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

Pkhovian, Kartlian or Imerkhevian equally served as a basis for the language
of Khanmeti texts, "The Knight in the Panther’s Skin" and Petritsi’s
works. Arn. Chikobava’s view is interesting: Old Georgian literary
language was developed with participation of the Zan and Svan dialects
(Arn. Chikobava, 1948). Also, cf. N. Marr:
"Following were participating in creation-development of the Georgian
literary language: Kartlians, Imeretians, Megrels, Svans, Laz-Chans, etc. We
encounter the words of Chan that is Megrelian, Imerkhevian and other tribes in
the text of sacred scriptures. According to this real cultural-historical consideration,
the Georgian literary language is equally Svan or Megrelian and
equally Gurian or Imeretian, as it is Kartlian. It is a native literary language
for all tribes of Georgia" (N. Marr, 1905).
As mentioned in an introductory part, following the increased influence
of Russia in Caucasus the Tsarist officials attempted to estrange
certain groups of Georgians from literary culture created by their ancestors
and declare their domestic dialects as unwritten languages: officials
of Russian empire (K. Patkanian, K. Ianovskiy, I. Vostorgov, etc.) severely
politicized a somewhat harmless issue on the status of Georgian
linguistic entities.
The anti-imperial movement was launched under the leadership
of Ilia Chavchavadze: Georgian clergy and public figures declared the
Georgian language to be the fundament of the nation and "made it a
primary issue" (B. Jorbenadze, 1987, p.17). It is especially important to
acknowledge great services performed by the members of the "Society
for the Extension of Literacy among the Georgians" and clergy whose
part was later formally canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church as
Saints; we would like to note an important fact:
In Georgian the Catholicos-Patriarch Ambrose (Khelaia) was canonized
as Saint who severely opposed I Vostorgov’s anti-Georgian
acts (i.e. banning the Georgian languages in Samegrelo).
Cf.: I. Vostorgov was canonized as Saint by the Russian Orthodox
Church in 2000.
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