American Journal Of Philological Sciences
123
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
PAGE NO.
123-125
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue05-32
The Importance of Loanwords in The Historical
Development of The Uzbek Language
Husaynova Gulsora Alijon qizi
University of Business and Science teacher, Uzbekistan
Pirmqulov Dostonbek Muxammadraxim o
ʻ
g
ʻ
li
University of Business and Science teacher, Uzbekistan
Received:
16 March 2025;
Accepted:
12 April 2025;
Published:
14 May 2025
Abstract:
In this article, much attention is paid to the syntactic and semantic study of the lexicon of the acquisition
layer in the Uzbek language. Borrowed words played an important role in the historical development of the Uzbek
language. They entered the language through cultural and scientific relations, trade and other fields and enriched
it. Borrowed words from Arabic, Persian, Russian and other languages increased the vocabulary of the Uzbek
language and contributed to the further development of the language.
Keywords:
H
omonyms, lexical abbreviations, “purists”, alternative words, international term, vocabulary, terms,
affixes, loan words, lexeme.
Introduction:
The lexical layer of a language inevitably
expands and undergoes numerous linguistic changes
over time. According to the Altaic theory, the formation
history of Turkic languages, including the Uzbek
language, began in the Altaic period [8, 3]. The
vocabulary of the Uzbek language, like that of other
languages, develops and enriches based on both
internal and external sources. Source availability is an
important resource in enriching the Uzbek vocabulary.
Approximately half of the current Uzbek vocabulary
consists of Turkic words [14, 124]. By utilizing the
internal potential of its native lexical layer
—
such as
dialectal terms and words, abbreviations, and using
homonyms in new meanings
—
it is possible to increase
the volume of the vocabulary.
Over the centuries, different nations and peoples have
been in mutual social, economic, and cultural contact.
As a result, words and terms from various fields have
been transferred from one language to another.
Sometimes these borrowings were adopted without
change, while other times they were adapted to the
grammatical and phonetic norms of the receiving
language.
METHODOLOGY
The research on the importance of loanwords in the
historical development of the Uzbek language employs
a qualitative, descriptive, and analytical approach
grounded in linguistic and historical analysis. The study
investigates how Uzbek has been enriched through the
integration of foreign lexical elements over time,
focusing on their origin, adaptation, and functional
roles within the language.
DISCUSSION AND RESULTS
Practical recommendations for enriching and
developing the Uzbek language vocabulary through
internal and external sources were given at the
“Tilimlo” conference held in Samarkand in 1929. The
conference concluded with the following decision:
“While preserving all the characteristics of the Uzbek
language, it is necessary to enrich and expand it with
new terms. This enrichment should occur, on one hand,
through native Uzbek words, and on the other hand,
through international words. If an appropriate word
cannot be found or derived in Uzbek, international
terms should be adopted directly, without resorting to
unnecessary artificiality” [13, 90].
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
This shows that the vocabulary of the Uzbek language
requires either replacing old words with new ones or
borrowing from other languages. “No matter how
developed a language is, it still cannot meet all its needs
solely through its native lexical resources” [10, 9]. It is
nearly impossible to rely exclusively on internal means
and avoid borrowing words from other languages.
However, preserving the purity of the language is
considered an inseparable value and cultural element
of a nation. Proponents of language purity, known as
purists, oppose the adoption of foreign borrowings or
suggest limiting their use [1, 91]. According to them, if
the share of loanwords in a language becomes
excessive, it is crucial to immediately find native
equivalents for newly introduced foreign terms based
on the internal resources of the language [2, 18
–
19].
Otherwise, if a borrowed word or term gains wide
usage without an equivalent, later proposed
alternatives may not be successful or widely accepted.
It should be kept in mind that borrowed words do not
always become widely accepted or integrated among
the general population. Borrowings from Arabic and
Persian-Tajik languages such as jumhuriyat (republic),
firqa (party), riyoziyot (mathematics), kurrai musannaa
(globe), and hikmat (physics) failed to gain widespread
usage and have consequently fallen out of use. It would
not be an exaggeration to say that, like many other
languages, Uzbek cannot boast a vocabulary consisting
solely of native Uzbek words, as a significant portion of
its lexicon consists of lexemes borrowed from other
languages over the course of several centuries and at
various stages.
Uzbek linguists typically classify borrowed words into
three groups for study: Persian, Arabic, and Russian-
European origin [9, 107]. Among these, Arabic
borrowings are numerically dominant. In one of his
studies, Candidate of Philological Sciences Fotih
Abdullayev reported that Arabic words make up 55% of
the Uzbek language (Abdullayev F., 1945). According to
Yorqinoy Hamrayeva’s calculations, the share of Arabic
loanwords in the Uzbek vocabulary exceeds 34% [5, 2].
Alongside other Turkic languages, Arabic is considered
one of the most influential languages in the formation
and enrichment of the Uzbek lexicon, and this influence
has been explored in various scholarly studies [15, 124
–
131]. Although Arabic borrowings make up a large
portion of the Uzbek vocabulary, their grammatical
function and morphological roles are quite limited, and
semantically they tend to be abstract in nature. Most
of the Arabic lexemes belong to the noun and adjective
parts of speech. This is confirmed by the fact that the
majority of the following examples are nouns: ilm (
ملِع
),
kitob (
باتِك
), maktab (
ةس َردَم
), inson (
ناَسنِإ
), hurriyat
(
ةَي ِ رُح
), kattalik (
ريِبَك
), ma
’
rifat (
ةَف ِرعَم
), taqdir (
رَدَق
).
Arabic words adapt morphologically into Uzbek in two
primary ways:
a) by serving as the base for the creation of new Uzbek
words;
b) by accepting Uzbek grammatical suffixes.
This adaptation is clearly observable [9, 170].
“The large number and diversity of Arabic words show
how deeply they have been absorbed into the Uzbek
language. Among these borrowed Arabic words, new
Uzbek words are formed with the help of native Uzbek
suffixes” [6, 38]. For example:
with the suffix -
chi: aloqachi (messenger), aʼlochi
(honor student);
with -lik:
asirlik (captivity), aʼzolik (membership);
with -li: ahamiyatli (important), muvaffaqiyatli
(successful);
with -cha: shahobcha (small meteor);
with -gi: hozirgi (present);
and with -la or verbal suffixes derived from such roots:
aniqlamoq (to clarify), asoslanmoq (to be based on),
tarbiyalamoq (to educate), etc.
The interactions between Persian-Tajik and Uzbek
languages span a long historical period. Historically,
many Turkic peoples have lived in the territory of
present-day Uzbekistan. During those times, science,
culture, and trade flourished, and as a result,
vocabulary used in communication between these two
closely related nations eventually became part of each
other's lexicon, either directly or indirectly
—
sometimes undergoing phonetic and grammatical
changes, and sometimes remaining unchanged.
In the 7th century, along with Arabic, the Persian-Tajik
language also served as a prominent language of
science and culture. Especially during the peak of the
Samanid dynasty in the 9th
–
10th centuries, Persian
(specifically Farsi-ye Dari, the main spoken language of
the Tajiks living in Khorasan) gradually began to
displace Arabic. As a result, Persian became the
dominant language in daily communication and was
widely used, which in turn led to the creation of literary
works in that language [3, 19
–
20].
The Uzbek language also fell under the influence of the
Persian-Tajik language. Due to this influence, a bilingual
environment began to form in the region. By the 19th
–
20th centuries, when Tsarist Russia
—
and later the
USSR
—
gained control over Central Asian states, the
influence of the Russian language in our country
significantly increased.
Russian loanwords are frequently found in poems
written in the “barmoq” scale of that time, whereas
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
125
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
they are rarely, if ever, encountered in works written in
the “aruz” scale. This is because literary works in the
“aruz” scale were mostly created in Persian
-Tajik and
Arabic, which had long served as the dominant
languages of communication [12, 274].
Semantically, Russian words do not always retain their
full original meanings in Uzbek. As loanwords, they
often take on new meanings in everyday use. For
instance, the Russian word самовар (samovar) is made
up of “сам” (self) and “варить” (to boil), meaning “a
device that boils water
by itself.” In Uzbek, it was
initially used to mean “a metal container for boiling
tea.” Later, its meaning expanded and began to refer to
a place where men gather to drink tea or eat together
—
choyxona (teahouse).
Borrowings from Russian, or through Russian from
European languages, differ grammatically. Some
borrowed words entered the language as root forms,
while others came along with affixes (derivational
morphemes). However, it would be incorrect to
assume that these affixes themselves have been fully
integrated into Uzbek. Since a morpheme conveys a
specific meaning, it may be borrowed into another
language when needed. Still, as affixes are auxiliary
word-forming elements, they do not easily become
part of another language’s system.
Derivational affixes are never borrowed in isolation.
However, affixes that are part of borrowed words
formed through the derivational methods of another
language can, over time, contribute to increasing a
language’s productivity [11, 469].
Many such words have entered the Uzbek language
through affixation
—
that is, with the help of
derivational suffixes
—
and have become fully
integrated. For example: biblioteka+chi (librarian),
traktor+chi (tractor driver), and aktiv+lik (activity).
Some borrowed words have undergone phonetic
changes and are now pronounced differently in Uzbek:
stakan (стакан –
glass), stadion (стадион –
stadium),
mashina (машина –
car), svetofor (светофор –
traffic
light), and so on.
Russian and international lexical borrowings can
semantically belong to various domains, such as:
fabrika (factory), zavod (plant), stanok (machine tool),
texnologiya (technology), elektronika (electronics),
kompyuter (computer), mobil telefon (mobile phone),
televizor (television), and fizika (physics).
CONCLUSION
Borrowed words have played a significant role in the
historical development of the Uzbek language.
Throughout history, contact with various cultures and
languages has led to the adoption of many new words
into Uzbek. Words borrowed from Arabic, Persian,
Russian, Turkish, and other languages have not only
enriched the vocabulary but have also supported the
development of the language in fields such as science,
literature, culture, and commerce. For instance, Arabic
scientific terms, Persian literary expressions, and
Russian technical vocabulary have all contributed to
the expansion of Uzbek.
Moreover, borrowed words have helped to strengthen
international relations and foster intercultural
communication. In general, loanwords have played an
essential role in the evolution, enrichment, and
modernization of the Uzbek language, laying the
foundation for its greater popularity and strength in the
present day.
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