Mother Tongue as the Basis of National Identity in Professor Guram Ramishvili’s Energeistic Theory of Language

Abstract

At any stage of the history of Georgian consciousness, Georgian national and religious identity has been fostered by an idea of its foundational relationship with its mother language. A proof to this is a fact that whether consciously or unconsciously, the Georgian nation invariably orientated itself towards its mother tongue, as the principal basis of self-identity. This was manifested during global historical processes, such as the propagation of Christianity in Georgia in the 1st-4th centuries and its declaration as state religion, as well as during internal historical events, such as the establishment of statehood, disintegration into principalities and the loss of statehood.