Curriculum Vitae - Dr. Georgi L. Kapchits

Personal Information

Full Name: Georgi Leonidovich Kapchits
Born: October 2, 1939
Nationality: Russian Federation
Languages: Russian (native), Somali (fluent), English (fluent), German (proficient), Amharic (proficient)

Education

1967 - Institute of Oriental Languages, Moscow State University
Specialization: Amharic and Somali Languages and Literature of Africa
Degree: Specialist Diploma with Distinction

2000 - Moscow State University
Degree: Candidate of Philological Sciences (PhD equivalent)
Dissertation: “Syntax of Somali Language”
Defense Date: [Specific date to be added]

Professional Experience

Academic Positions

1967-1994 - Announcer-Translator, Somali Language
Main Editorial Office for Broadcasting to African Countries
USSR State Television and Radio (Gosteleradio)

1994-Present - Commentator
Main Information Editorial Office
State Radio Company “Voice of Russia”

Teaching Appointments

Moscow State University - Institute of Asian and African Studies
Position: Lecturer in Somali Language
Courses: Introductory Somali, Advanced Grammar, Cultural Studies

Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO)
Position: Guest Lecturer
Courses: African Languages, Diplomatic Communication

Humboldt University, Berlin
Position: Visiting Scholar and Lecturer
Period: Multiple appointments, 1999-2005
Courses: Somali Language, African Linguistics

Free University of Berlin
Position: Guest Professor
Courses: Cushitic Languages, Comparative African Studies

Field Research

1989 - Research Expedition Location: Mogadishu, Somalia
Duration: 3 months
Focus: Oral tradition collection, linguistic fieldwork

2001 - International Congress Participation
Location: Hargeisa, Somaliland
Event: 8th International Congress of Somali Studies
Activities: Paper presentation, community interviews, cultural documentation

2003 - Cultural Research Visit
Location: Djibouti
Duration: 1 month
Focus: Comparative dialectology, regional variation studies

1999-2001 - Paremiological Experiment
Locations: Berlin, Germany & Aarhus, Denmark
Participants: 45 Somali community informants
Methodology: Systematic proverb recognition testing

Publications

Monographs (9 total)

1. Сомалийские пословицы и поговорки (1983, 2009)
   Moscow: Academy of Sciences / URSS

2. Waxaa la yidhi - Sheekooyin hidde ah (1996)
   Cologne: Private publication

3. Сомалийские народные сказки (1997)
   Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura

4. Qaamuuska maahmaahyada soomaaliyeed (1998)
   Moscow: Institute of Oriental Studies

5. Hubsiimo hal baa la siistaa (2002)
   Moscow: Institute of African Studies

6. Sentence Particles in the Somali Language (2005)
   Aachen: Shaker Verlag

7. Faaliyihii la bilkeyday (2006)
   Moscow: Nauka Publishers

8. Сомалийские пословицы и поговорки - 2nd Edition (2009)
   Moscow: URSS

9. Soomaali been ma maahmaahdo (2012)
   Pisa: Edizioni Plus

Selected Articles (20+ total)

International Journals:

• “Variants and Variations of Somali Proverbs” - Proverbium 25 (2008)
• “On Somali Paremias” - Proverbium 17 (2000)
• “Towards the Somali Paremiological Minimum” - War Destroys, Peace Nurtures (2004)

Conference Proceedings:

• “Some Results of the Somali Paremiological Experiment” - Cushitic and Omotic Languages 4 (2004)
• “Paremias without Sentence Particles” - Semitohamitica Berolinensia 5 (2007)

Regional Studies:

• “Kinship Terms in Somali and Oromo” - African Language Studies 2 (2008)
• “Somali Oral Traditions: Kinship System and Terminology” - African Studies 2 (2008)

Editorial Work

G.L. Permyakov Memorial Publications:

• Fundamentals of Structural Paremiology (1988) - Compiler and Editor
• Proverbs and Sayings of Eastern Peoples (2001) - Editor

Academic Recognition

Awards and Honors

• State Decoration for contribution to international broadcasting (1985)
• Academic Excellence Award - Moscow State University (2000)
• International Recognition - Featured in The Guardian (2012)
• Community Honor - Hargeisa Book Fair Distinguished Guest (2012)

Professional Memberships

• International Association of Somali Studies
• Russian Association of African Studies
• International Association of Paremiology
• Cushitic and Omotic Languages Society

Conference Presentations

Keynote Addresses

• 9th Congress of Somali Studies (2008) - “Variants and Variations in Somali Proverbs”
• Hargeisa International Congress (2001) - “Scholars in the Country of Poets”

Academic Presentations

• 7th International Semitohamitic Congress Berlin (2004)
• 4th International Conference of Cushitic and Omotic Languages Leiden (2003)
• Buranbur Conference San Diego (2007) - Two presentations
• Various African Studies Association meetings (1995-2015)

Research Grants and Funding

• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) - Visiting Scholar Grants
• Russian Academy of Sciences - Research expedition funding
• International Congress Support - Multiple presentation grants
• Publication Subsidies - Various academic publishers

Languages and Linguistic Competence

Native: Russian
Near-Native: Somali (45+ years of study and use)
Fluent: English (academic and professional)
Proficient: German (research and teaching)
Working Knowledge: Amharic, Arabic (Classical)

Teaching Philosophy

“Language learning must be grounded in cultural understanding. One cannot truly know a language without appreciating the worldview it expresses and the community it serves.”

Research Interests

Primary Specializations

• Somali paremiology and proverbial wisdom
• Cushitic comparative linguistics
• African oral tradition preservation
• Empirical folklore methodology

Secondary Interests

• Translation theory and practice
• Cultural diplomacy through scholarship
• Diaspora community language maintenance
• Digital humanities for endangered languages

Community Service

Professional Service

• Peer reviewer for major African studies journals
• Editorial board member - Horn of Africa journal
• Conference organizer - Various international meetings
• Curriculum consultant - Multiple universities

Community Engagement

• Cultural advisor to Somali community organizations
• Guest lecturer at community centers worldwide
• Media consultant for documentary productions
• Heritage preservation project advisor

Personal Interests

• Classical music appreciation and piano
• Photography of cultural events and landscapes
• Gardening with emphasis on African plants
• Chess and strategic games
• Travel for cultural immersion

Family

Marital Status: Married
Children: Two daughters
Family Languages: Russian, English, basic Somali

References

Available upon request from:

• Academic institutions where taught
• International colleagues in Somali studies
• Community leaders in Somali diaspora
• Publishing house editors and journal reviewers

CV current as of July 2025. For most recent updates and additional information, please contact directly.