MINELRES: Publication: The problem of state language in Georgia

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Guram Svanidze <demoscop@geo.net.ge> 

G.Svanidze,
sociologist, Cand. of Science

S.Tabatadze,
lawyer

HOW TO PROTECT A STATE LANGUAGE?

Georgia was highly integrated in USSR, but a weak inner integration
was intrinsic to it. The cause was a disregard of the necessity of the
integration of  Georgian society. In the post-soviet period this
circumstance  developed into the deepest political and legal crisis,
embodied in latent and open conflicts.

An irregular linguistic social space is one of the consequences  of
this circumstance. There is a serious problem of the strengthening of
the position of Georgian language both as a State Language and as one
of the main mechanisms of the integration of society. 

A type of the settling of some minority groups in Georgia served as an
objective cause of their weak integration into Georgian society. There
are large regions densely inhabited by minority groups. These are the
regions where positions of the State Language are most vulnerable. A
geographical isolation, a poor infrastructure of the communications
with Center of some of them should be also mentioned.

Borders of these regions densely inhabited by minority group adjoin to
the borders (Djavakhety adjoins to Armenia, Kvemo Kartli - to
Azerbaijan) of the historic motherland. Incorporation of the whole
regions into the linguistic and cultural space of the neighboring
States takes place.

There are other objective factors of the poor integration of minority
groups. History of their migration plays its role. Some of them came
here when Georgia had already been incorporated into tsarist Russia
(Djavakhetian Armenians, for example).

A special position of the Russian language should be emphasized.
During the soviet period it was a language of the interethnic 
relations and in fact substituted Georgian in interrelations between
center and some regions. Social strata of the Russian speaking 
population that consists of the representatives of  diverse ethnic
groups existed. Russian language did not lose its significance as one
that competes with the State Language in political sense when the
problem of the conflict resolution in Abkhazia  and South Ossetia is
raised. This language was conferred a special constitutional status in
this rebellious regions.

Specificity of the linguistic situation in Georgia is that the
linguistic rights of minority groups are guaranteed significantly,
while there are big difficulties for them to master the State
Language. Hundreds of non-Georgian schools work in the country.
Georgia exceeded  the requirements set by Hague OSCE Recommendations
(1996) on entitling minority groups the right to get education on
their own language. At the same time these groups are discriminated in
regard of the full access  to the Georgian language because of the
lack of trained specialists, textbooks and methodology. Actually,
graduates of  national schools found themselves in position of
marginals, they cannot realize fully their abilities. That is why few
representatives of minority groups participate in the governing of the
state, they are poorly represented in a free enterprise.

There is also a lack in the conceptual approaches to the problem that
hampers the progress in putting the linguistic space in Georgia in
good order. As a result, no clear definitions of the "national
(ethnic) minority", "linguistic minority" exists. 

.......................

---------------------
From the moderator: The full text of the paper can be obtained from
the author or from the MINELRES moderator by request.
Boris
---------------------