his nose (in distaste).
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