"evropuli qartia saqarTvelo "European Charter for Regional or ...

ies-old literary and state tradition) is a nation whose native language is
a national language.
Cf.: an ethnic group is considered to be a part of ethnos/nation
that, beyond the borders of the main territory (state) by nationals of that
ethnos, resides in the state by other ethnos/nation 271
, accordingly, its national
language (native language) may not be the State language. The
opinion of Ancient Georgian chroniclers and famous Georgian public
figures regarding the interrelationship between the Georgian nation and
its native language is formulated in modern terms as follows:
The Georgian language is a native language and an ethnic language
of the Georgians (Megrels, Svans, Meskhs, Imeretians, Kakhetians,
etc.). The standard variant of this language – the Georgian literary
language – is a language of the centuries-old Georgian state and culture
– the national language. All other non-standard (inner) dialects are secondary
local varieties (vernacular idioms), patois, dialects etc. of a native
language.
By ignoring traditional Georgian understanding as well as scientific
argumentation, even today, some believe that there are several
Kartvelian languages: one language (Georgian) with the script available
272
and three (or two) languages (Megrelian, Laz, Svan) without script .
Cf. According to Y. Koryakov, the Svans have two ethnic languages
(upper Svan and lower Svan); in some authors’ view, the Svan
language is an unwritten native language of the Svans, as for the Georgian
– it is their national language (M. Kurdiani); others regard the Svan
language as a tribal one.
Based on such false understanding, one part of ethnic Georgians
(Svans, Megrels, etc.) are considered to be foreign ethnic groups having
no literary culture.
According to the linguistic explanation of a language ("a language
is a phonetic sign system") it is impossible to grant an idiom the
An unwritten language of an ethnos – an idiom which is not standardized (normalized)
and is not used as an official language in professional creative process or administrative
documentation) (for these purposes such ethnos uses the literary language of another
society).
271 For instance, the Georgians in Turkey.
272 For instance, see Georgian Language (Encyclopedia), Tbilisi, 2008; the very attitude
politicized by the Russian officials is being actively spread on internet even today.
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