Языковая ситуация и изменение статуса русского языка в Республике Грузия

A Study on Change of Language Situation in Georgia

The purpose of this paper is to provide information of language policies and analyze process of their implements in Georgia (Russian - Грузия). Georgia is in Transcaucasia (Закавказье) and Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the exclave of Nakhichevan, fall within the region. Since the USSR dissolution in 1991, Georgia has a national-language policy that enables its own national language as the only state language to expand its zone of use simply in order to consolidate the national identity. Though Georgia has less Russians in number, and enjoys long standing national convention and its own language, the country is going through national upheaval in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, caused by one-nation policy of the country. Even though Georgia managed to get rid of Russian as a public tongue and reduce the use of the language to certain degrees, this policy rather cleaves the nation into two. The country as a result has become two nations. In Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the population of Russians is small but Russian language is widely spoken which, depending on the interest of Georgia and Russia, might lead to what we see as another Crimean war.