Georgian alphabet boasts rich heritage

Georgian Ambassador to Korea Nikoloz Apkhazava speaks at the Georgian alphabet exhibition and wine tasting event at Lotte Hotel, Seoul, on Nov. 4. / Courtesy of the Georgian Embassy

By Rachel Lee

There is only one language in the world in which “mama” means “father” — Georgian, which boasts a rich history dating back four centuries.

The Georgian Embassy hosted an exhibition to introduce this long history and use of the alphabet at Lotte Hotel, Seoul, on Nov. 4. Over 150 guests, including local and foreign envoys, attended the three-hour event.

“The Georgian alphabet is phonemic, and it is what is called the only true alphabet in the world, meaning that every letter is pronounced exactly the same way it is written and there are no exceptions,” Georgian Ambassador to Korea Nikoloz Apkhazava said.

The alphabet, consisting of 33 letters, belongs to the Iberian-Caucasian group of languages. Three dialects — Imerkhevi, Fereydan and Ingilo — are found outside Georgian territory, among historical Georgian diasporas in Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan.

“Interesting points about Georgian is the language has no grammatical gender, no capital letters and no articles,” the ambassador said, explaining that “guest,” “a guest” and “the guest” are said in the same way.

“Georgian has a vigesimal numeric system like Basque or French, based on the counting system of 20. In order to express a number greater than 20 and less than 100, first the number of 20s in the number is stated and the remaining number is added.”

The history of Georgian printed publications began in 1629, in Rome — “Georgian Alphabet with Prayers” and “Georgian-Italian dictionary,” which contains 3,084 words. This marked the beginning of what is considered the modern Georgian language. The first grammar book was published in 1643, in Latin.

Georgian scripts hold national cultural heritage status and they have been nominated for inclusion on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. The decision will be made next year, according to the embassy.

The event included a wine and spirits tasting. Some of the best Georgian wines, including “Goruli Mtsvane,” “Tsinandali” and “Khvanchkara,” were introduced as well as brandy and whiskey made in Georgia.

Georgia is known as the “cradle of wine,” with a history of more than 8,000 years. Georgian wine has gained huge popularity around the world including in Korea, one of the country’s targeted markets, along with China, Israel and Canada. During the first 10 months of this year, Georgian winemakers experienced a 37 percent increase in exports to Korea compared with the same time last year.

According to the Georgian National Wine Agency, Georgia has generated $77.2 million from exports to 42 countries in the year to October 31. Russia was the biggest market, followed by Kazakhstan, Ukraine, China and Poland.

In 2013, the UNESCO recognized the unique Georgian way of making wine as an intangible cultural heritage.

Georgian brandy, Chacha, has also seen a surge in exports. According to the agency, during the 10-month period, Georgia exported Chacha worth of $403,000 to 20 countries. The country’s total alcoholic beverages exports have reached $115.6 million this year.