As part of the event held by the No to Barbarisms movement at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU), the prize established by the university for speaking good literary Georgian was awarded to sports journalist, Niaz Mamrikishvili; public figure, film director Lana Gogoberidze; foreign Kartvelologist, Professor Emeritus of the University of London, Donald Rayfield, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Georgia, Toshio Kaitani. The winners were revealed by the special commission composed of the university professors and public figures.
Rector of TSU, Giorgi Sharvashidze said: “A lot of foreign words are used in modern Georgian language, although these words have equivalents in Georgian. We should fight against it and protect the clearness of our language. A lot of events are planned at the Tbilisi State University. Today, we awarded several persons for speaking good Georgian. We should say no to barbarisms; so, we launched a campaign and called on the rectors of other higher educational institutions to join us.”
“Georgian is a very beautiful language. It is a great honor for me to receive this award. I want to wish success to this campaign. I hope that more foreigners will learn this beautiful language,” Japanese Ambassador to Georgia, Toshio Kaitani said.
Lana Gogoberidze, film director, thanked the university for “a pleasant” surprise: “I could not even imagine that someone was listening to my speech and assessing how I talked. This award received from my Alma Mater is very pleasant and important for me.”
The award established by the university came as a surprise to sports journalist, Niaz Mamrikishvili. “I am very astonished and simultaneously very glad, because it means so much to me to be presented to this audience. I want to call on my colleagues, sports commentators, to join us in speaking perfect Georgian,” he said.
“Today we summarize the results of the four-month activities of our movement ‘No to Barbarisms’. The fact that so many students, professors, teachers came to the event confirms that one of the key goals of this idea – to realize the challenges and threats facing the language – has been achieved. One of the very important achievements of this movement is the award established by the university in a form of the university medal. This award will be granted annually to one public figure, one journalist, one foreign Kartvelologist and one foreign diplomat accredited in Georgia,” Head of the TSU Lexicographic Center, Professor Tinatin Margalitadze said.
The TSU Lexicographic Center presented a Dictionary of Barbarisms, which will later be uploaded to the movement’s website and be available to all interested persons. An online version of Russian-language and English-language barbarisms is also under preparation and it will be posted on the website http://barbarizmebi.ge quite soon.
The participants also summarized a T-shirt event against barbarisms. A lot of citizens, professors, lecturers, students, graduates, schoolchildren and teachers participated in the event, which lasted for four months. The winners of the T-shirt event were awarded in 10 nominations. A ceremony of “throwing barbarisms away” was held by the end of the event.
The event was organized by the TSU Lexicographic Center and the editorial board of newspaper Tbilisis Universiteti.
