LANGUAGE POLICY ISSUES IN GEORGIA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY (ACCORDING TO THE GEORGIAN ÉMIGRÉ PRESS)

Irine Chachanidze; Tamar Guchua

Irine Chachanidze Irine Chachanidze Doctor of Philology, Associate Professor of Akaki Tsereteli State University, Kutaisi, Tamar Mepe str. 59, 4600, Georgia, http://orcid.org/0009-0007-4963-8995
Tamar Guchua Doctor of Philology, Assistant Professor of Akaki Tsereteli State University, Kutaisi, Tamar Mepe str. 59, 4600, Georgia,

Abstract

Russification is a special case of cultural assimilation, when small nations fall under the influence of the Russian language and culture (Weinreich, 1953; Thaden, 1981; Weinerman, 1996; Kappeler, 2004; Jones, 2005; Miller, 2008; Weeks, 2010). At the beginning of the 20 th century, the norms of the language policy developed in the Russian Empire applied to the conquered and imperial countries, including Georgia.

The present paper aims to study the problems of the Russification language policy on the example of Georgia. The digital corpus of “Sakartvelo” (Georgia), the newspaper of the Georgian Emigrants of the early 20 th century, is used to provide empirical data. Illustrative

data have been collected and the questions given below are discussed using the method of sociolinguistic: 1) To what extent was the local population of Georgia ready to accept the Russian language in schools and theological education? 2) To what extent was the “immersion method” of teaching justified in the Russification language policy of the early 20 th century in Georgia? 3) Under the Russification language policy in Georgia, in what directions was the protection of the Georgian language provided?

Such an approach to the problem will show us what measures were taken by the founders of the Georgian émigré press in terms of exposing the educational policy of Russification, forming a healthy public opinion and protecting the Georgian language, more specifically, how the Georgian newspaper “Sakartvelo”, published in Paris in 1903-1905, responded to this problem.

Keywords: language policy, émigré press, Russification, Georgian language, “immersion method”.