EDITOR'S FOREWORD

Abstract

The present issue of the Journal of Humanities ETAGTSU (2020) brings together a diverse set of studies that reflect the dynamic landscape of contemporary linguistics, literary studies, and discourse analysis in Georgia. Each contribution offers an interesting perspective on how language, literature, and communication shape and are shaped by socialinguistic, cognitive, and discursive forces.

The collection of articles opens with a study that examines how the COVID-19 pandemic was framed in Georgian media. Drawing on the concepts of metaphor scenarios (Musolff, 2006; 2016) and discourse metaphors (Zinken et al., 2008), the paper analyses news reports from the first confirmed case on February 26th through mid-May. Using MIP and MIPVU procedures for metaphor identification, and building on earlier metaphor research on SARS, avian/bird flu, Zika, Foot and Mouth Disease, AIDS/HIV, and cancer, the study demonstrates that the Georgian media conceptualised the pandemic primarily through WARFARE, JOURNEY, and DISASTER super-scenarios (Nerlich, 2011). It further shows that the coronavirus itself became a productive source domain (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980/2003; Grady, 1997; Kövecses, 2002; 2010) for discussing political and social issues such as globalisation, xenophobia, and electoral reform. This article provides a strong conceptual foundation for understanding pandemic-related discourse in Georgia.

By examining the impact of controlled vocabulary and frequency-based sense reduction on learners’ comprehension and retention, E. Khuskivadze provides valuable insights into dictionary design practices. The findings emphasise the need to employ user-oriented lexicographic models that support effective vocabulary acquisition.

1. Tevdoradze addresses one of the central problems in modern literary theory: the conflation of the concepts literary text and literary work. Through an analytical engagement with linguistic and aesthetic approaches, the study highlights the theoretical and methodological implications of distinguishing these categories and calls for renewed clarity in literary scholarship.
2. Zardiashvili investigates the framing of emotions in political speeches, revealing how gendered expectations and cultural values shape rhetorical strategies in public communication. S. Totibadze focuses on children’s perceptions of gender roles in fairy tales, revealing that while traditional stereotypes remain influential, girls increasingly recognise them as restrictive and challenge their validity.

Multimodal discourse is the focus of two articles. The volume also includes research grounded in multimodal and semiotic analysis. Drawing on Kress and van Leeuwen’s theoretical framework to examine how meaning is constructed through the relationship between linguistic and pictorial elements, T. Tevzadze studies the interplay between verbal and visual signs in advertising.

Kh. Namicheishvili extends the focus on multimodality to digital communication, exploring the functions of pictorial metaphors in Georgian and English online environments, particularly through motion images and GIFs.

Legal discursive practices are examined in S. Gvritishvili’s comparative study of discourse markers in Georgian and U.S. courtroom questioning. By analysing their argumentative and interactional functions, the study offers significant insights into how linguistic strategies shape institutional communication and the management of narrative flow in judicial settings.

Cognitive and cross-linguistic approaches to meaning are at the centre of T. Vardidze’s research on polysemous nouns. Applying Margalitadze’s solar model, the study identifies universal semantic patterns across English and Georgian while highlighting language-specific nuances in the organisation of core and peripheral meanings.

Finally, N. Zoidze offers a literary analysis of Virginia Woolf’s The Waves, focusing on the novel’s philosophical treatment of temporality. The article illuminates Woolf’s exploration of collective identity, existential unity, and the transcendence of chronological time—hallmarks of modernist inquiry.

These studies demonstrate the thematic and methodological diversity of current research in Georgian academia, highlighting how language and literature continue to offer rich ground for examining human thought, social structures, and cultural expression.

Manana Rusieshvili-Cartledge

The Editor-in-Chief of the Online Journal of Humanities ETAGTSU

Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University