CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES (ISSN: 2767-3758)
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VOLUME:
Vol.06 Issue01 2025
10.37547/philological-crjps-06-01-02
Page: - 04-07
RESEARCH ARTICLE
The Reflection of Socio-Political Life in Uzbek Journalistic
Texts of The Early 20th Century
Robiya Vakhobjonova
Doctoral student of Namangan State University, Uzbekistan
Received:
25 November 2024
Accepted:
28 December 2024
Published:
12 January 2025
INTRODUCTION
Language In the early 20th century, Central Asia,
particularly the territory of present-day Uzbekistan,
experienced
significant
political
and
cultural
transformations. Despite being under the rule of the
Russian Empire, the process of national awakening gained
momentum in the social and political life of Turkestan.
During this period, the people of Turkestan increasingly
sought to understand their identity and preserve their
national culture. Uzbek intellectuals, through their works,
called upon society to build an enlightened, just, and free
community.
Uzbek publicists played a pivotal role, especially in
addressing
social,
political,
and
cultural
issues.
Intellectuals such as Mahmudkhoja Behbudi, Abdulla
Avloni, Fitrat, Ashurali Zohiri, Abdurauf Fitrat, and
Cho‘lpon used their articles to encourage people towards
literacy, adherence to their national values, and efforts to
develop society. Their works, particularly their publicistic
writings, played a significant role in awakening the
political consciousness of the people, fostering self-
awareness, and inspiring resistance against colonialism.
Through Uzbek publicistic texts, numerous social issues
were openly raised, including economic inequality among
the populace, problems in the education system, and issues
related to freedom. These writings were instrumental in
conveying widespread dissatisfaction with colonialism, the
need to preserve national identity, and the urgency for
educational reforms to the broader public.
Thus, Uzbek publicistic works of the early 20th century
highlighted the lifestyle, social issues, and national
concerns of the people, playing a unique role in shaping
society.
METHODS
The research topic has been thoroughly studied in the
works of scholars and researchers such as Abdusaidov A.
("Lexical and Stylistic Features of Newspaper Language"),
Berdialiyev A. ("Uzbek Synchronic Sociolinguistics"),
Nurmonov A. ("History of Uzbek Linguistics"), and
Boltaboyev H. ("Abdurauf Fitrat: Representative of Jadid
Literature"). Other significant works include Madaminova
G. ("The Expression Features of Proverbs and Sayings in
Publicistic Style"), Odilov Y. ("Publicistic Texts and
Lexical Development"), and Khalilova M. ("Basics of
Uzbek
Stylistics").
Additionally,
Polonskiy
A.V.
("Publicistics as a Form of Social Activity: Object and
Subject"), Khudoyqulov M. ("Introduction to Journalism:
ABSTRACT
This article covers aspects of the reflection of social and political life in early 20th- century Uzbek publicistic texts by
MahmudKho‘ja Behbudi are analyzed from a sociolinguistic perspective. In the text analysis, special attention is given to asp ects
such as social status, bilingualism, multilingualism and loanwords.
Keywords:
Journalism, publicistic text, diglossia, loanwords, multilingualism, social status.
CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES (ISSN: 2767-3758)
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5
A Study Guide"), and Khudoyqulov M. ("Formation and
Development Principles of Uzbek Satirical Publicistics")
have contributed valuable insights.
Further contributions include Nishonova G. ("The Role
and Significance of the 'Oyina' Journal in the Formation
and Development of Uzbek Publicistics"), Qurbonova S.
("Development Features of Writer’s Publicistics"),
Jamilova B. ("Uzbek Children's Publicistics and Its
Development Principles"), Qoshoqova B. ("Sociolinguistic
Analysis of the Functional Development of Language"),
and Sulaymonov M. ("Sociolinguistic Research of
Manuscripts in the Uzbek Language"). These works
comprehensively explore various aspects of the topic.
In
this
article,
descriptive,
historical-comparative,
classification, and analytical methods were applied. The
focus was primarily on publicistic texts of the early 20th
century, specifically the articles authored by M. Behbudiy,
A. Fitrat, A. Avloni, and A. Zohiriy.
In later periods, particularly during the colonial era, the
social-political regime and changes in cultural and
educational life led Uzbek publicistics to enter a new stage.
This evolution was closely tied to the Jadid movement,
which emerged in the early 20th century. Newspapers such
as Taraqqiy, Xurshid, Sadoyi Farg‘ona, Najot, Samarqand,
Hurriyat, and journals like Oyna and Chayon played a
significant role in Turkestan's history.
The primary goal of Uzbek publicistics in the early 20th
century was to preserve national identity and cultural
uniqueness. M. Behbudiy, in his articles, called for the
enlightenment of the population to raise political
awareness. In such a complex environment, special
attention was given to the issues of language and script to
achieve literacy. His works, such as Risolai Asbobi Savod,
Risolai Jo‘g‘rofiyayi Umroniy, Risolai Jo‘g‘rofiyayi
Rusiy, Kitob-ul Atfol, Amaliyoti Islom, and Tarixi Islom,
are vivid examples of this approach.
Similarly, A. Avloni aimed to preserve the nation’s identity
through education and upbringing. He wrote, “Rather than
seeking from a good neighbor, seek within your own home.
The sacred language and literature that suited and served
our ancestors will not fail us either. If we search and
explore within our home, we may recover what has been
lost.” These examples indicate that issues of language and
script were among the most pressing social-political
matters of the time.
Additionally, the texts reflected a diglossic situation—
harmonizing spoken language and literary language.
Dialectal and borrowed words were used to stay close to
the people and their realities. In publicistic texts,
loanwords from Russian and Arabic were employed to
convey socio-political updates swiftly to the public. The
press played a crucial role in this regard.
This raises the question: When did national press,
journalism, and printed publications emerge? Historically,
they appeared and developed as a peaceful democratic
national cultural-educational movement during the
resistance against the oppressive colonial regime of Tsarist
Russia, representing one of the key achievements of the
Jadid movement.
DISCUSSION
Uzbek publicists of the early 20th century played a
significant role in influencing the socio-political life of
their time, encouraging the people to recognize and
preserve their national values. Enlightened figures such as
M. Behbudiy, A. Fitrat, A. Avloni, A. Zohiriy, and Botu
were pivotal in this process. Their ideas about “national
identity” focused on the development and protection of the
Uzbek language, which was crucial in fostering self-
awareness among the people. Avloni emphasized
education and upbringing as fundamental tools for
preserving the nation’s identity.
The publicistic texts of the early 20th century reflected the
profound socio-political changes occurring in society and
aimed to preserve and protect the language, culture, and
national values. The socio-political transformations of the
time introduced numerous loanwords from Russian and
Arabic into publicistic language. Prominent figures such as
M. Behbudiy, A. Fitrat, A. Avloni, and A. Zohiriy used
their articles to introduce concepts like education, justice,
equality, and national identity into public consciousness.
These concepts played a vital role in harmonizing modern
political and social ideas with Uzbek national values.
Writers like A. Fitrat and M. Behbudiy actively used
borrowed words to familiarize the populace with
contemporary
political
ideas
and
enable
their
understanding in the native language. For instance,
Behbudiy’s publicistic works demonstrated the use of
Persian-Tajik loanword synonyms, as seen in phrases like
“Erta ochlikdin paydo bo‘ladurgan talon va taroj yoinki
kasallikg‘a hamma narsasi talanib va yonilib ketsa” and
CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES (ISSN: 2767-3758)
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“Dizaxdan kelgan soldatning bayoni jon va tanimg‘a ta’sir
etib, asablarimni titratdi.” Here, synonymous pairs such as
talon va taroj and jon va tan represent a pattern of synonym
usage that has become normalized in modern Uzbek
literary language.
Moreover, Behbudiy’s writings feature hybrid synonyms
combining Persian-Tajik and Arabic elements, such as
“Har millatning ulamosi, ahli qalami, mutafakkiri o‘z
millatining oyandasi uchun yo‘l ko‘rsatur, mashvarat
berur, millat axloqining islohi uchun masjidlarda pand va
nasihat berur...” These examples highlight a strategic use
of linguistic diversity to imbue publicistic texts with
emotional and expressive meanings. The use of hybrid
synonyms—such as Persian-Arabic (pand va nasihat),
Arabic-Persian (ulamo va ahli qalam), and Arabic-Russian
(e’tiroz va protest)—illustrates the bilingualism (or even
multilingualism) characteristic of the period.
From a sociolinguistic perspective, Behbudiy’s use of
terms like oyanda (future), mashvarat (advice), and ulamo
(scholars) demonstrates a blending of cultural influences.
These terms reflect the intellectual climate of the time,
which emphasized bilingualism and the exchange of
linguistic codes. The social purpose of these texts was to
inspire the people towards education and lead them to
social freedom.
The analysis of publicistic texts reveals that publicists
skillfully combined lexical units from both Uzbek and
other languages to effectively convey their ideas. This
approach not only reflects the influence of Russian and
Arabic but also underscores the relevance of reviving
national identity and awakening the nation to its socio-
political realities.
“Bizning diniy va milliy hissiyotlarimni o’ldurmak tilagi
bilan O’sraumov kabi mutaassib gaplarning idorasida gazit
chiqarildi, maktab ochildi, lekin o’z millatimiz va
diyonatimizni onglatmoq uchun o’z tarafimizdan ochilgan
maktablar va g’azotlar bog’landi, shar’iy mahkamalarning
huquq va salohiyatlaridan buyuk bir qismi g’asb etildi” .
The text reflects the colonial policies in the Turkestan
region during the early 20th century. It highlights Tsarist
Russia's attempts to suppress the religious and national
values of the local population. Representatives of the
national awakening era actively worked to preserve their
cultural and religious heritage. The critical perspectives in
the text emdiv a spirit of resistance against social and
political oppression.
The text is rich with expressions of protest and warning.
Phrases such as “o’ldurmak tilagi” (desire to destroy) and
“g’asb etildi” (was usurped) carry strong emotional weight.
These phrases convey the author’s profound social anguish
and concern for the nation.
The text serves as a publicistic expression of the nation’s
struggle for self-awareness and preservation. It critiques
the restriction of Sharia courts, the loss of religious rights,
and the closure of national schools, illustrating the
disruption of the education system. This reflects the
colonial government’s systematic attempts to erode the
socio-political and cultural autonomy of the region.
The text demonstrates the adverse effects of colonial
language policies. The closure of presses and schools, as
well as the curtailment of religious authorities' rights,
signifies the state’s intention to suppress local languages
and cultures. The text provides valuable evidence for
sociolinguistic analysis of the era’s language policies,
showcasing how the colonial government used language as
a tool to enforce its dominance.
The central message of the text emphasizes that the
nation’s progress is tied to the efforts of intellectuals and
their followers. The author underlines the importance of
preserving cultural and religious identity through
education and public activism, despite the oppressive
environment.This analysis highlights how the text
functions not only as a critique of colonial policies but also
as a call to action for national self-awareness and cultural
preservation. It showcases the role of language and
publicistic writing in resisting colonial dominance and
fostering a sense of national identity.
The Uzbek publicistics of the early 20th century played a
distinctive role in reflecting the lifestyle, social issues, and
national concerns of society. During the Jadid movement,
intellectuals such as M. Behbudiy, A. Avloni, A. Fitrat, and
others promoted innovative ideas through their articles to
guide people towards modern education, freedom, and
progress. Recognizing the role of language in uniting
people and strengthening national identity, they effectively
utilized linguistic elements (diglossia, sociolects) in their
writings. By harmonizing spoken and literary language,
they successfully achieved their objectives.The publicistic
texts actively incorporated borrowed words, dialectal
expressions, and argot to reflect the richness of the
CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES (ISSN: 2767-3758)
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language while depicting the daily life and contemporary
worldview of the people. Through these means, they
introduced modern political and social concepts, helping
people comprehend the demands of the new era. The
publicistics of the Jadid period established a unique
creative direction and continue to serve as a model for
adapting to societal changes and striving for spiritual and
cultural development.These texts are not only a significant
part of the literary heritage of their time but also a vital
source for understanding the spiritual world and political
thinking of the people of that era.
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