Learn Georgian from scratch on your own. Georgian language: why the alphabet begins with violet

Georgia, a magnificent country that has preserved the pristine beauty of mountains and rivers. This is an ancient state, which is located in Western Asia and on the Black Sea coast. The geographical location of Georgia and its incredibly healthy mineral waters attract millions of tourists from all over the world every year, and each of them finds something of their own here, something that makes them come back here again and again. But in order to travel around Georgia and easily communicate with the local population, you need to have a good knowledge of the Georgian language.

Appeals

Standard phrases

Traveling around the city

At the station

In transport

At the hotel

Numerals

Emergencies

Time of day and year

In the shop

In a restaurant and cafe

To ensure that ignorance of the language does not become an obstacle for you, on our website you can download or print an excellent Russian-Georgian phrasebook, which contains the most important topics for conversation while traveling.

Basic words are important and frequently used phrases and words that you cannot do without during your holiday in Georgia. Here you will find common phrases, answers to common questions, etc.

Numbers – translation of numbers from zero to a million and their correct pronunciation. This topic can be useful in many cases, from traveling by bus to purchasing goods at the market and in stores.

Shops and restaurants - thanks to this topic you can find out the cost of a particular product, and the translation of many food products from Russian into Georgian.

Tourism – phrases that tourists most often use when traveling.

How to get there - words that will help you find your way to any place you are interested in. All you need to do is simply ask a question to a passing Georgian citizen in his native language.

Public places and attractions - if you need to get to any of the municipal institutions or local attractions, just open this topic and find the translation and pronunciation of the object you are interested in, after which you can ask any passerby where this building is located.

Dates and times - translation and pronunciation of dates and times of day, in addition, thanks to this section you can ask what time or until what time the establishment you are interested in is open.

In Georgia, a child’s acquaintance with the alphabet begins with words symbolizing the awakening of nature: “Here is a violet.”

Isn’t it colorful, visual, fresh! Of course, the phrase may seem complicated for a child who is picking up a book for the first time. But it's in Russian. In Georgian it is read very easily: “ai ia”. Two pairs of mirrored vowel sounds, generously gifting us with sacred simplicity.

Although the Georgian language itself is by no means simple. As is the fate of the people who speak it. He subtly feels the attitude towards himself and confidentially reveals secrets only to those who are infinitely devoted to him. The textbook "Dedaena", which teaches children in Georgia to read and write, was compiled by just such a person - the outstanding teacher Jacob Gogebashvili.

Since then, for almost a century and a half, the content of the “Georgian alphabet” has been trying to keep up with the times. However, the phenomenal phonetic combination of words “ai ia” survived the political hurricanes and pedagogical tossing of the twentieth century. No one could come up with anything better, more imaginative and more intelligible for beginners to read and write...

April 14 is celebrated in Georgia as the Day of Protection of the Georgian Language. Exactly 40 years ago, about 100 thousand people, mainly representatives of the intelligentsia and students, went to a rally in the center of Tbilisi. But this is 1978! The requirement is to preserve the status of the Georgian language as the state language in the new edition of the Constitution of the republic. Local leaders expressed their support cautiously but persistently. Thus, the document managed to defend the corresponding article.

Small nations are generally very sensitive to their native language. It is one of the main forms of their self-identification. And Georgian, along with Hebrew, Farsi, Lithuanian, Finnish, is also one of the ten most ancient languages ​​still spoken in the world. All three of its unique alphabets are included in UNESCO's world cultural heritage.

The current one has 33 letters, including five vowels. Since it was created for a specific language, each sound corresponds to a separate letter. In a word, it is written the same way as it sounds by ear. This greatly simplifies spelling. However, there are also grammatical features. The most surprising thing is that such an ancient language has found itself at the epicenter of the most modern linguistic trends associated with the Internet and communication.

This is, first of all, the minimum size of a phrase with maximum semantic content. The Georgian verb, due to its internal flexibility, allows you to convey a huge amount of information without explanatory words. Linguists consider, for example, verb constructions like “shemomechama” to be unique. Unlike the cognate “shevchame” - “ate”, in this form the verb takes on additional shades: “I didn’t intend to eat it, but it happened to me involuntarily.”

In Georgian, just like in SMS, capital letters are not used. There are no excuses. There is no grammatical category of gender. Therefore, many of its speakers find it difficult to figure out when to say “mine”, when to say “mine”, and when to say “mine”. Favorite reason for jokes. But, you see, gender tolerance is amazing, the struggle for which is growing in the world only in our days! The problem of the so-called feminists, which in most languages ​​give preference to the masculine gender when denoting universal concepts, for example, professions, was solved in Georgian from the very beginning.

In general, the feminine principle clearly prevails in him. Experts consider this to be echoes of pagan times. The sun, the main deity, was perceived by our ancient ancestors as a feminine being. "Mother" in Georgian means "grandfather". Hence the name of the most valuable national treasure - "Deda-ena". In the semantic translation it is “native”, and in the literal translation it is “mother language”.

The word “deda” in the Georgian consciousness is associated with many key concepts of the picture of the world: the native land is “deda-mitsa”, the native Fatherland is “deda-samshoblo”, the capital as the main city is “deda-kalaki”. And even the “pillar” as a support, the basis of the foundations, sounds in Georgian “deda-bodzi”.

It is noteworthy that Georgians, like many eastern peoples, when greeting each other do not wish each other health - the English “hello” from “health”, the Russian “hello”, but “victory” - “gamarjoba” from “gamarjweb”. As a good parting word, they wish not tranquility, but peace: a peaceful night - “game mshvidobisa”, a peaceful morning - “dila mshvidobisa”, etc. And at parting they say “mshvidobit” - in peace.

The antiquity of Georgian writing is confirmed by the word denoting the writing process itself - “tsera”. It also carries the meaning of “scratch”, “split”. That is, it goes back to the times when letters had to be applied to hard materials.

It is very symbolic and remarkable, in my opinion, that the term “kithva” means both reading and questioning in Georgian. This testifies to the enormous importance that was attached to education in Georgia, and to the process of cognition in general. It is no coincidence that in the early Middle Ages there were authoritative academies in Gelati and Ikalto.

I think that a people who, having experienced innumerable sufferings and trials over their centuries-old history, nevertheless opens the world of knowledge to a child like a violet, will, in spite of everything, be able to maintain the right direction in life and move towards the light...

Division into numbers, but at the same time there is no division into feminine, masculine and neuter genders. It is an agglutinative language, that is, grammatical features can be reflected using prefixes and suffixes. So, one can “carry” up to eight morphemes.

Develop tactics and strategy. When studying the Georgian language, you need to decide which rhythm of work is most comfortable: alone or with a group, independently or with a teacher. In a small town, the most common option is two or three textbooks, a remote tutor or distance language courses and a native speaker. If it is not possible to find it in real life, social networks focused on language learning will help. For example, livemocha.com. There are now many language courses, including distance courses. By the way, you don’t have to spend money on modern Georgian language textbooks; you can borrow them for free from libraries. Many textbooks were written in Soviet times and have gone through several editions.

Immerse yourself in the language environment. In order to become saturated with the language, you need to read books, listen to live speech (for example, news or podcasts in Georgian on the Internet), communicate with native speakers both orally and epistolary or in chats, honing your command of written Georgian. Immersion in the language environment implies that the student has cards with new words or special software on his mobile phone. The player is loaded with Georgian songs, audiobooks or films in Georgian. And, of course, reading Georgian literature, epics and works of modern authors will give you an idea of ​​the literary Georgian language.

Sources:

• Portal about the Georgian language

The Georgian language and its dialects are spoken by at least 4 million people in Georgia itself, as well as in Russia (the Caucasus republics) and Turkey. The whole difficulty of mastering it lies in the difficult writing and unusual pronunciation. However, with the help of materials on the Internet, you can learn this language in a certain period of time.

You will need

• - computer;
• - Internet;
• - writing utensils;
• - 2 notebooks;
• - communication clubs;
• - development plan.

Instructions

Write down a clear plan for mastering the language and stick to it. This needs to be done regardless of whether you are going to study on your own, in a group or with a tutor. So, get two notebooks: one for writing new words, the other for grammar, phonetics and writing texts. In the first, write down 10 new words every day. Write opposite each translation and transcription in your native language.

Repeat the words every evening. Then ask someone to test you: let your interlocutor ask the Russian equivalent, and you have to say the Georgian one. Do this every day, and then at the end of the week take an exam section of all new words. Remember that the minimum for communication is about 500-700 lexical units. With this approach, you will master them after a couple of months of work.

Be sure to read simple texts in Georgian. This will not only help you understand writing, but will also allow you to increase your vocabulary. In addition, this will give you an idea of ​​Georgian culture, without which it is impossible to fully understand the language itself.

Do various grammar exercises in the second notebook. Dedicate at least 1 hour a day to this aspect. You can find special tasks on the same resource gruzinskij.ru. Your task is to read the rules and immediately incorporate them into the exercise. The more you do, the faster you will begin to communicate in the language.

Listen to the speeches of Georgian commentators or correspondents every day. Naturally, you will not be able to understand them right away. The most important thing is to learn to perceive their speech by ear, so that later you will be ready for a real interlocutor. Practice listening daily for 30-60 minutes.

Communicate with native speakers as much as possible. You can do this at special communication clubs, via Skype or using various social networks. Enter into communication at least 1-2 times a week, and then immerse yourself in an environment where they communicate only in Georgian. You will immediately feel progress in mastering it.

Video on the topic

Sources:

• Georgian language phrasebook
• how to learn Georgian language

It is possible to learn any foreign language. Especially if a person is closely familiar with the culture of the country, lives in it and hears foreign speech. However, learning Georgian must begin with memorizing the alphabet.

It is believed that a person is able to learn any foreign language, even if it is very difficult. The main thing is to approach training correctly and take into account some nuances. To learn the Georgian language, you must first memorize the alphabet. It is best to do this using the alphabet, which is called “Deda Ena”, that is, native speech.
In principle, you can turn to a tutor or teacher of the Georgian language, but there is enough literature on this issue on the Internet, so you can learn the alphabet on your own. If it is difficult to find the Georgian alphabet, you can simply download the alphabet with transcription, which shows how the letters are pronounced.

Where to start learning?

As mentioned earlier, you should first learn the letters, but you must remember that the letters are not similar to either Russian or Latin. Both in spelling and pronunciation. Therefore, at first it will seem that the letters are the same, round and similar to each other. But this is far from true. In addition, the Georgian alphabet has letters that are very similar in pronunciation, but have completely different meanings. These are the letters “K”, “Ch” and “C”. If you pronounce these letters incorrectly, the meaning of the word will change, and local Georgians are unlikely to understand its meaning.

For example, in the Georgian language there is a word “kari-door”, but there is also a word “kari-wind”. In the first case, the letter “k” is pronounced aspirated. Or here’s another: “chiri-dried fruit” and “chiri-infection”, two words different in meaning and pronunciation, although they differ in only one sound. In the second case, the letter “ch” is pronounced firmly, and in the first case softly. If you understand these subtleties, then learning the Georgian alphabet, and then the language, will become much easier.

Therefore, even if you start learning the Georgian language using a non-traditional method, for example, by memorizing words or phrases, bypassing the alphabet stage, after some time it will become clear that further learning is impossible.

Some nuances of the Georgian language

Each letter in the Georgian language is separate, there are no capital letters, each sentence is written with a small letter. Letters are written straight, without slanting. Moreover, there are no additional signs. The text is read the same way as it is written, there are no discrepancies.

The Georgian language has 33 letters (of which 5 are vowels, the remaining 28 are consonants), and if you learn a day, you can master the alphabet in 10 days. After which other possibilities will open up for the person: he will be able to read and write in Georgian, slowly at first, but if he constantly practices, he will get better every day.

A lot of useful information can be found on the Internet, where there are videos that show how to correctly write a letter and how to pronounce it.

Sources:

• Georgian language