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

other dialects. Therefore, Megrelian, Laz and Svan represent dialects
rather than independent languages in terms of linguistics (phoneticsmorphology-syntax-lexicon).
Considering the available linguistic correspondence-sameness,
how reasonable is it to separate Megrelian-Las-Svan idioms from other
Kartvelian sub-systems "in the interests of Kartvelian languages". As as
rule, there are other levels of correspondences between the related languages
(cf. Georgian and Abkhazian languages, etc.).
Of course, the Kartvelian sub-systems are characterized by certain
specificities (especially the Svan dialects); though the available differences/alteration
do not constitute reasonable basis for creation of a
new linguistic system. Peculiarities of the Kartvelian dialects must be
discussed in connection with the common system of the Georgian language,
rather then separately.
It must be noted that quite often the units of similar linguistic
structure are discussed as independent languages (for instance, Russian,
Ukrainian and Belorussian; Romanian and Moldovan; Serbian, Chorvatian
and Slovenian, etc.) 315
. Thus: systemic similarities-differences do
not represent a sufficient basis for establishing status for the related linguistic
units. Apart from systemic similarity, the ethnic, cultural and
state-political factors are of important. In this regard, the Kartvelian linguistic
world provides evidence that the Georgians as a unified civilized
ethnos created its culture in the course of the centuries, by using the
same language and have same language as a state one. There is a sufficient
ground to argue that the Megrelian-Laz-Svan idioms "do not differ
more from the rest of the Georgian dialects than those of German,
French Italian, Arabic, Armenian and Chinese do" (T. Gvantseladze,
2006, p. 10).
It is an acknowledged fact that the Megrelians-Svans-Laz as the
rest of the Georgians participated in creation of common Georgian literary
language. Declaring the Megrelian-Chan-Svan as "unwritten languages"
is a falsification of history, rather than a scientific truth; the his-
315 Cf.: There are many languages in the world whose dialects differ significantly on
phonetical, morphological, syntatical and lexical-semantical levels, though they still are
considered as dialects, rather than independent languages (for instance, German, Arabic,
French, Italian, Persian, etc.).
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