For language fans, Georgian and its related languages are a real treat. For everyone else, they could be a nightmare. Georgian is a Caucasian language which is not in any way related to any languages spoken outside of Georgia, and it's famous for its consonants. Not only are there quite a slew, but many, possibly even most, words start off with at least two and it's possible to string together as many as eight, as in gvprtskvni (გვფრცქვნი), figurative for "you are ripping us off". This combination of formidable consonant clusters and an original alphabet make Georgian a hard language to acquire.
Everyone who visits should attempt to learn at least a few Georgian words, as it now hardly possible to get by with Russian and also risky due to hostility towards Russia. People most likely to understand Russian include: older generations, non-Georgian citizens like Azeris, Armenians, Abkhazians, Ossetes, etc. most of whom are not fluent in Georgian (the reason was that Russian was compulsory during the Soviet period, whereas the local languages of each Soviet state was not) and thus use Russian as a lingua franca, members of the elite (who are likely to speak more English than Russian). Speaking Russian is only useful and recommended in areas where ethnic minorities live, especially in the regions of Kvemo Kartli where 50% of the population is ethnic Azeri and Samtskhe-Javakheti where 50% of the population is ethnic Armenian.
The younger generation, largely due to hostility towards Russia, now prefers to study English. The access to good quality English instruction in province was low, however recently every school got native English speaking teacher and English is rapidly becoming a second language nation-wide. When in need for help, look for younger people; they are more likely to know some English.
Finally, signs in Georgia are rarely bilingual (apart from Tbilisi metro) or some stores; however, most road signs are in both the Georgian and Latin alphabets. Basic knowledge of the Georgian alphabet is very useful to understand road signs, store/restaurant names, and bus destinations. Those traveling without knowledge of Georgian should carry a phrasebook or travel with a guide.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Georgia (country)
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Georgia (country) - updated Apr 2024
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Georgia (country) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
