October 21st day of Uzbek language

On October 21, Uzbekistan celebrates Uzbek Language Day, also known as the Day of the State Language. This day is dedicated to celebrating the beauty and importance of the Uzbek language and promoting the country's national spirit.

Linguists estimate that there are about 7,000 languages and dialects in the world today, of which only 178 have official status. Uzbek language is among them. However, the preservation of the native language and the correct use of its rich potential is not only the business of literary critics, poets and writers, but also the duty of each of us to think in our native language that I am an Uzbek.

The development of the Uzbek language can be divided into three stages: the ancient Turkic, old Uzbek, and modern Uzbek periods.

This stage corresponds to the 5th–11th centuries. During this period, Turkic tribes gradually displaced the Indo-Iranian tribes living along the Syr Darya, Amu Darya, and Zarafshan rivers. The medium of communication was the ancient Turkic language, which later became the foundation for many Asian languages. Today, only fragments of the ancient Turkic script are preserved in cultural monuments from that era.

The second stage spans from the 11th to the 19th centuries. During this period, the Uzbek language evolved under the influence of neighboring languages. Poet Alisher Navoi made a significant contribution by creating a unified and developed literary language. This form of the language remained unchanged until the end of the 19th century.

The formation of the modern Uzbek language began in the 20th century. It was based on the Fergana dialect, which was widely spoken and recognized across Uzbekistan. This dialect was also referred to as the “Sart language,” and its speakers were called “Sarts.” However, the Sarts were not considered part of the Uzbek ethnicity. In the 1920s, the term “Sart” was abandoned, and the population began identifying as Uzbeks. The literary norms of the language were further democratized, simplifying its structure significantly.