descended from a single proto-language which had consisted of four "diffused exclamations": sal, ber, yon, rosh. Although the languages undergo certain stages of development, his method of linguistic paleontology claims to make it possible to discern elements of primordial exclamations in any given language. One of his followers was Valerian Borisovich Aptekar, and one of his opponents was Arnold Chikobava. In 1950 Marr's theories were criticized in a discussion in Pravda, culminating in a June 20, 1950 article by Stalin, "Marxism and Problems of Linguistics". After that point Marr's theories were largely abandoned by Soviet linguists, and an emphasis on Russian language research was promoted instead. Publications Selected works: References Bibliography 1864 births 1934 deaths 20th-century linguists Archaeologists from the Russian Empire Armenian studies scholars Burials at Kazachye Cemetery Deaths from influenza Full Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1917–1925) Full members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Full Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Georgian people of Scottish descent 20th-century historians from Georgia (country) Linguists from Georgia (country) Linguists from the Soviet Union Linguists of Caucasian languages Linguists of Kartvelian languages Paleolinguists People from Kutaisi People from Kutais Governorate Recipients of the Order of Lenin 19th-century historians from Georgia (country)