The Russification Language Policy in Georgia (Based on the Georgian Émigré Newspaper “Sakartvelo”)

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.