Georgia's written language has developed three alphabets - Mkhedruli, Nuskhuri, and Mrgvlovani - all of which are still in use. Asomtavruli is the first version of the script attested, dating from the 5th century; the other scripts date from centuries after.
Legends claim that the Georgian alphabet was invented by King Pharnavaz I of Kartli (ca. 800) and named in the medieval chronicle, Lives of the Kings of Kartli (ca. 800). The role Armenian clerics played in the creation of the Armenian alphabet is another source of contention among scholars.
According to medieval Armenian sources, Mesrop Mashtots, generally acknowledged as the creator of the Armenian alphabet also invented the Georgian and Caucasian Albanian alphabets.
There has also been debate over the major influences on the Georgian alphabet, as scholars have debated whether it was inspired by the Greek script, or by Semitic scripts such as Aramaic. In addition, some scholars have suggested that letters may have been inspired by pre-Christian Georgian cultural symbols and clan markers.
Since Georgian became a written language, three primary alphabets emerged - Mrgvlovani, Nuskhuri, and Mkhedruli - all of which are still in use today. Mrgvlovani was the first alphabet derived from Nuskhuri, and then Mkhedruli followed. Several alphabets coexist in Georgia due to different cultural and social functions, reflecting diversity and identity of the state. Their continual use in a cultural sense also enables communities to feel a sense of continuity.
Predominantly, the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church practices and teaches the alphabets Mrgvlovani and Nuskhuri. For example, the alphabets appear in texts for church worshipers, such as the psalms and hymns, and on inscriptions on display items in the church, such as the icons.
Phonemic orthography is used in the Georgian language; some letters are pronounced differently depending on their position in the word. There are many sounds in English that are similar to those in Georgian, including all of the vowels and twenty consonants. Nonetheless, some of the consonants are pronounced differently, and eight are different from the sounds in English.
In addition to the traditional craftspeople (goldsmiths, embroiderers, icon-painters, and sculptors) who create pieces for the church, some theological schools and tertiary institutions, linguists, scholars, and historians can also be considered practitioners and transmitters of the alphabets. Georgian education is based on the Mkhedruli alphabet. It is taught in primary and high school and is passed on formally between generations in the home. Mrgvlovani and Nuskhuri are also taught in Georgian schools but at a basic level.
Georgian Alphabet is the three systems of Georgian scripts used to write the Georgian language.
Asomtavruli is the first version of the script attested, dating from the 5th century; the other scripts date from centuries after.
Legends claim that the Georgian alphabet was invented by King Pharnavaz I of Kartli (ca. 800) and named in the medieval chronicle, Lives of the Kings of Kartli (ca. 800). The role Armenian clerics played in the creation of the Armenian alphabet is another source of contention among scholars. According to medieval Armenian sources, Mesrop Mashtots, generally acknowledged as the creator of the Armenian alphabet also invented the Georgian and Caucasian Albanian alphabets.
There has also been debate over the major influences on the Georgian alphabet, as scholars have debated whether it was inspired by the Greek script, or by Semitic scripts such as Aramaic. In addition, some scholars have suggested that letters may have been inspired by pre-Christian Georgian cultural symbols and clan markers.
Since Georgian became a written language, three primary alphabets emerged - Mrgvlovani, Nuskhuri, and Mkhedruli - all of which are still in use today. Mrgvlovani was the first alphabet derived from Nuskhuri, then Mkhedruli followed.
Several alphabets coexist in Georgia due to their different cultural and social functions, reflecting the diversity and identity of the state. Their continual use in a cultural sense also enables communities to feel a sense of continuity.
Predominantly, the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church practices and teaches the alphabets Mrgvlovani and Nuskhuri. For example, the alphabets appear in texts for church worshipers, such as the psalms and hymns, and on inscriptions on display items in the church, such as the icons.
Phonemic orthography is used in the Georgian language; some letters are pronounced differently depending on their position in the word. There are many sounds in English that are similar to those in Georgian, including all of the vowels and twenty consonants. Nonetheless, some of the consonants are pronounced differently, and eight are different from the sounds in English.
In addition to the traditional craftspeople (goldsmiths, embroiderers, icon-painters, and sculptors) who create pieces for the church, some theological schools and tertiary institutions, linguists, scholars, and historians can also be considered practitioners and transmitters of the alphabets. Georgian education is based on the Mkhedruli alphabet. It is taught in primary and high school and is also passed on formally between generations in the home. Mrgvlovani and Nuskhuri are also taught in Georgian schools but at a basic level.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/living-culture-of-three-writing-systems-of-the-georgian-alphabet-01205) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_scripts) (https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Georgian/Alphabet) |Subject=Verbal Arts and Literature |Country=Georgia |SDG=(04) Quality Education }}