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COMPARISON OF PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
OF THE PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEM OF THE UZBEK LANGUAGE WITH OTHER
TURKIC LANGUAGES
Qarshiyeva Muxarram Shuxratovna
Termez State University, Philology and Language Teaching: First-year student of the
Uzbek language program
Аннотация
В статье проводится сравнение фонологической системы узбекского языка с
фонологическими системами других тюркских языков, в частности казахского,
киргизского, туркменского и турецкого, анализируются их сходства и различия. В
исследовании изучается система гласных и согласных, количество фонем, система
ударения, а также фонологические процессы (ассимиляция, диссимиляция, элизия и т. д.).
Узбекский язык является агглютинативным языком и имеет очень богатую
фонологическую систему. Но он имеет свои уникальные особенности по сравнению с
другими тюркскими языками. Например, в узбекском языке некоторые согласные (г`, о`, к)
употребляются активнее, тогда как в некоторых тюркских языках эти звуки употребляются
реже или вообще отсутствуют.
По результатам исследования установлено, что фонологические различия между
тюркскими языками связаны с историческим развитием, контактами с другими языками,
миграционными процессами, диалектными изменениями. Статья посвящена определению
степени фонетического сходства тюркских языков посредством сравнительно-
лингвистического анализа фонологических систем.
Статья представляет собой полезный теоретический и практический ресурс для
лингвистов, филологов и исследователей, занимающихся фонологией. Это также может
служить основой для определения своеобразия фонологической системы узбекского языка.
Ключевые слова.
Фонетика, тюркские языки, узбекский язык, фонемы, ударение,
гласные, согласные, сравнительный анализ, фонологическая система, фонетические
различия.
Abstract
This article compares the phonological system of the Uzbek language with the
phonological systems of other Turkic languages, in particular Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen and
Turkish, and analyzes their similarities and differences. The study studies the system of vowels
and consonants, the number of phonemes, the stress system, and phonological processes
(assimilation, dissimilation, elision, etc.).
The Uzbek language is an agglutinative language and has a very rich phonological system.
However, it has its own characteristics compared to other Turkic languages. For example, some
consonants (g’, o’, q) are used more actively in the Uzbek language, while in some Turkic
languages these sounds are used less often or do not exist at all.
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According to the results of the study, it is determined that the phonological differences
between Turkic languages are associated with historical development, contact with other
languages, migration processes, and dialectal changes. The article serves to determine the degree
of phonetic similarity of Turkic languages through a comparative-linguistic analysis of
phonological systems.
The article serves as a useful theoretical and practical resource for linguists, philologists,
and researchers involved in phonology. It can also serve as a basis for determining the uniqueness
of the phonological system of the Uzbek language.
Keywords.
Phonology, Turkic languages, Uzbek language, phonemes, stress, vowels,
consonants, comparative analysis, phonological system, phonetic differences.
INTRODUCTION
Turkic languages have common historical roots, and their phonological systems
contain both commonality and uniqueness. The Uzbek language also belongs to the Turkic
language family, which is distinguished by its rich phonetic system. This article is aimed at
analyzing this phonological system in comparison with other close Turkic languages.
Today, phonological analysis plays an important role not only in determining the phoneme
system, but also in studying the genealogical relationships between languages. Also, phonology
forms the necessary skills for both students studying the language and translators. Therefore, a
comparison of phonological systems helps to determine the place of the Uzbek language in the
general Turkic context.
The study of similarities and differences between the phonological system formed in
Uzbekistan and the phonetic systems of other Turkic languages — Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen,
Turkish — was chosen as the subject of the research. This analysis is useful not only theoretically,
but also practically.
The relevance of the article is that comparisons between phonological systems can help to
understand phonetic evolution and provide a basis for modern linguistic research. In addition,
cross-linguistic phonetic influence and assimilation processes are also identified.
LITERATURE ANALYSIS AND METHODOLOGY
The works of famous linguists in phonology A.N. Kononov, B. Yakubov, M.
Ko'pbergenov and A. Berta provide extensive information on the phonetics of Turkic languages.
In their research, the number of phonemes, the stress system and sound changes were separately
analyzed. In particular, Kononov's work "Grammar of the Modern Uzbek Language" is an
important source for the comparative analysis of phonological systems.
The works created by B. Yakubov and other Uzbek linguists on the phonology of the Uzbek
language deeply studied the phonetic and phonological characteristics of phonemes. Such
literature serves as the main theoretical source for the analysis of phonological systems.
Also, the works written by foreign researchers on the Turkmen, Kazakh and Turkish
languages (for example, Geoffrey Lewis, Lars Johanson) are of great importance for comparative
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phonology. Their works were used in the analysis of phonemic systems and their historical
development.
Many literatures cover the general Turkic roots of phonological systems, but some do not
sufficiently reflect modern phonetic processes. Therefore, this article pays special attention to the
modern phonological situation and dialectal differences.
The method of comparative linguistic analysis was chosen as the main method in the
article. Through this method, the similarities and differences between the phonological systems of
the Uzbek language and other Turkic languages are determined. In particular, the system of
phonemes, stress and phonological processes (assimilation, dissimilation) were analyzed.
The number and composition of phonemes were compared for each language by compiling
a phonological table. For example, the 6-vowel system of the Uzbek language was compared with
the 8-vowel system of the Turkish language. Also, the laws of stress (for example, stress on the
last syllable) were studied comparatively.
The research also used methods of historical phonology. Through this, an attempt was
made to identify the historical causes and modern manifestations of phonetic changes. For
example, the connection between phonemes in the ancient Turkic language and those in modern
languages was shown. The analysis covered not only the literary language, but also the phonetic
features of some dialects and dialects. This helped to further reveal the diversity of phonological
systems in the Turkic languages.
RESULTS
The results of the study showed that the phonological system of the Uzbek language has
many similarities with other Turkic languages. In particular, agglutinativity, some structural
aspects of phonemes, and the stress system are similar. In particular, some phonemes in the vowel
and consonant systems are found in all Turkic languages.
However, some features of the Uzbek language distinguish it from other Turkic languages.
For example, the presence of phonemes such as "o‘", "g‘", the lack of soft-bright sounds in the
consonant system, and the freedom in the stress system are characteristic of this language.
In the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Turkmen languages, some phonemes are replaced by other
sounds or completely absent. For example, the sound "g‘" does not exist in Turkish, which causes
differences in the phonological system.
The analysis also showed that differences between phonological systems are often the
result of historical development, phonetic changes, and contact with other languages. This clarified
the phonology of the Uzbek language, which is based on general Turkic phonological foundations
but has a separate path of development.
Table 1. Comparative analysis of the phonological system of the Uzbek language
and other Turkic languages
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Langua
ge
Numb
er of vowel
phonemes
Numb
er of
consonant
phonemes
Stres
s placement
Uniq
ue sounds
Phonologi
cal processes
(with examples)
Uzbek
6 (a, e,
i, o, u, ö)
23
Free,
lexical
meaning
distinguishes
g‘, o‘,
q
Assimilati
on (book + lar →
books)
Kazakh
9 (a, ä,
e, i, o, ö, u, ü,
ı)
25
Mainl
y on the last
syllable
ŋ, ɣ,
w
Assimilati
on (tiz + gin →
tizgin)
Kyrgyz
8
24
Mainl
y on the last
syllable
ŋ, k’,
ɯ
Reduction,
elision (al + berta
→ alberta)
Turkme
n
9
26
On
the last
syllable
ʁ, ɕ, θ
Assimilati
on (gül + ler →
güller)
Turkish
8
22
Alwa
ys on the last
syllable
ğ, ç, ş
Hatificatio
n (kitap + ım →
kitabım)
1.
In terms of the number of vowel phonemes, while most Turkic languages have 8–9
vowels, Uzbek has 6 main vowels, and their phonetic realization is wide. This means that some
vowels have several phonetic forms.
2.
While there are around 23 consonant phonemes in Uzbek, this number is relatively
higher in Turkmen and Kazakh. In Kazakh, soft-palatal and lingual back sounds are used more
often (such as ŋ, ɣ).
3.
The stress system in Uzbek, unlike other languages, is free and has a lexical meaning-
separating significance. In Turkish, the stress always falls on the last syllable, which distinguishes
them.
4.
The column of specific phonemes shows sounds that are specific to each language and
are rarely or not found in other languages. For example, the phonemes г‘, о‘, ү in Uzbek are not
found in Kazakh and Turkish.
5.
The Phonological Processes column provides examples of phonetic changes specific to
each language. It shows phonological phenomena such as assimilation, elision, reduction, and
hafification.
CONCLUSION
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The phonological system of the Uzbek language is based on general Turkic phonetic
features, but as a result of independent development, it has formed its own specific features. The
number and quality of phonemes, the stress system, and phonological processes play an important
role in this system.
By comparing the phonological systems of Turkic languages, a more accurate linguistic
portrait of the Uzbek language is drawn. This is of great importance in language learning, teaching,
and translation activities. In addition, this study can also be an important basis for genealogical
classification.
Although the studied languages are phonologically similar, each has its own historical and
dialectal development. Therefore, in the future, special attention should be paid to the historical
analysis of the phonological system of each Turkic language.
The article clarifies the current phonetic state of the Uzbek language through a comparative
analysis of phonological systems and serves to determine its place among other Turkic languages.
The results will serve as an impetus for in-depth research in linguistics.
REFERENCES
1.
Kononov A.N. Grammar of the modern Uzbek language. Moscow, 1960.
2.
Yakubov B. Fundamentals of phonology. Tashkent: O'qituv, 1992.
3.
Johanson L. The Turkic Languages. London: Routledge, 1998.
4.
Lewis G. Turkish Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
5.
Ko'pbergenov M. Phonetics of the Uzbek language. Nukus, 1987.
6.
Berta A. Kazakh Phonology. In: Turkic Languages, 2002.
