Uzbek language - Definition and Overview

Uzbek (O'zbek tili in Latin script, Ўзбек in Cyrillic script) is a Turkic language spoken by the Uzbeks in Uzbekistan and elsewhere in Central Asia. Its closest relative, in vocabulary and grammar, is Uighur. Persian and Russian have had significant influences on Uzbek.

Uzbek is the official language of Uzbekistan, and has about 18.5 million native speakers. It was written using the Cyrillic alphabet before 1992, but now a Latin script is used in Uzbekistan; Uzbek speakers in China write it using the Arabic alphabet.

The influence of Islam, and by extension, Arabic, is evident in Uzbek, as well as the influence of Russian, when Uzbekistan was under czarist and Soviet domination. Most of the Arabic words have found their way in Uzbek through Persian.

The Uzbek language has many dialects, varying widely from region to region. However, there is a commonly understood dialect which is used in mass media and in most printed material. Some linguists consider the language spoken in northern Afghanistan by ethnic Uzbeks to be a dialect of Uzbek.

An example of written Uzbek:

Barcha odamlar erkin, qadr-qimmat va huquqlarda teng bo'lib tug'iladilar. Ular aql va vijdon sohibidirlar va bir-birlari ila birodarlarcha muomala qilishlari zarur.

(translation: 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.)

See also: Languages of China