In Georgia, English replaces retreating Russian

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In Georgia, English replaces retreating Russian


(Reuters) - With Alexander Pushkin's framed visage on the wall and creased editions of fellow Russian literary giants on dusty shelves, Natela Chokhonelidze's office recalls a very different era at Georgia's State University.

"We once had a staff of 50, and now there are five, because there aren't many students," said the 70-year-old Professor Emeritus at the university's Institute of Russian Studies.

"Russian language is fading out," she quipped, "with me!"

Chokhonelidze is on the losing side of a deliberate shift in the former Soviet republic as its pro-Western leadership tries to supplant Russian with English as the default second language of 21st century Georgia.

On Wednesday, hundreds of native English speakers joined the first day of school as teaching assistants under an ambitious program to have every child aged five to 16 speak English. English is now compulsory, and Russian optional.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68E2K220100915