BRAMS Institute
Doctor of philology / Academic research coordinator
Tbilisi/ Georgia
dianalecturs@gmail.com
Abstract
According to Article 8 of the Constitution of Georgia, the official state language is Georgian, and in Abkhazia, Georgian and Abkhazian. Megrelian (Margali Nina) is considered one of the languages (or dialects, or linguistic units) of the Kartvelian family and is protected as part of Georgia’s intangible cultural heritage. To this day, interest in the Megrelian language remains strong and often provokes social or political confrontation.
Where does the debate originate, what caused the problem to arise, how relevant is it today, and what would be a desirable outcome? This study seeks to answer those questions.
First of all, I rely on the important analytical paper by the writer, scholar, translator, ethnographer and lexicographer Tedo Sakhokia, a Megrelian and foreign corresponding member of the Paris Anthropological Society for more than half a century (from 1904 until his death in 1956). His piece, “What are you pursuing?!”, offers an essentially exhaustive answer to my first question about the origins and precursors of the dispute.
Sakhokia’s convincing assertion is that “the issue of the Mingrelian language did not exist before the Russian occupation”; that in 1870 “an attack was launched on the schools of Samegrelo”, supported by local separatist groups and Russian officials; and that these measures were a tactic in a wider, more insidious political plan against Georgia.
Sakhokia’s paper – a scientific study of a painful problem with a cause and effect analysis, detailed investigation of factors and motivations, and careful generalisation – is an important and reliable document. He substantiates his argument with contemporary media, historical facts and rigorous logical reasoning. He describes in detail the policy of Russification in Georgia, showing how, under the pretext of protecting the Megrelian dialect, the Georgian language was suppressed and Russian established in the first half of the 19th century. He traces the anatomy of Russification propaganda in the 1930s and notes that the empire’s Russification policy persisted thereafter, intensifying during the Soviet period.
To address the remaining questions, I verified facts and documents and consulted separate studies, in particular the monograph by Gvantsa Gvantseladze, Teimuraz Gvantseladze, Sofiko Tchaava and Monika Khobelia, “The Bolshevik Concept of Language Fusion and Language Policy in Abkhazia of the 1930s”, and Professor Rostom Chkheidze’s recent research article, “The Drama of Language Construction: Bolshevik Policy of Language Fusion”.
In conclusion, I offer a set of practical recommendations and brief observations intended to mitigate the problem.
Keywords: Megrelian, Kartvelian languages, Language policy, Georgia, Russia, Russification, Language fusion