GEOrGIAN KNOWLEDGE

DISCOVER THE REAL GEORGIA

Georgian, known as "Kartuli" in its native form, is a unique and ancient language that stands out in the linguistic landscape of the Caucasus. It belongs to the Kartvelian language family, a distinct group unrelated to the Indo-European, Turkic, or Semitic languages spoken in neighboring regions.

Georgian is the official language of Georgia and is spoken by the majority of its population. It also has speakers in neighboring countries such as Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, as well as in diaspora communities worldwide. With approximately 4 million speakers, Georgian is the most widely spoken language in the Kartvelian family, which also includes Mingrelian, Laz, and Svan.

Unlike most of its neighboring languages, Georgian has no direct relation to any major global language families. However, it has incorporated influences from Persian, Arabic, Greek, Russian, and Turkish throughout its history. Its distinctive characteristics can be found in its unique alphabet, rich consonant clusters, and complex grammatical structure.

Georgian is deeply tied to the identity and culture of Georgia, playing a crucial role in preserving the nation’s heritage through centuries of political and cultural challenges. It boasts a rich literary tradition, with the oldest surviving texts dating back to the 5th century. One of the most famous works in Georgian literature is The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, written by Shota Rustaveli in the 12th century, which remains a cornerstone of Georgian national identity.

Here are 5 Unique Features of the Georgian Language:

1. Unique Alphabet: Georgian is written in its own script, which is distinct from any other writing system. The modern Georgian alphabet, Mkhedruli, consists of 33 letters and is known for its flowing, rounded shapes.

2. Rich Consonant Clusters: Georgian is famous for its complex consonant clusters, allowing for words like mts’k’vdi (meaning "writer") that feature multiple consecutive consonants without vowels.

3. No Grammatical Gender: Unlike many languages, Georgian has no grammatical gender. The same word is used for "he," "she," and "it," making it a gender-neutral language in structure.

4. Extensive Verb System: Georgian verbs are highly inflected and can express subject, object, tense, aspect, and mood within a single word. This complexity makes Georgian verb conjugation one of the most intricate aspects of the language.

5. Flexible Word Order: While the default sentence structure in Georgian is subject-object-verb (SOV), the word order is highly flexible, with emphasis rather than strict grammar rules determining placement.

NATURAL METHOD TO LEARN GEORGIAN

Our language courses are based on the Natural Method, also known as the Natural Approach, developed by linguist Stephen Krashen and language educator Tracy Terrell. This approach focuses on creating an environment that mimics how individuals naturally acquire their first language, emphasizing comprehension, communication, and a stress-free learning experience.

While other language courses rely on rote memorization and drills, a heavy academic approach to grammar, repetitive exercises, expensive and time-consuming formal tutoring sessions or ineffective and shallow phone apps, we will have you gradually build your language skills like a child learning his/her mother tongue.

There are essentially 5 Core Principles in the Natural Method:

1. Comprehensible Input (i+1)
   Learners acquire a language when they are exposed to materials slightly beyond their current level of understanding (represented as i+1). By hearing or reading content they mostly understand, learners can gradually internalize new vocabulary and grammar structures.

2. Focus on Communication
   The Natural Method prioritizes fluency and the ability to communicate over grammatical perfection. Errors are seen as a natural part of the learning process and are not heavily penalised, reducing anxiety and encouraging learners to express themselves.

3. Emotional Element
   Emotional factors like anxiety, motivation and enjoyment greatly influence language acquisition. When learners are in a relaxed state, achieved by removing the anxiety linked to the pressure to produce perfect grammar, it is easier for them to get through the initial phase which is arguably the hardest and where most give up. It is also proven to be easier for the brain to absorb and retain new information if the learner is actually interested in the language and its underlying culture, which is why he have included extensive cultural insights, historical and modern pop culture elements in our language course.

4. Stages of Language Acquisition
   Scholars have identified the following stages in the language acquisition process of young children:

   • Pre-production: The "silent period," where learners focus on listening and understanding without speaking.

   • Early Production: Learners begin using simple words and phrases.

   • Speech Emergence: Learners can construct longer sentences and express ideas more freely.

   • Intermediate Fluency: Learners develop more complex language skills and can engage in meaningful conversations.

   • Advanced Fluency: Learners achieve near-native proficiency.

     The goal of our courses is thus to mimic the natural language acquisition process without overwhelming the learner with long and tedious lessons but ensuring gradual gains so that he/she remains committed to his/her fluency goal.

5. Meaningful Interaction
   Instead of rote memorization of single words and grammar rules over and over, the Natural Method encourages activities that involve real-world communication to help retain information. This is why we have included storytelling and role-playing scenarios that simulate everyday situations, with exercises that allow the learner to understand his/her current level and thus improve upon specific elements.

EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Download our complete language master course to learn Georgian in 30 days and finally become fluent.

You will receive not only all the contents available on our website in a convenient pdf format but also additional contents, including bonus Vocabulary, detailed Grammar explanations and exclusive Cultural insights with additional vocabulary that you won't in any other textbook as well as real life conversations and exercises to practice speaking Georgian on your own.

The additional vocabulary includes 200 different topics and more than 15.000 of the most important words, the additional grammar explanations allow you to create any phrase to express yourself freely. Practice more than 20 conversation topics with real life dialogues and exercises to master Hungarian on your own and discover exclusive cultural insights that only native Georgians would know about politics, history, local customs, pop culture and more!