AKAKI SHANIDZE (1887-1987)              Georgian linguist and philologist, who laid the foundations of modern scholarly research of the Georgian language and languages related to Georgian. Son of a poor villager, he studied at the Patersbourgh University, returning in 1917 to Georgia to become one of the founders of The Tbilisi University. He was the head of the Chair of Georgian language of the University for nearly seven decades.          A man of amazing energy and creative power, he was the author of over 600 works, many of them, like the monumental "Foundations of Georgian Grammar", remain everyday reference books in several fields of research: theoretical grammar of Georgian and other  related languages, (svan and laz), history of the Georgian language, Georgian lexicology, dialectology, textology, folklor. Many of his works deal with the text of Rustaveli's poem ( "The knight of the Panther's skin) and he was also a pioneer in the field of Caucasian Albanology.         Many of the linguists in Georgia are his pupils, as well as several Europian and American scholars. In his old age Akaki Shanidze retained not only a computer-like memory and full use of his vast knowledge, but also his creative energy and working power.       His hundredth aniversary was celebrated as a national event, with himself present. He died afrer a few days of illness and  is buried beefore the entrance to thee main building of the Tbilisi University, The vollume containing the papers of the fourth conference on non-Slavic languages of the USSR (Chicago, 1985) is dedicated to Akaki Shanidze.            He was a honor member of several academical institutions, amongs them the Yena University.