A Conference Dedicated to the Day of the State Status of the Georgian Language Protection Held at GTU
14-04-2025
“47 years ago, on April 14th, 1978, students, professors, and society unanimously raised their voices and defended the state status of one of the most important foundations of national identity, thinking, and unity - the Georgian language. This was a display of outstanding courage against the backdrop of enormous pressure. The abolition of the constitutional status of the Georgian language was not just a political step, it was an attack on the language, which created the greatest national and human treasure, an attack on its roots, culture, and future,” said Academician David Gurgenidze, Rector of the Georgian Technical University, at an event dedicated to the Day of the State Language.
Within the framework of the events dedicated to the State Language Day at GTU, a conference was held “A Peacefully United Georgia with Georgian and Abkhazian Languages, Cultures and Traditions Towards Europe, or the Goals, Objectives, and Significance of Establishing the Research Institute for Cultural Preservation and Technological Development of State Languages of Georgia at GTU”, which was opened by the Rector of the Georgian Technical University.
According to Academician David Gurgenidze, the university annually celebrates State Language Day because teachers and students should remember that language is not just a means of communication, it is an expression of culture, thought, and statehood.
“On April 14th, 1978, students and thousands of people gathered not for power or to come to power, but to protect our nationality, native language, and future; our land, where the Georgian language has been born since time immemorial, would not be threatened with its state status. They knew then what risk they were under. They were ordinary students who opposed a much stronger system.
Dear youth, remember - we did not receive freedom without a fight, it was won by generations, by students like you. History does not live only in books, it is in the decisions of each of you - in how you speak, behave, and defend fundamental values. Let us never forget – “When the language falls, the nation falls too”, we will lose the past, the future, and ourselves, but if we take care of it, develop it, and pass it on to future generations, no force can stop us. I call on the new generation of the Georgian Technical University to think not only as students of science and technology but also as guardians of our national identity. Speak Georgian, write Georgian, think Georgian, protect the language, and teach future generations that April 14th is not an ordinary calendar date - it is a day of our defiance and the continuity of life,” the rector said.
A report to the audience – “A Peacefully United Georgia with Georgian and Abkhazian Languages, Cultures and Traditions Towards Europe, or the Goals, Objectives, and Significance of Establishing the Research Institute for Cultural Preservation and Technological Development of State Languages of Georgia at GTU”, was presented by Professor Konstantine Pkhakadze, a member of the State Language Expert Commission, Professor of the Department of Artificial Intelligence at GTU, Director of the Educational and Scientific Center for Cultural Preservation and Technological Development of Georgian State Languages at GTU. He spoke about the mission of cultural preservation and technological development of state languages and also provided the audience with detailed information about the very important steps taken by the Government of Georgia and the Georgian Technical University, which are directly related to the epoch-making cultural significance of protecting the Georgian and Abkhazian languages from the threat of digital extinction.
As Konstantine Pkhakadze noted, the scientific event essentially reflects the goals of restoring Georgian-Abkhazian relations and the peaceful unification of Georgia.
As part of the events dedicated to Mother Language Day, students of the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems organized an exhibition of their works and read masterpieces of Georgian poetry.
The Dean of the Faculty, Professor Taliko Zhvania, stated that shortly the faculty with the involvement of professors and students, will begin work on a dictionary with explanations of foreign terms and prepare it for publication.
According to the Dean, the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems will also develop a digital version of the dictionary, which will be accessible to anyone interested, in addition to GTU students and teachers.
Within the framework of the events dedicated to the State Language Day at GTU, a conference was held “A Peacefully United Georgia with Georgian and Abkhazian Languages, Cultures and Traditions Towards Europe, or the Goals, Objectives, and Significance of Establishing the Research Institute for Cultural Preservation and Technological Development of State Languages of Georgia at GTU”, which was opened by the Rector of the Georgian Technical University.
According to Academician David Gurgenidze, the university annually celebrates State Language Day because teachers and students should remember that language is not just a means of communication, it is an expression of culture, thought, and statehood.
“On April 14th, 1978, students and thousands of people gathered not for power or to come to power, but to protect our nationality, native language, and future; our land, where the Georgian language has been born since time immemorial, would not be threatened with its state status. They knew then what risk they were under. They were ordinary students who opposed a much stronger system.
Dear youth, remember - we did not receive freedom without a fight, it was won by generations, by students like you. History does not live only in books, it is in the decisions of each of you - in how you speak, behave, and defend fundamental values. Let us never forget – “When the language falls, the nation falls too”, we will lose the past, the future, and ourselves, but if we take care of it, develop it, and pass it on to future generations, no force can stop us. I call on the new generation of the Georgian Technical University to think not only as students of science and technology but also as guardians of our national identity. Speak Georgian, write Georgian, think Georgian, protect the language, and teach future generations that April 14th is not an ordinary calendar date - it is a day of our defiance and the continuity of life,” the rector said.
A report to the audience – “A Peacefully United Georgia with Georgian and Abkhazian Languages, Cultures and Traditions Towards Europe, or the Goals, Objectives, and Significance of Establishing the Research Institute for Cultural Preservation and Technological Development of State Languages of Georgia at GTU”, was presented by Professor Konstantine Pkhakadze, a member of the State Language Expert Commission, Professor of the Department of Artificial Intelligence at GTU, Director of the Educational and Scientific Center for Cultural Preservation and Technological Development of Georgian State Languages at GTU. He spoke about the mission of cultural preservation and technological development of state languages and also provided the audience with detailed information about the very important steps taken by the Government of Georgia and the Georgian Technical University, which are directly related to the epoch-making cultural significance of protecting the Georgian and Abkhazian languages from the threat of digital extinction.
As Konstantine Pkhakadze noted, the scientific event essentially reflects the goals of restoring Georgian-Abkhazian relations and the peaceful unification of Georgia.
As part of the events dedicated to Mother Language Day, students of the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems organized an exhibition of their works and read masterpieces of Georgian poetry.
The Dean of the Faculty, Professor Taliko Zhvania, stated that shortly the faculty with the involvement of professors and students, will begin work on a dictionary with explanations of foreign terms and prepare it for publication.
According to the Dean, the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems will also develop a digital version of the dictionary, which will be accessible to anyone interested, in addition to GTU students and teachers.
