The Azerbaijani Language: From a National Value to the International Cultural Arena

August 1 is celebrated as the Day of the Azerbaijani Alphabet and the Azerbaijani Language. Established pursuant to the Decree “On the Establishment of the Day of the Azerbaijani Alphabet and the Azerbaijani Language,” signed by National Leader Heydar Aliyev on August 9, 2001, this significant day provides an important opportunity to reflect on the historical development of our state language and to assess the efforts being made to preserve and advance it in the modern era.

These views were expressed in comments to AZERTAC by Shahla Aslan, a researcher at Gazi University in Türkiye and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Educational Administration.

She emphasized that, under the leadership of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, a consistent policy is being implemented to protect and enrich the state language and ensure its development in line with the requirements of the modern era. Further strengthening the position of the Azerbaijani language in public life, science, education, and the information space is one of the key priorities of this policy.

As a result of President Ilham Aliyev’s Order of January 12, 2004, “On the Implementation of Mass Publications in the Azerbaijani Language Using the Latin Alphabet,” some of the most valuable works of Azerbaijani and world literature were published in large print runs using the Latin script. Libraries, schools, higher education institutions, and other cultural establishments were supplied with these new publications.

The researcher noted that the preservation and development of the Azerbaijani language constitute one of the priorities of the country’s cultural policy. The “Azerbaijani Culture – 2040” Concept identifies a number of important objectives, including protecting Azerbaijani as the state language, expanding its use across all spheres of society, increasing the number of scientific and literary publications in Azerbaijani, broadening its presence in the digital information environment, safeguarding the norms of the literary language, promoting a higher standard of language culture, strengthening the younger generation’s attachment to their mother tongue, and supporting the promotion of Azerbaijani abroad.

“In the modern era, globalization, the widespread use of social media, and the rapid development of digital communication technologies are creating new challenges for the use of the Azerbaijani language. In particular, the unnecessary use of words of foreign origin among young people, the growing prevalence of internet slang, and, in some cases, failure to fully observe the norms of the literary language are among the factors that negatively affect speech culture. Therefore, preserving the purity of our mother tongue is an important responsibility for every citizen, especially the younger generation,” Shahla Aslan emphasized.

The researcher also noted that Azerbaijani is an integral part of the broader family of Turkic languages:

“It is encouraging that the Cultural Center operating under the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Türkiye is carrying out significant work to preserve and teach the Azerbaijani language abroad. One of the important projects implemented in this field is the ‘Azerbaijani Turkish Language Teaching Center’ established at Gazi University at the initiative of the Cultural Center.

The Azerbaijani language courses organized at the center are attended by students and researchers from various universities in Türkiye, as well as participants from different countries and individuals interested in learning Azerbaijani. They not only learn our language but also become closely acquainted with Azerbaijan’s history, literature, culture, and national and spiritual values.

This project, implemented by the Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Türkiye, can be regarded as one of the practical manifestations of the objectives set out in the ‘Azerbaijani Culture – 2040’ Concept. Book presentations, discussions, literary and artistic gatherings organized at the teaching center not only increase interest in learning the Azerbaijani language but also contribute to introducing our country’s rich cultural heritage to a wider audience.

This initiative creates opportunities for young people and scholars from different countries to learn the Azerbaijani language and makes an important contribution to the development of intercultural dialogue.”