Observations

13 October,2007	By: Pat Taniashvili

October 13, 2007

Georgian, Russian, English

Sixteen years ago when I was here last, there weren't many advertising signs around the city, and those few were in Russian and Georgian. Now there isn’t a single word of Russian to be seen anywhere. Billboards, bright and contemporary, are all over—most of them promoting cigarettes, cars and wine, others showing tanks and things military (perhaps they are army recruiting posters). Most people speak Georgian most of the time, yet they use Russian sometimes, mixing it with Georgian here and there. It seems to me that Russian is frequently used with numbers, calculating figures, and so forth, as well as for communicating with foreigners. Their assumption appears to be that if someone doesn’t know Georgian, then they are sure to speak Russian. Other languages--German mostly, some French--can be seen and heard here and there.

Typical Street Scene at a bus stop

However, it seems to me that people here are just as unaccustomed to hearing English spoken, especially American English, now as they were back in ’91. If we are overheard in public chatting in English, invariably heads turn in our direction. People often want to chat in English with us, just to get some conversational practice. If I have the opportunity, I usually try to speak some Georgian with people, and nearly always, they are delighted to hear it. Georgia is probably one of the few places left where Americans are welcomed and admired, and they love it when we use their language.

Dachi --Mr. Language

My friend Tanya has five grandchildren, all boys ranging in age from four to sixteen. Tornike, the oldest, and Giorgi, are Boriko’s sons, and Bakuri’s sons are Dato, nine, Dachi, five, and Gio, four. They are all great kids, good-looking, amiable, and bright. Little Dachi is quite a character. When I first met him and spoke English to him, he screamed and ran out of the room. (Come to think of it, I’ve sometimes had that effect on other men…) Later he asked his father, in Georgian, “What’s the matter with her? Why doesn’t she speak normally?” So it was clear that as far as Dachi was concerned, I was a handicapped person. The next few times we met, he ignored me.

Last night, it was Gio’s birthday, and we were invited to come over. When I came in, Dachi said “Hello” to me and gave me a big grin. Wow, I thought, there’s some progress. One of the presents for Gio was a shooting top that sparkles as it spins. Dachi began playing with it, and with no prompting from anyone, began counting in English, “One, two, three! Go! Go! Go!” Well of course everyone made a big fuss over him, at which he turned to me and said in Georgian, “now you have to speak Georgian.” I told him that I speak English, and so Dachi switched to Russian and tried again to converse with me. I replied in Georgian, “Ar-mesmis,” which means “I don’t understand.” Whereupon Dachi counted to ten in English!

I’ve never met a five-year-old who persisted with such effort to communicate with me—in three languages! Like many Georgians, he is very determined. Later on, I asked Dachi “what does a dog say? what does a cat say? and so on. He got the idea quickly. Then I asked “what does a cow say?” Without missing a beat Dachi shouted “Domestic animal!” We were all amazed. Bakuri said that Dachi picks up a lot of words from TV, but still —he’s quite a linguist.

Our Textbook Writing Work

During the first few weeks of my stay here, Tanya has been putting the finishing touches on a book for third-graders who are just beginning to learn English. This ESL (English as a Second Language) set includes not only the book, but a workbook, CD, and teachers’ guide. It is a wonderful book, and already it is very popular. Many teachers and students have already begun using it in their schools. The Ministry of Education is piloting this textbook in several schools this academic year. It’s clear to me that the methodology and approach of the 21^st Publishers authors meets and exceeds our Maine Learning Results standards. Frankly, while I assisted Tanya in putting the final touches on this book and now in collaborating on an ESL book for older students, I am learning new ways of teaching a second language that I’m sure to use when I get home. Many of these new practical methods have been introduced here by the British,, and the Georgian Ministry of Education is requiring learning and teaching standards for textbook publishers that are nearly identical to ours.

New Buildings Everywhere

	Construction Across the Street
Four Cranes at Dusk

Construction continues apace here, and for the some thirty construction companies that operate in the city, there are apparently few building codes in place that they have to meet. Urban planning seems to be non-existent, and unfortunately

parks and green areas are being gobbled up by developers. Even entire streets and blocks of little houses are marked for demolition and redevelopment. Quite a few historic buildings have been converted to pricey luxury hotels, and one wonders if this many rooms will ever be in demand. It is interesting to note that more than half (56%) of the population lives below the poverty line, and yet all the new apartment buildings are meant only for the well-to-do.

Additionally, it concerns me that although Georgia is in an active earthquake zone, and several fault lines bisect the area, it’s not clear whether any of these new structures have utilized earthquake-resistant technology in their design. Many people believe that the older buildings are safer since they have withstood past quakes, but who knows?


Building in Progress	Completed Apartment Houses
Image (right) shows current and proposed locations of seismic monitoring in Georgia

Top of Page