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But it comes as no surprise, though! Why? Just visit a couple of institutions and strike up a conversation with
the staff in the Georgian language. You are very unlikely to hear answers in the same tongue. Lend an ear to
the speech of these people: sheer Volapük, jargon, an awkward mix grafted cringeworthily. This type of people
knows neither Georgian nor Russian. Otherwise, they would come to realize that they are in no language’s land
and, having listened to their Russian-Georgian hodgepodge, would forever keep their peace or rush to learn
either or both languages anew. If our ancestors could rise from the dead and hear today’s Georgian, they would,
of their own accord, put themselves back into the ground.

These are the hybrids that we have on our hands, those threatening the Georgian language and culture with the
fate of Latin and Irish, i.e. step by step, they are driving the living tongue of our nation to an early grave – our
rich, flexible, colorful, and melodious speech.

Official recordkeeping in Georgian can only do so much. The Catholic Church maintains worship and
correspondence in Latin even today. But their language is dead! And how can the language of Shota, Ilia, Akaki,
and Vazha be dead? Unbelievable! But reason and reality are insistent in having their say and omening a danger
looming large on the horizon.

The fish rots from the head, they say. And this adage best fits our intelligentsia, which fancies itself as the leader
and guide of the people. And yet they are the torchbearers when it comes to corruption and degeneration, so
it behooves them to heal themselves first.

Some see this ailment as hopelessly incurable, but I remember one story, of how, in just a couple of years
between 1905 and 1906, all Armenians started speaking in their native language – a major kudos to them!

And how did that come to be? Very simply. They just made an effort and succeeded – the will of people, their
desire for immortality and thirst for life broke down the walls erected for centuries, and their tongue made a
comeback, now spoken by all.

And we too have no other choice but to exercise our willpower, determination, decency, and put to work our
thirst for life.

We all must be in charge of and look after ourselves and our families.

Mikheil Javakhishvili
May 25, 1924

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