The Georgian language

Georgian is one of the oldest living languages ​​in the world and, yes, one of the most difficult. The Georgian language is part of the Kartvelian language group, which is completely independent and is not related to any other. Besides Georgian, there are only two other languages in the Kartvelian language group today: Megrelian-Laz and Svan. All three languages ​​are spoken within Georgia, Georgian being the only literary language.

The Georgian alphabet
The Georgian alphabet is one of the oldest in the world dating back to the 2nd century and it is one of the 14 official scripts still in use today. On November 30th, 2016, the Georgian alphabet was included on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind by UNESCO.

There are three fonts in the Georgian alphabet: Asomtavruli, Nuskha-Khutsuri and Mkhedruli, with Asomtavruli being the oldest. Each of them has a characteristic graphic style. Nuskha-Khutsuri was and is only used by monks in temples and monasteries, mostly to compile lists. The Nuskh script is still used in ecclesiastical life today.

Mkhedruli is the modern Georgian alphabet, which is actively used by the Georgian nation today. One of the unique features of the Georgian alphabet is the fact that the words are spelled exactly as they are written.

Georgian grammar
What makes the Georgian language even more difficult, is its exceptionally complex grammar. Georgian has three different types of negations, 7 cases and 11 different tenses. A special feature of Georgian is the capacity to express action, actor and action goal with a single word. If one is used to an Indo-European language with subject, object and auxiliary verbs, this completely different language system is almost impossible to master.  

The language barrier
As the Georgian language is most probably not related to any other language you might know, the language barrier between Georgians and foreigners can be quite high. Getting information from locals by simply asking, might be very difficult. In bigger cities you may find well educated young people, who speak English, but when addressing older people Russian may be the only option. Fortunately, road signs are usually written both in Georgian and Latin script, so at least you can find your way around.  

Picture credits: picture taken by beyondarts GmbH with kind permission of Georgian National Museum

Project “Increased regional added value in the tourism sectors of Georgia by Digital Heritage Tourism Guides” was funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) with funds of Austrian Development Cooperation.