One of the defining characteristics that distinguishes Kartvelian languages from the Indo-European family is the use of the ergative case and ergative construction. In Kartvelian ergative constructions, the subject of a transitive verb is marked by the ergative case (typically with the suffix -ma), while the object appears in the nominative case. In contrast, Indo-European languages consistently place the subject in the nominative case and the object in an indirect case, such as the accusative or dative.
A careful examination of Ukrainian linguistic artifacts, however, reveals traces of ergative-like constructions, if not the ergative case itself. These remnants are particularly evident in Old Ukrainian, where the object of a transitive verb occasionally appears in the nominative case—a hallmark of ergative alignment. This phenomenon is strikingly preserved in the legendary Ukrainian Cossack surnames, which combine the imperative form of a transitive verb with a nominative-case object. Examples include:
- Zagubibatko (not zagubi + batka, "lose the father");
- Ubiyvovk (not ubiy + vovka, "kill the wolf");
- Strizhikurka (not strizhi + kurku, "shear the chicken");
- Pletikosa (not pleti + kosu, "braid the plait");
- Prudivus (not prudii + vusa, "move the mustache").
These surnames reflect a construction where the object (batko, vovk, kurka, kosa, vus) remains in the nominative case, mirroring the Kartvelian ergative pattern rather than the expected Indo-European accusative or instrumental case.
Similar traces of ergative-like constructions can be found in the Russian language, as seen in the proverb ne razley voda ("don’t spill the water"). Here, the object voda ("water") is in the nominative case instead of the expected instrumental case, a structure that deviates from standard Russian grammar and suggests an ancient ergative influence.
Turning to the Kartvelian ergative case marker -ma, a notable parallel emerges in Church Slavonic, an early Slavic liturgical language. In Church Slavonic dictionaries, the word kopachma ("digger") appears, with the root clearly being kopach ("to dig"). The suffix -ma in kopachma aligns with the Georgian ergative case ending -ma, which marks the subject of a transitive verb. The lexicographer who recorded kopachma was likely unaware of the Georgian ergative case and thus included the word with its suffix intact, treating it as part of the stem. This accidental preservation offers a rare glimpse of Kartvelian grammatical influence in early Slavic languages.
These findings—ergative-like constructions in Old Ukrainian surnames, similar patterns in Russian proverbs, and the presence of a Kartvelian ergative suffix in Church Slavonic—suggest that Kartvelian linguistic structures may have left a deeper imprint on early Slavic languages than previously recognized. This evidence challenges the traditional Indo-European framework of Ukrainian and Russian grammar, pointing to a possible Kartvelian substrate in the region’s linguistic history.
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