This Transcaucasian republic is called the most multinational and multilingual in the Caucasus. Moreover, more than two dozen languages of the local peoples belong to as many as six different language families. A single state language unites all residents of the country. In Georgia, it is Georgian, and it is considered native by more than 80% of the local population.
Some statistics and facts
- In total, about 4 million people speak Georgian in the world. The largest number of Georgians outside the republic itself live in the United States, Turkey and Russia.
- The alphabet in Georgia is based on a phonetic principle, that is, each of its 33 letters denotes only one sound.
- Russian is considered native by about 150 thousand citizens of Georgia, and owns it to one degree or another - more than two million.
- 10% of Georgians regularly read books in Russian, and 55% believe they speak it fluently.
- Since 1932, the Russian Drama Theater has been operating in Tbilisi, which bears the name of A. S. Griboyedov.
Georgian as the language of a nation
The history of the written state language of Georgia goes back to the distant 5th century, when the first literary work of Jacob Tsurtaveli appeared. Today, the country's museums boast ten thousand manuscripts in Georgian, created in different years of the Middle Ages.
Georgians respect their language very much and take great care of it and its preservation. Even during the existence of the republic within the framework of the USSR, the state status of the Georgian was clearly spelled out in the constitution of the Georgian SSR.
Tourist notes
When you are in Georgia on vacation or on a business trip, first of all, thank fate for the opportunity to get to know this amazing country and hospitable people. Secondly, don't worry about not knowing Georgian. In Tbilisi and Batumi, Borjomi and Kutaisi, the vast majority of residents speak Russian, and signs, menus in restaurants and other necessary information are almost everywhere duplicated in Russian.
However, the situation with the Russians in Georgia is gradually deteriorating. The number of general education schools with instruction in Russian is decreasing, and in 2011 its teaching in Georgian schools ceased to be compulsory. Young people are paying more and more attention to English and other foreign languages, but the middle and older generation still speak Russian. There is a hope that the development of tourism will help the Russians to stay afloat in Georgia.
