[FIRST BOOK OF THE GEORGIAN LANGUAGE TEACHING TO THE NON-GEORGIAN MINORITIES] Kartuli enis... [i.e., Textbook of Georgian language for non-Georgians: Book One]. Preface by Sikharulidze P. Metrevel]

N. A.

COMPLETE TITLE: [FIRST BOOK OF THE GEORGIAN LANGUAGE TEACHING TO THE NON-GEORGIAN MINORITIES] ქართული ენის სახელმძღვანელო არაქართველების თვისპირველიწიგნი / Kartuli enis sakhelmdzghvanelo arakartvelebis tvis: P’irveli Tsi’gni  = Учебник грузинского языка для не-грузин Книга Первая / Utsebnik Gruzinskogo yazika ne Gruzin: Kniga Pervaya = Վրաց լեզվի դասագիրք վոզ վրացական դպրոցների համար առաջին գիրքը / Vrats’ lezvidasagirk’ voz Vrats’ akand prots’ ne rihamar: Arrajin Girk’y = یس٥صح یجملوا یباتگ میلعت نوچیارلتلم نایملوا یجروگ / Gürci olmiyan milletler içün tâlîm kitabi olmaci hassesi. [i.e., Textbook of Georgian language for non-Georgians: Book One]. Preface by Sikharulidze P. Metrevel.

Karkompras SSRG, Tbilisi (Tiflis), 1925.

Original brown wrappers. Large roy. 8vo. (25,5 x 17 cm). Texts in Georgian, with 
Georgian, Russian, Armenian, and Azerbaijani titles and dictionary. 85, 39, [1] p., 39 
pp. dictionary, b/w illustrations reproduced by clichés.Age-toned covers and pages 
with a worn spine; chipping on the extremities of the pages and covers. Overall, a 
fragile book in fair/good condition.

First edition of this extremely rare textbook of the Georgian language for minority 
schools in early 20th-century Soviet Georgia. Designed for Armenian, Turkish, Azer
baijani, and Russian students new to the Georgian language, this work stands as 
one of the earliest examples of its kind. It reflects the efforts to establish Georgian 
as the official language shortly after the Red Army’s invasion of Georgia in February 
1921, which marked the end of the country’s independence for the next 70 years.

In the preface by Sikharulidze M. Petrevel, it is emphasized that this book is the first of its kind, specifically designed to make learning Georgian easier for non-Georgian students. The preface states that the vocabulary has been carefully curated to include everyday words commonly used by children not only at school but also in the field, on the street, and at home. The book features numerous short and fundamental reading texts in Georgian, accompanied by illustrations to aid comprehension and engagement. “With the newfound independence, after Georgia signed a treaty with the Soviet Union in May 1920 that recognized the independence and an international border, Georgians quickly rebelled against the previous Russian-promoting language policies – in the brief period of independence from 1918-1921 before annexation to the USSR, all the policies of Russification were reversed including naming Georgian as the sole language of the territory, Tbilisi State University founded as a Georgian-language institution and the mass conversation of Russian typewriters into Georgian script was ordered just days after the Declaration of Independence. The pact between Georgian and the USSR was broken when the Red Army entered Georgian territory in February 1921, ultimately ending the country’s independence for the next 70 years.

The tension between Russification and retaining linguistic dominance over the region was of critical importance to the survival of Georgian nationhood; Russians’ attempt to affect the writing systems of the Georgian linguistic minorities was seen by some Georgians as a threat. The quick reversal of Russification policies exemplifies the importance of maintaining Georgian as the official language.” (Source: “I am my language”, by Kleshnik).

As of December 2024, any copies could not be found in OCLC.