Language Research

Serious conflicts caused by language issues have not been observed. The Russian language is still in use among a number of dispersed minorities, whilst their native languages are used in locations where they live densely. Correspondence between some regions and the central authorities continues to be in Russian. It remains a priority in the country to reinforce the position of Georgian as the State language.

There is a problem with minority integration into social life because the minorities are afraid to lose their self-identity and their native language in the country. At the same time many representatives of the minority groups do not know the official state language. Some of them construe a request for knowledge of the language as a forcible assimilation attempt. The very notion of assimilation is considered to be negative by minorities.

Almost every minority has a historic homeland and roots to allow it to solve problems independently. In Georgia, however, neither the Assyrian nor Kurd minorities have an extant motherland. Thus they find themselves in a less favorable situation than other minorities.

The number of Parliament members representing national minorities does not properly reflect their real share in the population of the country. Until recently, even quite densely populated minority areas could not command representation in legislative bodies. The same applies to the representation of minorities in executive and judicial bodies.

In Georgia, state schools lack sufficient specialist teaching. The educational process is further complicated by the lack of textbooks, which have to be imported.

Ethnic conflicts still persist in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

As for emigration processes from Georgia, drastic changes have recently taken place there. Since 1989 approximately 14 % of the population of the country has departed. Sociological surveys reveal that the main cause is the poor economic condition of the country, not discrimination. Georgia has managed to stabilize the economic and political processes, but most of the population still lives in poor conditions.

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