Uzbek language

{{Short description|Karluk Turkic language}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox language | name = Uzbek | altname = Northern Uzbek, Western Karluk | nativename = {{lang|uz|{{lang|uz-Latn|oʻzbekcha, oʻzbek tili|}}, {{lang|uz-Cyrl|ўзбекча, ўзбек тили}}, {{lang|uz-Arab|اۉزبېکچه، اۉزبېک تیلی}}}} | image = Uzbek.svg | imagecaption = Uzbek in Latin, Perso-Arabic ''Nastaliq'', and Cyrillic scripts | imagescale = 0.8 | image_class = skin-invert-image | states = Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia and China | ethnicity = Uzbeks | speakers = {{sigfig|33.881260|2}} million (incl. both Northern Uzbek & Southern Uzbek | date = 2020–2022 | ref = <ref>{{e28|uzb}}</ref> | familycolor = Altaic | fam1 = Turkic | fam2 = Common Turkic | fam3 = Karluk<ref name="Newton2014">{{cite book|author=Scott Newton|title=Law and the Making of the Soviet World: The Red Demiurge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3JWLBQAAQBAJ&q=Chagatai+%22Old+Uzbek%22+official&pg=PA232|date=20 November 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-92978-9|pages=232–}}</ref> | ancestor = Karakhanid | ancestor2 = Khorezmian Turkic | ancestor3 = Chagatai | dia1 = Northern Uzbek | dia2 = Southern Uzbek | agency = Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature named after Navoi | nation = {{plainlist| *Uzbekistan *Organization of Turkic States}} | script = {{plainlist| *Latin (Uzbek alphabet) *Cyrillic *Perso-Arabic{{efn|Used in Afghanistan, Pakistan and China}} *Uzbek Braille *(Uzbek alphabets)}} | iso1 = uz | iso2 = uzb | iso3 = uzb | lc1 = uzn | ld1 = Northern | lc2 = uzs | ld2 = Southern | lingua = 44-AAB-da, db | glotto = uzbe1247 | glottorefname = Uzbek | notice = IPA | minority = {{plainlist| * China<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fujian.gov.cn/hdjl/hdjlzsk/mzzjt/mz/202209/t20220913_5991001.htm |script-title=zh:少数民族的语言文字有哪些？|trans-title=What are the languages and scripts of ethnic minorities? |language=zh |date=13 September 2022 |access-date=28 October 2022 |publisher=Ethnic Groups and Religious department, Fujian Provincial Government|archive-date=28 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028081421/http://fujian.gov.cn/hdjl/hdjlzsk/mzzjt/mz/202209/t20220913_5991001.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> * Pakistan * Tajikistan * Kazakhstan * Turkmenistan * Kyrgyzstan * Russia }} | map = Idioma uzbeko.png | mapalt = A map, showing that Uzbek is spoken throughout Uzbekistan, except the western third (where Karakalpak dominates) and Northern Afghanistan. | mapcaption = Dark blue = majority; light blue = minority | region = Central Asia | pronunciation = {{IPA|uz|ɵzˈbektʃʰæ, ɵzˈbek tʰɪˈlɪ}} }}

'''Uzbek'''{{Efn|{{bulleted list|Cyrillic script: {{lang|uz-Cyrl|Ўзбекча / Ўзбек тили}}|Latin script: {{lang|uz-Latn|Oʻzbekcha / Oʻzbek tili}}|Arabic script: {{lang|uz-Arab|اۉزبېکچه / اۉزبېک تیلی}}|IPA: {{IPA|uz|ɵzˈbektʃʰæ|}} / {{IPA|uz|ɵzˈbek tʰɪˈlɪ|}}}}|group=}} is a Karluk Turkic language spoken by Uzbeks. It is the official and national language of Uzbekistan and formally succeeded Chagatai, an earlier Karluk language endonymically called {{lang|xqa-Latn|Türki}} or {{lang|xqa-Latn|Türkçe}}, as the literary language of Uzbekistan in the 1920s.<ref>{{cite book |author=Yusuf Has Hacib |title=Kutadğu Bilig |publisher=T. C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Kütüphaneler ve Yayımlar Genel Mudürlüğü |isbn=978-975-17-3359-7 |page=3 |translator=Mustafa S. Kaçalin}}</ref>

According to the Ethnologue, Southern Uzbek and Standard Uzbek are spoken as a native language by more than 34 million people around the world, making Uzbek the second-most widely spoken Turkic language after Turkish.<ref>{{e28|uzb}}</ref> In addition to these native speakers, there are members of many other ethnic groups such as Tajiks, Kazakhs, and Russians who live in Uzbekistan and speak Uzbek as their second language.

There are two major variants of the Uzbek language: Northern Uzbek, or simply "Uzbek", spoken in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and China; and Southern Uzbek, spoken in Afghanistan and Pakistan.<ref name="Uzbek, Southern">{{Cite web |title=Uzbek, Southern |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/uzs |access-date=29 December 2022 |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Uzbek, Northern |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/uzn |access-date=29 December 2022 |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref> Both Northern and Southern Uzbek are divided into many dialects. Uzbek and Uyghur are sister languages and they constitute the Karluk or "Southeastern" branch of Turkic.

External influences on Uzbek include Persian, Russian, and Arabic.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dalby |first=Andrew |title=Dictionary of languages : the definitive reference to more than 400 languages |date=1998 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=1-4081-0214-5 |location=New York |oclc=320322204}}</ref> One of the most noticeable distinctions of Uzbek from other Turkic languages is the rounding of the vowel {{IPAslink|ɑ}} to {{IPAslink|ɒ}} under the influence of Persian. Unlike other Turkic languages, vowel harmony is almost completely lost in modern Standard Uzbek due to extensive linguistic contact with Persian, though it is still observed to some small degree in its dialects, as well as in its sister Karluk language Uyghur.

Different dialects of Uzbek show varying degrees of influence from other languages such as Kipchak and Oghuz Turkic (for example, in grammar) as well as Persian (in phonology), which gives literary Uzbek the impression of being a mixed language.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KYn4CgAAQBAJ&dq=uzbek+classification&pg=PT106 |title=Migration and Identity in Central Asia |isbn=9781317430070 |last1=Turaeva |first1=Rano |date=19 November 2015 |publisher=Routledge }}</ref>

In February 2021, the Uzbek government announced that Uzbekistan plans to fully transition the Uzbek language from the Cyrillic script to a Latin-based alphabet by 1 January 2023.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-aims-for-full-transition-to-latin-based-alphabet-by-2023/31099723.html |title=Uzbekistan Aims For Full Transition To Latin-Based Alphabet By 2023 |date=12 February 2021 |publisher=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://interfax.az/view/826747 |script-title=ru:В Узбекистане в 2023 году узбекский алфавит в делопроизводстве переведут с кириллицы на латинскую графику |trans-title=In Uzbekistan, the Uzbek alphabet in official work will be switched from Cyrillic to Latin script in 2023 |access-date=14 April 2022 |archive-date=15 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515231432/http://interfax.az/view/826747|url-status=dead}}</ref> Similar deadlines had been extended several times.<ref>{{cite web |title=Uzbekistan: Keeping the Karakalpak Language Alive |date=17 May 2019 |access-date=14 April 2022 |url=https://iwpr.net/global-voices/uzbekistan-keeping-karakalpak-language-alive |archive-date=17 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517114925/https://iwpr.net/global-voices/uzbekistan-keeping-karakalpak-language-alive |url-status=dead }}</ref> {{As of|2024|post=,}} most institutions still use both alphabets.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Uzbekistan's Drawn-out Journey From Cyrillic to Latin Script |url=https://thediplomat.com/2023/01/uzbekistans-drawn-out-journey-from-cyrillic-to-latin-script/ |access-date=14 September 2023 |website=The Diplomat |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Classification == {{Main|Turkic languages}} Uzbek is the western member of the Karluk branch of the Turkic language family, the eastern member of which is Uyghur. Karluk is classified as a dialect continuum. Northern Uzbek has been determined to be the variety most readily understood by the greatest number of speakers of Turkic languages as a whole – excluding the Siberian Turkic languages – despite its heavy Persianised character.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/02/the-weird-case-of-the-uzbek-language/ | title=The Weird Case of the Uzbek Language }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.languagesoftheworld.info/language-families/uzbek-the-penguin-of-turkic-languages.html | title=Uzbek, 'the penguin of Turkic languages' | date=25 February 2011 }}</ref> The high degree of mutual intelligibility that exists among certain Turkic languages enables Uzbek speakers to comprehend various other, more distantly related Turkic languages with relative ease.

== Number of speakers == Uzbek, being the most widely spoken indigenous language in Central Asia, is as well spoken by smaller ethnic groups in Uzbekistan and in neighbouring countries.

The language is spoken by other ethnic groups outside Uzbekistan. The popularity of Uzbek media, including Uzbekfilm and RizanovaUz, has spread among the post-Soviet states, particularly in Central Asia in recent years. Since Uzbek is the dominant language in the Osh Region of Kyrgyzstan{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} (and mothertongue of the city Osh), like the rest of Eastern, Southern and South-Eastern Kyrgyzstan (Jalal-Abad Region), the ethnic Kyrgyz are, too, exposed to Uzbek, and some speak it fluently. This is a common situation in the rest of Central Asian republics, including: the Turkistan region of Kazakhstan, northern Daşoguz Welaýat of Turkmenistan,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-turkmenistan.html | title=What Languages Are Spoken in Turkmenistan? | date=12 June 2019 }}</ref> Sughd region and other regions of Tajikistan.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-tajikistan.html | title=What Languages Are Spoken in Tajikistan? | date=August 2017 }}</ref>

The Uzbek language has a special status in countries that are common destination for immigration for Uzbekistani citizens. Other than Uzbekistan and other Central Asian Republics, the ethnic Uzbeks most commonly choose the Russian Federation<ref name="themoscowtimes.com">{{cite web | url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/03/17/central-asians-in-russia-pressured-to-join-moscows-fight-in-ukraine-a76957 | title=Central Asians in Russia Pressured to Join Moscow's Fight in Ukraine | date=17 March 2022 }}</ref> in search of work. Most of them however, are seasonal workers, whose numbers vary greatly among residency within the Russian Federation. According to Russian government statistics, 4.5 million workers from Uzbekistan, 2.4 million from Tajikistan, and 920,000 from Kyrgyzstan were working in Russia in 2021, with around 5 million being ethnic Uzbeks.<ref name="themoscowtimes.com"/>

Estimates of the number of native speakers of Uzbek vary widely, from 35 up to 40 million. ''Ethnologue'' estimates put the number of native speakers at 33 million across all the recognized dialects. The Swedish national encyclopedia, {{Lang|sv|Nationalencyklopedin}}, estimates the number of native speakers to be 38 million,<ref name="Nationalencyklopedin">"Världens 100 största språk 2007" ("The World's 100 Largest Languages in 2007"), Nationalencyklopedin</ref> and the ''CIA World Factbook'' estimates 30 million. Other sources estimate the number of speakers of Uzbek to be 34 million in Uzbekistan,<ref>{{cite web|title=Uzbekistan|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/uzbekistan/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110035014/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/uzbekistan|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 January 2021|work=CIA|access-date=7 December 2012}}</ref> 4.5 million in Afghanistan,<ref>{{cite web|title=Languages of Afghanistan|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=AF|work=Ethnologue|access-date=7 December 2012}}</ref> 1,630,000 in Pakistan,<ref name="Uzbek, Southern"/> 1,500,000 in Tajikistan,<ref>{{cite web|title=Languages of Tajikistan|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=TJ |work=Ethnologue|access-date=7 December 2012}}</ref> about 1 million in Kyrgyzstan,<ref>{{cite web|title=Ethnic Makeup of the Population|url=http://www.stat.kg/stat.files/din.files/census/5010003.pdf|work=National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic|access-date=7 December 2012|language=ru|archive-date=13 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113151445/http://www.stat.kg/stat.files/din.files/census/5010003.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> 600,000 in Kazakhstan,<ref>{{cite web|title=National Census 2009|url=http://www.stat.kz/p_perepis/Documents/%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%8C%20%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81.pdf|work=Statistics Agency of Kazakhstan|access-date=7 December 2010|language=ru|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191219215005/http://www.stat.kz/p_perepis/Documents/%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%8C%20%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81.pdf|archive-date=19 December 2019}}</ref> 600,000 in Turkmenistan,<ref>{{cite web|title=Languages of Turkmenistan|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=TM|work=Ethnologue|access-date=7 December 2012}}</ref> and 300,000 in Russia.<ref>{{cite web|title=National Census 2010|url=http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/population/demo/per-itog/tab6.xls|work=Federal State Statistics Service|access-date=7 December 2012|language=ru|archive-date=6 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006173252/http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/population/demo/per-itog/tab6.xls|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Uzbek language is taught in more than fifty higher education institutions around the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=uz |first=Kun |title=Number of Uzbek language speakers exceeds 60 million people worldwide |url=https://kun.uz/en/news/2022/10/18/number-speakers-in-uzbek-language-exceeds-60-million-people-worldwide |access-date=27 October 2023 |website=Kun.uz |language=en}}</ref>

== Etymology == Historically, the language under the name ''Uzbek'' referred to a totally different language of Kipchak origin. The language was generally similar to the neighbouring Kazakh, more or less identical lexically, phonetically and grammatically. It was dissimilar to the area's indigenous and native language, known as ''Turki'', until it was changed to Chagatai by western scholars due to its origins from the Chagatai Khanate.<ref>Vladimir Babak; Demian Vaisman; Aryeh Wasserman (23 November 2004). [https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9780203010662/political-organization-central-asia-azerbaijan-vladimir-babak-demian-vaisman-aryeh-wasserman Political Organization in Central Asia and Azerbaijan: Sources and Documents]. Routledge. pp. 343–. ISBN 978-1-135-77681-7.</ref> The ethnonym of the language itself now means "a language spoken by the Uzbeks."

== History == Turkic speakers probably settled the Amu Darya, Syr Darya and Zarafshon river basins from at least 600–650 AD, gradually ousting or assimilating the speakers of the Eastern Iranian languages who previously inhabited Sogdia, Bactria and Khwarazm. The first Turkic dynasty in the region was that of the Kara-Khanid Khanate from the 9th–12th centuries,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ooo-perevod.ru/news/uzbekskiy.html |title=The Origins of the Uzbek Language |access-date=5 January 2013 |language=ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902021401/http://www.ooo-perevod.ru/news/uzbekskiy.html |archive-date=2 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> a confederation of Karluks, Chigils, Yagma, and other tribes.<ref name="sinor">{{citation|last = Golden|first = Peter. B.|chapter =Chapter 13 – The Karakhanids and Early Islam|year = 1990|title = The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia|editor-last = Sinor|editor-first = Denis|publisher = Cambridge University Press|isbn = 0-521-24304-1}}</ref>

Uzbek (along with Uyghur) can be considered the direct descendant of Chagatai, the language of great Turkic Central Asian literary development in the realm of Chagatai Khan, Timur (Tamerlane), and the Timurid dynasty<ref name="allworth">{{cite book |title=Central Asia: 130 Years of Russian Dominance, a Historical Overview |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2XpddVB0l0C&pg=PA72 |last=Allworth |first=Edward |year=1994 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=0-8223-1521-1 |pages=72 }}</ref> (including the early Mughal rulers of the Mughal Empire). Chagatai contained large numbers of Persian and Arabic loanwords. By the 19th century, it was rarely used for literary composition and disappeared only in the early 20th century.

Muhammad Shaybani ({{circa|1451}} – 2 December 1510), the first Khan of Bukhara, wrote poetry under the pseudonym "Shibani". A collection of Chagatai poems by Muhammad Shaybani is currently kept in the Topkapı Palace Museum manuscript collection in Istanbul. The manuscript of his philosophical and religious work, ''Bahr al-Khudā'', written in 1508, is located in London.<ref>A.J.E.Bodrogligeti, «Muhammad Shaybanî’s Bahru’l-huda : An Early Sixteenth Century Didactic Qasida in Chagatay», Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher, vol.54 (1982), p. 1 and n.4</ref>

Shaybani's nephew Ubaydullah Khan (1486–1540) skillfully recited the Quran and provided it with commentaries in Chagatai. Ubaydulla himself wrote poetry in Chagatai, Classical Persian, and Arabic under the literary pseudonym Ubaydiy.<ref>B. V. Norik, Rol shibanidskikh praviteley v literaturnoy zhizni Maverannakhra XVI v. // Rakhmat-name. Sankt Petersburg, 2008, p.230</ref>

For the Uzbek political elite of the 16th century, Chagatai was their native language. For example, the leader of the semi-nomadic Uzbeks, Sheibani Khan (1451–1510), wrote poems in Chagatai.<ref>A.J.E.Bodrogligeti, «MuÌammad Shaybænî’s Bahru’l-huda : An Early Sixteenth Century Didactic Qasida in Chagatay», Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher, vol.54 (1982), p. 1 and n.4</ref>

The poet Turdiy (17th century) in his poems called for the unification of the divided Uzbek tribes: "Although our people are divided, but these are all Uzbeks of ninety-two tribes. We have different names – we all have the same blood. We are one people, and we should have one law. Floors, sleeves and collars – it's all – one robe, So the Uzbek people are united, may they be in peace."<ref>Turdy. Izbrannyye proizvedeniya. Tashkent, 1951, p.33</ref>

Sufi Allayar (1633–1721) was an outstanding theologian and one of the Sufi leaders of the Khanate of Bukhara. He showed his level of knowledge by writing a book called ''Sebâtü'l-Âcizîn''. Sufi Allayar was often read and highly appreciated in Central Asia.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/sufi-allahyar | title=Sûfî Allahyâr }}</ref>

The term ''Uzbek'' as applied to language has meant different things at different times. * ''Uzbek'' was a vowel-harmonised Kipchak language spoken by descendants of those who arrived in Transoxiana who lived mainly around Bukhara and Samarkand. * Chagatai was a Karluk language spoken by the older settled Turkic populations ("Sarts") of the region in the Fergana Valley and the Qashqadaryo Region, and in some parts of what is now the Samarqand Region; it contained a heavier admixture of Persian and Arabic and did not have vowel harmony.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, Chagatai remained the main literary language in most of Central Asia, but it faced a phase of decay.<ref name="Clark, Larry p. 318">Clark, Larry, Michael Thurman, and David Tyson. "Turkmenistan." Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan: Country Studies. p. 318. Comp. Glenn E. Curtis. Washington, D.C.: Division, 1997</ref> Eventually, Chagatai was mostly referred to as the language of the Sarts, the settled Turkic-speaking populations of the Fergana Valley, although the definition of this term shifted through the decades. According to the Kazakh scholar Serali Lapin, who lived at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century, "there is no special Sart language different from Uzbek".<ref>Bronnikova O. M., Sarty v etnicheskoy istorii Sredney Azii (k postanovke problemy) Etnosy i etnicheskiye protsessy. Moskva: Vostochnaya literatura, 1993, s. 153.</ref> Russian researchers of the second half of the 19th century, like L. N. Sobolev, believed that "Sart is not a special tribe, as many tried to prove. Sart is indifferently called both Uzbek and Tajik, who live in the city and are engaged in trade".<ref>Sobolev L. N. Geograficheskiye i statisticheskiye svedeniya o Zeravshanskom okruge (s prilozheniyem spiska naselonnykh mest okruga), Zapiski IRGO po otdeleniyu statistiki. SPb., 1874. T.4. S. 299. Prim. 1.</ref>

As part of the preparation for the 1924 establishment of the Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan, Chagatai was officially renamed "Old Uzbek",<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tdEyAQAAQBAJ&q=Chagatai+%22Old+Uzbek%22+official&pg=PA179|title=Language Policy and Language Conflict in Afghanistan and Its Neighbors: The Changing Politics of Language Choice|last=Schiffman|first=Harold|publisher=Brill Academic|year=2011|isbn=978-9004201453|pages=178–179}}</ref><ref name="Newton2014" /><ref name="Grenoble2006">{{cite book |last=Grenoble |first=L. A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WUeWBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |title=Language Policy in the Soviet Union |date=11 April 2006 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-0-306-48083-6}}</ref><ref name="Dalby1998">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryoflang00dalb|url-access=registration|quote=Chagatai Old Uzbek official.|title=Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive Reference to More Than 400 Languages|first=Andrew |last=Dalby|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=1998|isbn=978-0-231-11568-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryoflang00dalb/page/665 665]–}}</ref><ref name="Bergne2007">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oioBAwAAQBAJ&q=Chagatai+%22Old+Uzbek%22+official&pg=PA137|title=Birth of Tajikistan: National Identity and the Origins of the Republic|author=Paul Bergne|date=29 June 2007|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-0-85771-091-8|pages=24, 137}}</ref> which Edward A. Allworth argued "badly distorted the literary history of the region" and was used to give authors such as Ali-Shir Nava'i an Uzbek identity.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=beCoAAAAQBAJ&q=Chagatai+%22Old+Uzbek%22+official&pg=PT202|title=The Modern Uzbeks: From the Fourteenth Century to the Present: A Cultural History|last=Allworth|first=Edward A.|publisher=Hoover Institution Press|year=1990|isbn=978-0817987329|pages=229–230}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TPESAQAAMAAJ&q=Chagatai+%22Old+Uzbek%22+official|title=Aramco World Magazine|publisher=Arabian American Oil Company|year=1985|page=27}}</ref>

After the independence of Uzbekistan, the Uzbek government opted to reform Northern Uzbek by changing its alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin in an attempt to stimulate the growth of Uzbek in a new, independent state. However, the reform never went into full application, and {{As of|2025|lc=y}} both alphabets are widely used, from daily uses to government publications and TV news. The Uzbek language has not eclipsed Russian in the government sector since Russian is used widely in sciences, politics, and by the upper class of the country. However, the Uzbek internet, including Uzbek Wikipedia, is growing rapidly.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 February 2019 |title=Uzbekistan: Why Uzbek Language Has Not Become a Language of Politics and Science? |url=https://cabar.asia/en/uzbekistan-why-uzbek-language-has-not-become-a-language-of-politics-and-science |access-date=27 October 2023 |website=CABAR.asia |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Writing systems == [[File:Adib-i sani.jpg|thumb|upright=0.54|A 1911 text in the Arabic alphabet]] [[File:Fiction book in uzbek2.jpg|thumb|right|Covers of translated books in Uzbek. As can be seen, both Latin and Cyrillic scripts are widely used in the country. Most names are also transliterated, for example {{random item|''Aleksandr Dyuma'' is equivalent to Alexandre Dumas|''Robert Luis Stivenson'' is equivalent to Robert Louis Stevenson|''Yohann Volfgang Gyote'' is equivalent to Johann Wolfgang Goethe}}.]] {{Main|Uzbek alphabet}}

Uzbek has been written in a variety of scripts throughout history: * 1000–1920s: The traditional Arabic script, first in the Qarakhanid standard and next in the Chagatai standard. This is seen as the golden age of the Uzbek language and literary history. * 1920–1928: the Arabic-based Yaña imlâ alphabet.<ref name=Batalden>{{cite book|last=Batalden|first=Stephen K.|title=The Newly Independent States of Eurasia: Handbook of Former Soviet Republics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WFjPAxhBEaEC&pg=PA194|year=1997|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-89774-940-4|page=194}}</ref> * 1928–1940: the Latin-based Yañalif was imposed officially. * 1940–1992: the Cyrillic script was used officially.<ref>{{Cite book|last=William.|first=Fierman|title=Language Planning and National Development : the Uzbek Experience|date=2 May 2011|publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-085338-4|oclc=979586152}}</ref> * Since 1992: Switch back to Latin script, with heavy holdover usage of Cyrillic.

Despite the official status of the Latin script in Uzbekistan, the use of Cyrillic is still widespread, especially in advertisements and signs. In newspapers, scripts may be mixed, with headlines in Latin and articles in Cyrillic. The Arabic script is no longer used in Uzbekistan except symbolically in limited texts<ref name="Euro">{{cite book|author=European Society for Central Asian Studies. International Conference|title=Central Asia on Display |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q4olreTVoj0C&pg=PA221| year=2005|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|isbn=978-3-8258-8309-6|page=221}}</ref> or for the academic studies of Chagatai (Old Uzbek).<ref name=Batalden />

In 2019, an updated version of the Uzbek Latin alphabet was revealed by the Uzbek government, with five letters being updated; it was proposed to represent the sounds "ts", "sh", "ch", "oʻ" and "gʻ" by the letters "c", "ş", "ç", "ó" and "ǵ", respectively.<ref name="eurasianet.org">{{cite web | title=Uzbekistan unveils its latest bash at Latin alphabet | date=22 May 2019 | access-date=23 May 2019 | url=https://eurasianet.org/uzbekistan-unveils-its-latest-bash-at-latin-alphabet}}</ref> This would have reversed a 1995 reform, and brought the orthography closer to that of Turkish and also of Turkmen, Karakalpak, Kazakh (2018 version) and Azerbaijani.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2019/05/uzbekistan-moves-to-make-its-latin.html|title=Uzbekistan Moves to Make Its Latin Script Closer to One Used in Turkey|last=Goble|first=Paul|date=27 May 2019|website=Window on Eurasia – New Series|access-date=27 May 2019}}</ref> In 2021, it was proposed to change "sh", "ch", "oʻ" and "gʻ" to "ş", "ç", "ō" and "ḡ".<ref>{{cite news|title=Проект нового узбекского алфавита представлен для обсуждения|url=https://www.gazeta.uz/ru/2021/03/16/alphabet/|language=ru|website=Газета.uz|date=16 March 2021|accessdate=2 April 2021}}</ref><ref name="eurasianet.org"/> These proposals were not implemented.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

In the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, in northern Afghanistan and in Pakistan,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Inc |first=IBP |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XVutDwAAQBAJ&dq=Uzbek+language+in+Pakistan&pg=PA61 |title=Afghanistan Labor Policy, Laws and Regulations Handbook: Strategic Information and Regulations |date=July 2017 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-4387-8020-7 |language=en}}</ref> where there is an Uzbek minority, the Arabic-based script is still used. In the early 21st century, in Afghanistan, standardization, publication of dictionaries, and an increase in usage (for example in news agencies' websites, such as that of the BBC) has been taking place.

{| class="standard" cellpadding="5" style="font-size: 1.6em; font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 2em; text-align: center;" |+ style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS', Arial, sans-serif;" |Modern Latin alphabet | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |А а | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |B b | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |D d | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Е е | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |F f | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |G g |- | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |H h | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |I i | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |J j | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |K k | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |L l | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |М m |- | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |N n | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |О о | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |P p | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Q q | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |R r | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |S s |- | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Т t | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |U u | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |V v | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |X x | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Y y | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Z z |- | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Oʻ oʻ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Gʻ gʻ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Sh sh | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ch ch | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ng ng | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | |}

{| class="standard" cellpadding="5" style="font-size: 1.6em; font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 2em; text-align: center;" |+ style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS', Arial, sans-serif;" |Cyrillic alphabet | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |А а | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Б б | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |В в | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Г г | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Д д | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Е е | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ё ё |- | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ж ж | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |З з | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |И и | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Й й | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |К к | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Л л | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |М м |- | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Н н | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |О о | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |П п | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Р р | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |С с | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Т т | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |У у |- | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ф ф | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Х х | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ц ц | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ч ч | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ш ш | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ъ ъ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ь ь |- | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Э э | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ю ю | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Я я | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ў ў | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Қ қ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ғ ғ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" |Ҳ ҳ |}

{| class="standard" cellpadding="5" style="font-size: 1.6em; font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 2em; text-align: center;" |+ style="font-family:'Arial Unicode MS', Arial, sans-serif;" |Modern Arabic alphabet | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ا | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ب | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | پ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ت | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ث | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ج | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | چ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ح |- | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | خ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | د | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ذ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ر | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ز | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ژ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | س | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ش |- | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ص | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ض | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ط | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ظ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ع | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | غ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ف | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ق |- | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ک | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | گ | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ل | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | م | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ن | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | و | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ه | style="width:3em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ی |}

== Phonology == Words are usually stressed on the last syllable with the exception of some suffixal particles, which are not stressed.{{fix|text=which?|date=April 2022}}{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} Consonants in brackets are only attested in loanwords.

=== Vowels === Standard Uzbek has six vowel phonemes.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sjoberg|first1=Andrée F.|title=Uzbek Structural Grammar|series=Uralic and Altaic Series|volume=18|date=1963|publisher=Indiana University|location=Bloomington|pages=16–18|url=https://archive.org/details/uzbekstructuralg0000sjob}}</ref> Uzbek language has many dialects: contrary to many Turkic languages, Standard Uzbek has completely lost vowel harmony due to Persian influence, but other dialects (Kipchak Uzbek and Oghuz Uzbek) retain it.

{| class="wikitable" |- align="center" ! !Front !Central !Back |- align="center" ! Close | colspan="2" | {{IPA link|i}} ~ {{IPA link|ɨ}} | {{IPA link|u}} |- align="center" ! Mid | {{IPA link|e}} | | {{IPA link|o}} |- align="center" ! Open | colspan="2" | {{IPA link|æ}} ~ {{IPA link|ɑ}} | {{IPA link|ɔ}} ~ {{IPA link|ɒ}} |}

* Around uvular consonants: ** /{{IPA link|a}}/ goes back to {{IPAblink|ɑ}}. ** /{{IPA link|i}}/ goes back to {{IPAblink|ɨ̞}}. ** /{{IPA link|u}}/ goes back to {{IPAblink|ʉ}}. * Elsewhere: ** /{{IPA link|a}}/ is pronounced {{IPAblink|æ}}. ** /{{IPA link|i}}/ may be shortened to {{IPAblink|ɪ}}. ** /{{IPA link|u}}/ may be shortened to {{IPAblink|ʊ}}. * Despite the Uzbek language no longer having vowel harmony, some local varieties geographically close to other Turkic languages who do (like Kazakh, Turkmen and Kyrgyz) may display it: ** /{{IPA link|a}}/ goes back to {{IPAblink|ɑ}} around back vowels or uvular consonants, e.g. soya سایه "shadow" [sɒˈjɑ ~ sɒˈjæ]. ** /{{IPA link|i}}/ goes back to {{IPAblink|ɨ}} around back vowels or uvular consonants, e.g. yaxshi یخشی "good" [jɑχˈʃɨ]. ** /{{IPA link|u}}/ may be fronted to {{IPAblink|y}} around front vowels or {{IPAblink|j}}, e.g. salom alaykum سلام علیکم "Peace be upon you" [sɑˌlɒm‿ælæjˈkym]. ** /{{IPA link|o}}/ may be fronted to {{IPAblink|œ}} around front vowels or {{IPAblink|j}}, e.g. Oʻzbekiston اوزبیکستان "Uzbekistan" [œzbekɪstɒn].

=== Consonants === {| class="wikitable" !colspan="2"| ! Labial ! Dental ! Alveolar ! Palatal ! Velar ! Uvular ! Glottal |- align="center" !colspan="2"| Nasal | {{IPA link|m}} | | {{IPA link|n}} | | {{IPA link|ŋ}} | | |- align="center" !rowspan="2"| Plosive/ Affricate ! voiceless | {{IPA link|p}} | {{IPA link|t̪}} | ({{IPA link|t͡s}}) | {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}} | {{IPA link|k}} | {{IPA link|q}} | ({{IPA link|ʔ}}) |- align="center" ! voiced | {{IPA link|b}} | {{IPA link|d̪}} | | {{IPA link|d͡ʒ}} | {{IPA link|ɡ}} | | |- align="center" !rowspan="2"| Fricative ! voiceless | {{IPA link|ɸ}} | | {{IPA link|s}} | {{IPA link|ʃ}} | | {{IPA link|χ}} | {{IPA link|h}} |- align="center" ! voiced | rowspan="2" |{{IPA link|w}}~{{IPA link|v}} | | {{IPA link|z}} | ({{IPA link|ʒ}}) | | {{IPA link|ʁ}} | |- align="center" !colspan="2"| Approximant | | {{IPA link|l}} | {{IPA link|j}} | | | |- align="center" !colspan="2"| Tap / Flap | |colspan=2|{{IPA link|ɾ}} | | | | |}

# In word-final position and preconsonantally, {{IPA|/q/}} is an affricate {{IPA|[q͡χ˖]}}; elsewhere, it is a pre-uvular plosive {{IPA|[q̟]}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Sjoberg |first=Andree Frances (Connery) |url=http://archive.org/details/uzbekstructuralg0000sjob |title=Uzbek structural grammar. -- |date=1963 |publisher=Bloomington : Indiana University |others=Internet Archive}}</ref>

== Grammar == As a Turkic language, Uzbek is null subject, agglutinative and has no noun classes (gender or otherwise). Although Uzbek has no definite articles, it has indefinite articles ''bir'' بِیر and ''bitta'' بِیتَّه. Like other Turkic languages, nouns only conjugate as "definite" in the accusative case. An indefinite direct object is conjugated in the nominative case. The word order is subject–object–verb (SOV).

In Uzbek, there are two main categories of words: nominals (equivalent to nouns, pronouns, adjectives and some adverbs) and verbals (equivalent to verbs and some adverbs).

=== Nouns === Plurals are formed by suffix ''-lar'' ـلر. Nouns take the ''-ni'' ـنی suffix as a definite article when they are direct objects; unsuffixed nouns are understood as indefinite. The dative case ending ''-ga'' ـگه changes to ''-ka'' ـکه when the noun ends in ''-k'' ـک, ''-g'' ـگ, or ''-qa'' ـقه when the noun ends in ''-q'' ـق, ''-gʻ'' ـغ (notice ''*togʻqa'' → ''toqqa'' تاغقَّه). The possessive suffixes change the final consonants ''-k'' ـک and ''-q'' ـق to voiced ''-g'' ـگ and ''-gʻ'' ـغ, respectively (''yurak'' → ''yura'''g'''im'' یورک - یورگیم).<ref>{{citation|url=https://slaviccenters.duke.edu/sites/slaviccenters.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/uzbek.original.pdf|title=Uzbek Language|first=Zumrad|last=Ahmedjanova|website=slaviccenters.duke.edu}}</ref> Unlike neighbouring Turkmen and Kazakh languages, due to the loss of "pronominal ''-n-''" there is no irregularity in forming cases after possessive cases (''uyida'' اویی‌ده "in his/her/its house", as opposed to Turkmen ''öýü'''n'''de'' اویونده, though saying ''uyi'''n'''da'' اویینده is also correct but such style is mainly used in literary contexts).<ref name="CEOLOFTW">{{cite book|title=Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F2SRqDzB50wC&pg=PA1146|first1=Lars|last1=Johanson|first2=Keith|last2=Brown|first3=Sarah|last3=Ogilvie|publisher=Elsevier|date=2009|isbn=978-0-08-087774-7|pages=1145–1148}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |+ Cases |- ! Case ! Suffix ! Example |- | rowspan="2" | nominative | ''-∅'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|uy}} اوی house |- |''∅''ـ |- | rowspan="2" | genitive | ''-ning'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear | lang = uz|uy'''ning''' }} اوی‌نینگ house-GEN of (the) house |- |ـنینگ |- | rowspan="2" | dative | ''-ga'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear | lang = uz|uy'''ga''' }} اوی‌گه house-DAT to the house |- |ـگه |- | rowspan="2" | definite accusative | ''-ni'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear | lang = uz|uy'''ni''' }} اوی‌نی house-DEF.ACC the house |- |ـنی |- | rowspan="2" | locative | ''-da'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|uy'''da'''}} اوی‌ده house-LOC in the house |- |ـده |- | rowspan="2" | ablative | ''-dan'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|uy'''dan'''}} اوی‌دن house-ABL from the house |- |ـدن |- | rowspan="2" | instrumental (literary) | ''-la'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|uy'''la'''}} اوی‌له house-INS with the house |- |ـله |- | rowspan="2" | similative | ''-day'', ''-dek'', ''-daqa'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|uy'''day'''/uy'''dek'''/uy'''daqa'''}} اوی‌دی، اوی‌دیک، اوی‌دقه house-SIM like (a) house (in appearance) |- |ـدی، ـدیک، ـدقه |- | rowspan="2"| equative/similative/approximative | ''-cha (-çä)'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|uy''cha'' (uy''çä'')}} uy-EQ/SIM similar to OR equal (in amount or height) to (a) house |}

{| class="wikitable" |+ Possessive cases |- ! Possessor number ! Singular ! Plural |- | rowspan="2" | 1st | ''-(i)m'' | ''-(i)miz'' |- |ـم، ـیم |ـمیز، ـیمیز |- | rowspan="2" | 2nd | ''-(i)ng'' | ''-(i)ngiz'' |- |ـنگ، ـینگ |ـنگیز، ـینگیز |- | rowspan="2" | 3rd | colspan="2" | ''-(s)i'' |- | colspan="2" |ـی، ـسی |}

=== Verbs === Uzbek verbs are also inflected for number and person of the subject, and it has more periphrases. Uzbek uses some of the inflectional (simple) verbal tenses:<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Uzbek Tense Aspect Modality System {{!}} PDF {{!}} Grammatical Tense {{!}} Perfect (Grammar) |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/52179113/The-Uzbek-tense-aspect-modality-system |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Scribd |language=en}}</ref> :{| class="wikitable" |+ Non-finite tense suffixes ! Function ! Suffix ! Example |- ! rowspan="2" | Infinitive | ''-moq'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''moq'''}} کورْماق to see |- |ـماق |} :{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" |+ Finite tense suffixes ! Function ! Suffix ! Example |- ! rowspan="2" | Present-future | ''-a/-y'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''a'''}} کورَه see/will see |- |ـَه، ـَه‌ی |- ! rowspan="2" | Focal present | ''-yap'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear | lang = uz|koʻr'''yap''' }} کورْیَپ (currently) seeing |- |ـیَپ |- ! rowspan="2" | Momentary present | ''-yotir''{{Refn|group=decimal|Cognate with Turkish present continuous suffix {{nowrap|-(i)yor}} ـِیار<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5m6mNKXzF1IC&dq=turkic+uzbek+cognate&pg=PA384|title=Intransitive Predication|page=384|isbn=978-0-19-823693-1 |last1=Stassen |first1=Leon |date=4 October 1997 |publisher=Clarendon Press }}</ref>}} | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear | lang = uz|koʻr'''yotir''' }} کورْیاتِیر seeing (at the moment) |- |ـیاتِیر{{Refn|group=decimal|Cognate with Turkish present continuous suffix {{nowrap|-(i)yor}} ـِیار<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5m6mNKXzF1IC&dq=turkic+uzbek+cognate&pg=PA384|title=Intransitive Predication|page=384|isbn=978-0-19-823693-1 |last1=Stassen |first1=Leon |date=4 October 1997 |publisher=Clarendon Press }}</ref>}} |- ! rowspan="2" | Progressive present | ''-moqda'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear | lang = uz|koʻr'''moqda''' }} کورْماقْدَه am seeing |- |ـماقْدَه |- ! rowspan="2" | Present perfect | ''-gan'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear | lang = uz|koʻr'''gan''' }} کورْگَن have seen |- |ـگَن |- ! rowspan="2" | Simple past | ''-di'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''di'''}} کورْدِی saw |- |ـدِی |- ! rowspan="2" | Indirective past | ''-ib'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''ib''' keldi}} کورِیب کیلْدِی came (to see) |- |ـِیب |- ! rowspan="2" | Definite future | ''-(y)ajak{{refn|group=decimal|This suffix is likely a borrowing from Ottoman Turkish,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YB1UWaDMCKcC&dq=old+turkic+verb+stem&pg=PA138|title=Turkic-Iranian Contact Areas|page=138|isbn=9783447052764 |last1=Johanson |first1=Lars |last2=Bulut |first2=Christiane |date=14 August 2023 |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag }}</ref> but is usually used as a noun gerund}}'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''ajak'''}} کورَه‌جَک will see (at a defined point in the future) |- |ـَه‌جَک، ـیَه‌جَک''{{refn|group=decimal|This suffix is likely a borrowing from Ottoman Turkish,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YB1UWaDMCKcC&dq=old+turkic+verb+stem&pg=PA138|title=Turkic-Iranian Contact Areas|page=138|isbn=9783447052764 |last1=Johanson |first1=Lars |last2=Bulut |first2=Christiane |date=14 August 2023 |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag }}</ref> but is usually used as a noun gerund}}'' |- ! rowspan="2" | Obligatory future | ''-adigan''/''ydigan'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''adigan'''}} کورَه‌دِیگَن (shall) see |- |ـَه‌دِیگَن، ـیْدِیگَن |- ! Conditional | ''-sa'' ـسَه | {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''sa'''}} کورْسَه if (it) sees |- ! rowspan="2" | Intentional | ''-moqchi'' | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''moqchi'''}} کورْماقْچِی (want to) see |- |ـماقْچِی |- ! rowspan="2" | Imperative | -(a)y (men) -(a)ylik (biz) -''∅'' (sen)

-(i)ng (siz) -(i)nglar (sizlar) -sin (u) -sinlar (ular) | rowspan="2" | {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''ay'''!|}} کورَه‌ی (1st person singular) {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''aylik'''!}} کورَه‌یْلِیک (1st person plural) {{interlinear|lang=uz|'''koʻr'''!}} کور (2nd person informal singular) {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''ing'''!}} کورِینْگ (2nd person formal singular/plural) {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''inglar'''!}} کورِینْگْلَر (2nd person formal plural) {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''sin'''!}} کورْسِین (3rd person singular) {{interlinear|lang=uz|koʻr'''sinlar'''!}} کورْسِینْلَر (3rd person plural) |- |ـَه‌ی (مین) ـَه‌یْلِیک (بِیز) ـ (سین) ـِینْگ (سِیز) ـِینْگْلَر (سِیزْلَر) ـسِین (اُو) ـسِینْلَر (اُولَر) |} {{reflist|group=decimal}}

====Notes==== Vowels marked with parentheses in the suffixes are dropped if the verb root already ends on a vowel. (e.g. ''Qara'' قَرَه‌ + ''(i)ng'' ـِینْگ = ''Qarang!'' قَرَه‌نْگ; ''"Look!"'')

Third person plural is commonly replaced by third person singular.

In the simple past and conditional tenses, the possessive suffixes are used at the end of the verb. Otherwise, the full pronoun suffix is used, except in the imperative. The third person is usually not marked.

===Copula verb=== Conjugations of the verb ''ermoq'' (to be) with regard to tenses (except for future tense), serve as copula verbs. Future conjugation of ermoq, (Old Turkic ergäy) is not present in Uzbek.

===Negation=== Negative is expressed by adding ''-ma'' after the verb root, or with auxiliary verb ''emas''. Examples:

''Koʻrmay(man)'' کورمه‌ی(من) "(I) don't see"

''Koʻrmoqchi emas(man)'' کورماقچی ایمس(من) "(I) don't want to see"

The particle ''yoʻq'' ـیوق is used to mark the absence or prohibition of a noun or action.

===Gerund=== The gerund is formed with the verb root + ''ish'' ـیش.

''Chekish mumkin emas'' چیکیش ممکن ایمس "Smoking is not allowed"

=== Pronouns === {| class="wikitable" ! Pronoun ! Suffix ! Translation |- | ''men'' | ''-man'' | rowspan="2" | I |- |مين |ـمن |- | ''biz'' | ''-miz'' | rowspan="2" | we |- |بيز |ـميز |- | ''sen'' || ''-san'' | rowspan="2" | you (formal singular and informal singular without respect) |- |سين |ـسن |- | ''senlar'' | ''-sanlar'' | rowspan="2" | you (informal plural without respect) |- |سينلر |ـسنلر |- | ''siz'' | ''-siz'' | rowspan="2" | you (formal plural and informal singular with respect) |- |سيز |ـسيز |- | ''sizlar'' | ''-sizlar'' | rowspan="2" | you (informal plural with respect) |- |سیزلر |ـسیزلر |- | ''u'' | ''-∅'' | rowspan="2" | he/she/it |- |او |''∅''ـ |- | ''ular'' || ''-lar'' | rowspan="2" | they |- |اولر |ـلر |}

=== Word order === The word order in the Uzbek language is subject–object–verb (SOV), like all other Turkic languages. Unlike in English, the object comes before the verb and the verb is the last element of the sentence.

{{interlinear|indent=4 |Men kitobni koʻrdim |مین کتاب‌نی کوردیم |1SG book-DO.SG.ACC see-PAST.IND.1SG |I saw the book}}

== Influences == The influence of Islam, and by extension, Arabic, is evident in Uzbek loanwords. There is also a residual influence of Russian, from the time when Uzbeks were under the rule of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. There are a large number of Russian loanwords in Uzbek, particularly when related to technical and modern terms, as well everyday and sociopolitical terms. Most importantly, Uzbek vocabulary, phraseology and pronunciation has been heavily influenced by Persian through its historic roots. It is estimated that Uzbek contains about 60 Mongolian loanwords,<ref>{{cite book|title= The Persian Presence in the Islamic World|page=245}}</ref> scattered among the names of birds and other animals, household items, chemical elements and especially military terms.

== Dialects == thumb|A man speaking Uzbek Uzbek can be roughly divided into three dialect groups. The Karluk dialects, centered on Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and the Ferghana Valley, are the basis for the standard Uzbek language. This dialect group shows the most influence of Persian vocabulary, particularly in the important Tajik-dominated cities of Bukhara and Samarkand. The Kipchak dialect, spoken from the Surxondaryo region through north-central Uzbekistan into Karakalpakstan, shows significant influence from the Kipchak Turkic languages, particularly in the mutation of [j] to [ʑ] as in Kazakh and Kyrgyz. The Oghuz dialect, spoken mainly in Khorezm along the Turkmenistan border, is notable for the mutation of word-initial [k] to [g].

== By country == === Turkmenistan === In Turkmenistan since the 2000s the government conducted a forced "Turkmenization" of ethnic Uzbeks living in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-11-24 |title="Туркменизация" руководящих кадров в Дашогузе |url=https://memohrc.org/ru/news/turkmenizaciya-rukovodyashchih-kadrov-v-dashoguze |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Правозащитный центр «Мемориал»}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://iamik.ru/news/zarubezhe/49082/ |title=iamik.ru — Туркменизация узбеков |access-date=17 June 2019 |archive-date=17 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617183617/https://iamik.ru/news/zarubezhe/49082/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-12-02 |title=В Туркмении завершается принудительная туркменизация |url=https://www.vb.kg/doc/351382_v_tyrkmenii_zavershaetsia_prinyditelnaia_tyrkmenizaciia.html |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Вечерний Бишкек}}</ref> In the Soviet years and in the 1990s, the Uzbek language was used freely in Turkmenistan. There were several hundred schools in the Uzbek language, many newspapers were published in this language. Now there are only a few Uzbek schools in the country, as well as a few newspapers in Uzbek. Despite this, the Uzbek language is still considered to be one of the recognized languages of national minorities in this country. Approximately 300,000–600,000 Uzbeks live in Turkmenistan. Most of the Uzbek speakers live in Dashoghuz Velayat, as well as in Lebap Velayat and partly in Ashghabad.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-14 |title=Туркменские узбеки тихо ликуют и следят за Мирзиёевым |url=https://365info.kz/2018/04/turkmenskie-uzbeki-tiho-likuyut-i-sledyat-za-mirziyoevym |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=365info.kz |language=ru-KZ}}</ref>

=== Russia === Uzbek is one of the many recognized languages of national minorities in Russia. More than 400 thousand Uzbeks are citizens of the Russian Federation and live in the country. Also in Russia there are 2 to 6 million Uzbeks from the Central Asian republics (mainly Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) who are immigrants and migrants. Large diasporas of Uzbeks live in large cities of Russia such as Saint Petersburg. Signs in Uzbek are often found in these cities. Signs refer mainly to various restaurants and eateries, barbershops, shops selling fruits, vegetables and textile products. There is a small clinic, where signs and labels are in the Uzbek language. Uzbeks in Russia prefer to use the Cyrillic Uzbek alphabet, but in recent years Uzbek youth in Russia are also actively using the Latin Uzbek alphabet. Small newspapers in Uzbek are published in large cities of Russia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=В Москве начинает выходить газета на узбекском языке |url=http://www.fergananews.com/articles/7393 |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Фергана.Ру}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=oldadmin |date=2012-06-12 |title=В Москве начинает выходить газета на узбекском языке - Вести.kg - Новости Кыргызстана |url=https://vesti.kg/politika/item/13247-v-moskve-nachinaet-vyihodit-gazeta-na-uzbekskom-yazyike.html |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=vesti.kg |language=ru-ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=В Москве начинает выходить газета на узбекском языке |url=https://www.caravan.kz/news/v-moskve-nachinaet-vykhodit-gazeta-na-uzbekskom-yazyke-311291/ |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=www.caravan.kz |date=12 June 2012 |language=ru}}</ref> Some instructions for immigrants and migrants are duplicated, including in Uzbek. Uzbek language is studied by Russian students in the faculties of Turkology throughout Russia.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} The largest Uzbek language learning centers in Russia are located in the universities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg. There are also many Russians who are interested in and love the Uzbek language and culture and who study this language for themselves. Uzbek is one of the most studied languages among the many languages of the former USSR in Russia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Москвичи, изучающие узбекский, таджикский и молдавский языки |url=https://www.the-village.ru/people/people-city/162387-lyudi-v-gorode-vypuskniki-shkoly-yazykov-migrantov |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=The Village |language=ru}}</ref>

=== Uzbek language researchers === Scientific interest in the history of the Uzbek language arose in the 19th century among European and Russian orientalists. Á. Vámbéry, V. Bartold, Sh. Lapin and others wrote about the history of the Uzbek language. Much attention was paid to the study of the history of the language in the Soviet period. E. Polivanov, N. Baskakov,<ref>Baskakov N. A. Istoriko-tipologicheskaya fonologiya tyurkskikh yazykov M.: Nauka, 1988.</ref> A.Kononov,<ref>Kononov A. N. Grammatika sovremennogo uzbekskogo literaturnogo yazyka. M., L.: Izdatel'stvo AN SSSR, 1960</ref> U. Tursunov, A. Mukhtarov, Sh. Rakhmatullaev and others wrote about the history of the Uzbek language among famous linguists.

== Sample text == The following is a sample text in Uzbek Arabic script of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (with English version in the bottom), contrasted with a version of the text in Uzbek written in Latin script. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Uzbek Arabic | dir="rtl" |{{Lang|uz-arab|برچه آدم‌لر اېرکین، قدر‌قیمت و حقوق‌لرده تېنگ بۉلیب توغیله‌دیلر. اولر عقل و وجدان صاحبی‌دیرلر و بیر‌بیرلری ایله برادرلرچه معامله قیلیش‌لری ضرور.|size=125%|rtl=yes}} |- !Uzbek Latin |{{lang|az|Barcha odamlar erkin, qadr-qimmat va huquqlarda teng boʻlib tugʻiladilar. Ular aql va vijdon sohibidirlar va bir-birlari ila birodarlarcha muomala qilishlari zarur}}. |- ! Uzbek Cyrillic |{{lang|uz-Cyrl|Барча одамлар эркин, қадр-қиммат ва ҳуқуқларда тенг бўлиб туғиладилар. Улар ақл ва виждон соҳибидирлар ва бир-бирлари ила биродарларча муомала қилишлари зарур}}. |- !IPA |[bæ̞ɾˈt͡ʃʰæ̞ ɒd̪æ̞mˈlæ̞ɾ eɾˈkʰɪ̞n qäˈd̪ɨ̞ɾ qɨ̞mˈmät̪ ʋæ̞ hŭquqläɾˈd̪æ̞ t̪ʰeŋ bɵˈlɪ̞p t̪ʰuʁɨ̞läd̪ɪ̞ˈlæ̞ɾ ‖ uˈlæ̞ɾ äˈqɨ̞l ʋæ̞ ʋɪ̞d͡ʒˈd̪ɒn sɒhɪ̞bɪ̞dɪ̞ɾˈlæ̞ɾ ʋæ̞ bɪ̞ɾ bɪ̞ɾlæ̞ˈɾɪ̞ iˈlæ̞ bɪ̞ɾɒdæ̞ɾlæ̞ɾˈt͡ʃʰæ̞ muɒmæ̞ˈlæ̞ qɨ̞lɨ̞ʃlæ̞ˈɾɪ̞ zæ̞ˈɾuɾ ‖] |- !English original |All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. |}

==Notes== {{Notelist}}

== References == {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Sources == {{refbegin}} * {{Cite book|title=Comprehensive Uzbek-English Dictionary|last1=Mamatov|first1=Jahangir|last2=Kadirova|first2=Karamat|date=2008|publisher=Dunwoody Press|isbn=978-1-931546-83-6|location=Hyattsville, Maryland|oclc=300453555}} * {{Cite book|title=The Turkic Languages|last1=Csató|first1=Éva Ágnes|last2=Johanson|first2=Lars|date=1936|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-41261-7|location=London|oclc=40980286}} * {{Cite journal|last=Bregel|first=Yu|date=1978|title=The Sarts in The Khanate of Khiva|jstor=41930294|journal=Journal of Asian History|volume=12|issue=2|pages=120–151}} * {{Cite book|title=Modern Literary Uzbek: A Manual for Intensive Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Courses|last=Bodrogligeti|first=András J. E.|date=2002|publisher=Lincom Europa|isbn=3-89586-695-4|location=München|oclc=51061526}} * {{Cite book|title=Language Planning and National Development: The Uzbek Experience|last=Fierman|first=William|date=1991|publisher=Mouton de Gruyter|isbn=3-11-085338-8|location=Berlin|oclc=815507595}} * {{Cite book|title=Modern literary Uzbek I|last=Ismatullaev|first=Khaĭrulla|date=1995|publisher=Indiana University, Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies|isbn=0-933070-36-5|location=Bloomington, Indiana|oclc=34576336}} * {{Cite book|title=Uzbek-English Dictionary|last=Karl|first=A. Krippes|date=1996|publisher=Dunwoody Press|isbn=1-881265-45-5|edition=Rev|location=Kensington|oclc=35822650}} * {{Cite book|title=Uzbek Structural Grammar|last=Sjoberg|first=Andrée Frances|date=1997|publisher=Curzon Press|isbn=0-7007-0818-9|location=Richmond|oclc=468438031}} * {{Cite book|title=Uzbek-English Dictionary|last=Waterson|first=Natalie|date=1980|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-713597-8|location=Oxford|oclc=5100980}} * Republic of Uzbekistan, Ministry of Higher and Middle Eductation. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110921095752/http://el.tfi.uz/pdf/lyoaoai_uzl.pdf ''Lotin yozuviga asoslangan oʻzbek alifbosi va imlosi ''] (''Latin writing based Uzbek alphabet and orthography''), Tashkent Finance Institute: Tashkent, 2004. * A. Shermatov. "A New Stage in the Development of Uzbek Dialectology" in ''Essays on Uzbek History, Culture and Language.'' Ed. Bakhtiyar A. Nazarov & Denis Sinor. Bloomington, Indiana, 1993, pp. 101–9. {{refend}}

== External links == {{InterWiki|code=uz}} {{Wikibooks}} {{Wikivoyage|Uzbek phrasebook|Uzbek|a phrasebook}}

; Converters: * [http://www.transliteration.kpr.eu/uz/ Uzbek Cyrillic–Latin converter] * [http://baltoslav.eu/lat/index.php?mova=en&j=uz Uzbek Cyrillic–Latin text and website converter] * [http://baltoslav.eu/cyr/index.php?mova=en&j=uz Uzbek Latin–Cyrillic text and website converter]

; Dictionaries: * [http://www.ziyouz.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=57&func=fileinfo&id=1425 Dictionary of the Uzbek Language Volume I (А—Р)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018123042/http://www.ziyouz.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=57&func=fileinfo&id=1425 |date=18 October 2012 }} (Tashkent, 1981) * [http://www.ziyouz.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=57&func=fileinfo&id=1424 Dictionary of the Uzbek Language, Volume II (С—Ҳ)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018115826/http://www.ziyouz.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=57&func=fileinfo&id=1424 |date=18 October 2012 }} (Tashkent, 1981) * [http://www.ismanov.com/ English-Uzbek and Uzbek-English online dictionary] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20130111180320/http://dic.englishlife.uz/ English-Uzbek and Uzbek-English online dictionary] * [http://russian-uzbek.ru/default.aspx Russian-Uzbek and Uzbek-Russian online dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215510/http://russian-uzbek.ru/default.aspx |date=3 March 2016 }} * [https://archive.org/details/turki-uzbeb-farsi-dictionary-book-1-yarqin Uzbek to Persian/Dari Dictionary (Volume 1)] Both Latin and Arabic orthography. [PDF] (2007) By Muhammadhalim Yarqin, Tehran, Iran * [https://archive.org/details/turki-uzbeb-farsi-dictionary-book-2-yarqin Uzbek to Persian/Dari Dictionary (Volume 2)] Both Latin and Arabic orthography. [PDF] (2007) By Muhammadhalim Yarqin, Tehran, Iran * [https://www.kabulnath.de/Sal-e-Shanzdahoum/Shoumare-366/Farhang%20Vol%201.pdf Uzbek to Persian/Dari Dictionary] ([https://archive.today/20230410155036/https://www.kabulnath.de/Sal-e-Shanzdahoum/Shoumare-366/Farhang%20Vol%201.pdf Archive]) [PDF] by Faizullah Aimaq, Toronto, Canada * [http://www.uzsoz.net/ Word translator from Southern Uzbek to Farsi] * [http://pauctle.com/uztr Uzbek<>Turkish dictionary] (Pamukkale University) * Ole Olufsen: "[https://archive.org/details/avocabularydial00olufgoog ''A Vocabulary of the Dialect of Bokhara''"] [https://archive.org/details/avocabularydial00olufgoog] (København 1905)

;Grammar and orthography * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060409021922/http://www.oxuscom.com/250words.htm Introduction to the Uzbek Language], ''Mark Dickens'' * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120209033653/http://www.oxuscom.com/orthography.htm Principal Orthographic Rules For The Uzbek Language], ''translation of Uzbekistan Cabinet of Minister's Resolution No. 339, of 24 August 1995'' * [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/uzbek.htm Uzbek alphabet], ''Omniglot''

; Learning/teaching materials: * [https://t.me/uzbekcha7], ''Learn Uzbek (in Russian)'' * [https://t.me/learn_uzbek_tili], ''Learn Uzbek (in English)'' * [https://web.archive.org/web/20121028143832/http://onatili.uz/ Ona tili uz], ''a website about Uzbek'' * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130126231210/http://uz-translations.net/?category=uzbek Uzbek language materials]}}, ''Uz-Translations''

{{Languages of Uzbekistan}} {{Languages of Afghanistan}} {{Languages of Pakistan}} {{Languages of China}} {{Turkic languages}}

Northern Category:Agglutinative languages Category:Karluk languages Category:Turkic languages of Afghanistan Category:Languages of Pakistan Category:Languages of Kazakhstan Category:Languages of Kyrgyzstan Category:Languages of Russia Category:Languages of Tajikistan Category:Languages of Turkmenistan Category:Languages of Uzbekistan Category:Languages of China Category:Articles citing Nationalencyklopedin