10 years of Georgian at Leiden University: Ramaz Kurdadze returns
This year marks a special occasion because it was just ten years ago that the Georgian language was taught for the first time at Leiden University. It is even more exciting that its first professor, Ramaz Kurdadze, will return to Leiden this year to teach students interested in the language. Kurdadze explains what students can expect in his courses.
‘My relationship with Leiden University began in 2012. That year, the Visiting Chair of the Georgian Language, Culture and Society was established at Leiden University. It was an enormous pleasure and honour for me to be the first visiting professor of the Georgian Language from Tbilisi,’ he says looking back on his first visit.
Open to everyone
‘I’m happy that even after the 10th anniversary, I’m still teaching Georgian at one of the oldest universities in Europe with such rich traditions,’ Kurdadze says. This year, he will teach two courses. ‘Georgian Language for Beginners is intended for bachelor’s students of any specialism, for those who are interested in learning Georgian with the ancient script and 16-century history of literary language. The second course, The Grammar of the Georgian Verb, is intended for students of the master's programme in linguistics.’ However, he adds, the master's course can also be interesting for anyone who wants ‘to get acquainted with the rich grammatical categories of the Georgian verb’.
Kurdadze hopes to get students interested in the ancient language with all its peculiarities, and is looking forward again to meeting a lot of talented students.