From the history of the Georgian-Baltic scientific collaboration: George Akhvlediani and Jānis Endzelīns

Academician George (in Georgian – Giorgi) Akhvlediani (1887-1973), the descendant of ancient Georgian princely and noble families, was a great Georgian scholar, orientalist-linguist, who worked in several branches of linguistics. To his pen belong major studies in general linguistics, general and experimental phonetics, logopedics, Indo-European and Kartvelian languages. A man of broad social interests, he took an active part in the foundation of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Several pedagogical institutes in Georgia where also established with his active participation.
G. Akhvlediani had intensive scientific collaboration and friendly relationship with the prominent Latvian linguist, Academician Jānis Endzelīns/Endzelin (1873-1961), who was the full member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences.
In 1910 George Akhvlediani was admitted at the Faculty of History-Philology of Kharkov University, where he broadened his knowledge in classic and European new languages, learned old Indian-Sanskrit, German and Persian languages. Professor Jānis Endzelīns, who in 1909-1920 years was working at Kharkov University, taught historiccompetitive linguistics to G. Akhvlediani. Endzelīns was the author of several important scientific works among of which is «Latvian Grammer» (Riga, 1922).
G. Akhvlediani presented on the contest his work: «For the history of sonorant and alveolar nasal consonants in Sanskrit, Greek, Latin and Slavic languages» for what he was awarded with the gold medal. J. Endzelīns gave the high evaluation to this work («Kharkov University Bulletin», 1914, t. I), which is included in the chronological bibliography of works (Riga, 1958).
After graduating from the university, George Akhvlediani came back to Georgia and started working as a teacher at Kutaisi gymnasium. Jānis Endzelīns paid a special visit to George’s brother – Valerian Akhvlediani in Kharkov and suggested the following: `George is a talented man. It’s a pity that he works as a teacher; his vocation is science. Please, write him to come here, I am going to prepare him to be professor and present to the university».
G. Akhvlediani took into account his teachers advice and in 1915 went back to Kharkov. By the recommendation of Endzelīns he became at chair of the competitive linguistic at the University «for preparing as a professor».
Back to Georgia G. Akhvlediani started working at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. After electing as a full member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences (1941) and received the science rank as a devoted figure (1943), already a well known scientist, dedicated to his Latvian tutor his seminal work Fundamentals of General Phonetics (1949). The first page of the above work states: «I dedicate this book to my dear teacher – member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences Jānis Endzelīns, who taught me the dedication to science».
Akhvlediani always recalled the consideration and care shown by Endzelīns with great gratitude, evidenced by their correspondence. Five letters, sent by Endzelīns to Akhvlediani, are kept in the Museum of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Thus, close scientific collaboration and friendly ties between the prominent scholars have been one of the brightest facts in the history of Georgian-Baltic relationships.