Languages

...about a dramatic, colorful and dying language I speak

In one of my very first posts I was talking about identity, belonging, and not belonging. I wrote there: “Interestingly, I believe my love for clothes, outfits, and vintage items is also part of my quest to find myself. Just like I'm searching for a place to call home, I'm also looking for specific pieces that resonate with who I am / who I want to be.”

It got me thinking — being multilingual is a huge part of who I am. I always describe my brain (for some reason in German) as Haferflocken — like a bowl of porridge where all kinds of languages are all mixed together. Every day, I speak Russian, English, Georgian, German, and lately, a bit of Spanish and French here and there. Not all equally, of course, but I honestly can’t remember a single day in my life when I only spoke one language. Even when I talk to myself, it’s in a mix of different languages. And yet, in this whole linguistic mix, there’s one language I never mention. But in a way, it’s the closest one to my heart. My parents (!) only spoke that language to each other! My brother and I grew up hearing that language every day, all day. That language is called Megrelian.

Meet Megrelian: The Wild, Beautiful Language of Western Georgia

Spoken in the region of Megrelia in Western Georgia, Megrelian is an intense and colorful linguistic JOY. If you only speak Georgian, you won't understand it at all — it's as if you're hearing a different language.

A sad reality is that Megrelian is dying. It's not taught in schools, and there are virtually no books available, except for an ancient Megrelian-Russian dictionary that my family somehow managed to acquire (how?? Mom, I know you’re reading this, send us pictures of the dictionary!). Younger people often feel embarrassed to speak it, viewing it as "lesser" or "uncool" compared to the polished city dialects from Tbilisi. As a result, they stick to Georgian, which is a real shame.

That's why I’m writing this mini love letter to Megrelian. (Some people close to me told me I should write a book about it — that seems like a stretch, but let me at least write a post!)

I want to say, loud and proud, that I speak it, I love it, and I refuse to let it disappear without celebrating its charm. Even though I now live in Europe, write about designer clothes, and strut around in my Margiela boots, every now and then, some insane Megrelian curse phrase pops into my head, and I have to say it out loud. It just hits differently. You guys, it’s really so dramatic and funny, I wish I could translate every phrase for you!!

Below, I’m sharing some of my favorite Megrelian phrases and words. But I can’t shake the frustration that so many (especially younger) people from Western Georgia feel ashamed of speaking Megrelian when they should be proud! It’s niche, it’s beautiful, and it’s ours. Like any other language, Megrelian is more than just words — it’s a vibrant expression of cultural identity, woven into folk tales, traditional songs, dances. It deserves to be celebrated and preserved.

Linguistic Marvels

Megrelian has a very special and complex way of forming sentences. It uses a unique system of preverbs and a special way of marking cases, which makes it really interesting for people who love languages, and it’s worthy of study. Speaking of study, I know this one guy who is writing academic papers on Megrelian. I remember he reached out to my mom ages ago (she is a translator) asking if she could help him understand Megrelian verbs…And he came over for dinner (my mom prepared every Georgian meal you can imagine) and brought 500 pages of Megrelian verbs…I wish I could remember how that dinner went, but I was small and really didn’t care back then. But look, he’s still writing about it!

And me? When do I use it these days? Well, in our family chat with my mom and my brother, we sometimes randomly write in Megrelian phrases. Or a mix of Russian and Megrelian. Otherwise, I use it in my head when I talk to myself. Sometimes. Often.

It is very expressive and quite dramatic, and so am I!!!!! I don’t even know how to translate half of the things I want to tell you. It has so many strange phrases, curses, and ways to describe a person. Let’s take verbs. Imagine someone walking down the street. In English, you’d just say, “He’s walking.” But in Megrelian, the verb changes depending on how they look. If they’re fat, there’s a verb for that. If they’re skinny, there’s a different verb. If (to you) they look tired, lazy, bored, awkward, overconfident, lost in thought, or struggling with heavy bags, the verb shifts to reflect that. Even if someone has loser vibes or cool vibes, there’s a specific way to describe their kind of walking. And the list seems endless.

Another fascinating thing about Megrelian is how a single letter can express an entire idea! For example:

• "G" (pronounced like g in guard) means "he/she looks like..."

• "Ts" (წ) means "this year"

• "Dz" (ძ) means "it lays there"

• "Ch" (ჩ) means "he/she fed someone" (Anni ardzas kartopil ch. = Anni fed everyone potatoes.)

Megrelian is full of these compact but powerful meanings — one letter, and BOOM.

Phrases:

And since this is still a newsletter about clothes, here are some Megrelian expressions related to fashion and how clothes fit:

• Bargish khanga! – This phrase is used to describe someone obsessed with clothing. Khanga means a crazy person. Bargi means clothes. Put two and two together, and that’s me!

Megrelians have specific words for how clothes fit:

• If clothes look messy or ill-fitted, you say მუკაბარდღუ (mukabardghu) or მუკაჟგვართუ (mukajgvarthu).

• If they are too tight, you can say მუკანძგილუ (mukandzgilu) or მუკარჭიფუ (mukarchiphu).

• If someone is bundled up in a warm coat or heavy clothes, you say მუკაყვაყუ (mukakvakhu).

Shoes also get special attention:

• If shoes are too tight, they are მაბიძგუ (mabidzgu).

• If shoes are too big, they are მაბახვუ (mabakhvu).

• If someone is wearing beautiful shoes, you say მადაცუ (madatsu).

And finally, when talking about overall appearance:

• Well-dressed – მოდაცილი (modatsili) MODA!

• Neatly dressed – მოკვაკვილი (mokvakvili)

• Sloppily dressed – მუკაძვაძვუ (mukadzvadzvu)

It’s full of expressive words like these that capture not just how someone looks, but also the attitude behind it. If you ever hear a Megrelian speaker describe clothing (or anything) it will always be very precise. Come to think of it, I consider myself pretty precise too. I’m quite particular about most things — it takes me ages to choose the very right word, the right shoes, the right yogurt... the right anything. I wonder if that’s somehow connected.

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And to paint a bigger picture, I wanna leave you with some songs. Megrelian folk songs are known for their three-voiced polyphony and they all sound so tragic! Here is one tragic-sounding song for you. And this song is literally about the language and how you shouldn’t forget it. The audio below is really precious to me — it’s the same song I just linked, but performed by my cousin and recorded by my friend Mary. This was during our trip to Georgia a couple of years ago when I took Mary to our house in Megrelia. My grandma gathered almost half the village to meet and greet “an important guest from Europe!!!” :) I’m so happy Mary recorded this!

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Anyway, that’s it for my cultural dive. Thanks for your attention! Next time, I’ll try to write about something closer to resale, style, and... shirts. But then again, who knows? I change my mind at least 20 times a day.

Have a beautiful Sunday!

My favorite image.

Yours truly, bargish khanga,

Anni