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Komiljonova Kh.S. The Arabic writing tradition in the history of the Uzbek language. Eurasian Academic Horizons. 2026; 3(3). Available at: https://eahjournal.ru/PDF/02EAH326.pdf (in Russian).

The Arabic writing tradition in the history of the Uzbek language

Komiljonova Khosiyat Sanzhar kizi
Educational and Scientific Research Center «Yakhont», Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan
E-mail: xosiyatkomiljonova98@gmail.com

Abstract. Arabic script is one of the most widespread and historically significant writing systems in the world. For more than a thousand years, it has served not only to write the Arabic language but also to develop the writing systems of many other languages, including the languages of the peoples of Central Asia. The Uzbek language, like other Turkic languages in the region, used the Arabic script, and this left a profound mark on its written tradition and culture as a whole. The article examines the history of the penetration and use of Arabic script in the territory of modern Uzbekistan, its adaptation to the phonetic system of Turkic languages, as well as the main orthographic and graphic features that have determined the specificity of the Uzbek writing tradition. Special attention is paid to the change of alphabets in the 20th century: the transition to the Latin alphabet in 1928 as part of the all‑Union Latinization campaign, then to the Cyrillic alphabet in 1940, and the return to the Latin alphabet in the years of independence. Based on an analysis of modern scientific research, the socio‑political and ideological reasons for each alphabet reform are examined, along with the contemporary problems associated with the transition to a new alphabet, such as orthographic instability, technical difficulties, and the preservation of cultural heritage. The author concludes that the Arabic writing tradition remains an integral part of the historical and cultural heritage of the Uzbek people, and this is reflected in religious practice, calligraphy, and lexical borrowings.

Keywords: Arabic script; Uzbek writing; abjad; orthography; romanization; cyrillization; alphabet reform; language policy; Central Asia

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