Religious Inculturation and Problems of Social History of the Georgian Language

Abstract

This chapter investigates some aspects of Historical, linguistic, and social problems, in particular, the process of religious inculturation under way in Georgia from 4th century and its impact on the development of the Georgian language. The chapter shows the use of acculturation model in various cultural and historical contexts and its role in the weakening and loss of social and public functions of Georgian at the beginning of 19th century. The author explains briefly essential signs of events such as religious inculturation and acculturation that are closely linked to missionary activities practiced by the church in ancient times. It considers a number of essential problems in order to clarify processes directly linked to inculturation in the Georgian linguistic environment, a process that helped Georgian and other tongues in the eastern Christian world in Middle Ages to become official languages of the Bible, liturgy, literature and, all spheres of public life. Keywords: eastern Christian world; Georgian language; religious acculturation; religious inculturation; social history