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A GENETIC DESCRIPTION OF UZBEK LITERARY PSEUDONYMS
Khaytboyeva Mukhlisa,
Urganch State University
Faculty of Philology and Arts, 3rd year student
Annotation:
This article classifies Uzbek literary pseudonyms by their genetic origin, examining
native Turkic, Farsi-Tajik, and Arabic lexical layers. It highlights how historical language
interactions shaped the diverse etymology of these pseudonyms.
Keywords:
Uzbek language, pseudonyms, onomastics, etymology, lexical layers.
The continuous enrichment of the Uzbek language’s lexicon with new lexical combinations
necessitates in-depth scientific research in linguistics, particularly in lexicology and onomastics.
Investigating the linguistic features of Uzbek literary pseudonyms and identifying their lexical
layers helps clarify many issues.
The word “taxallus” (pseudonym) is originally Arabic, meaning “to be saved” or “salvation”
[1.33]. It is also explained as “giving oneself a second name other than one’s real name in
poetry” [2.601]. “Taxallus - a symbolic name, a pseudonym”[3.201].
Every creator relies on the possibilities of their native language when choosing a pseudonym.
Pseudonyms are formed from existing words in the language. However, the lexical richness of no
language consists only of its own words. Tribes, ethnic groups, and peoples who have lived as
neighbors in a particular region for a long time have interacted with each other in various ways.
Political-economic, cultural-educational, religious-ethnic ties have also influenced the languages
of these peoples. The entry and assimilation of words and proper nouns from one language into
another have been common occurrences.
When examining the lexical composition of a language from a historical-etymological point of
view, first, historically and genetically, pseudonyms belonging to the Uzbek language itself are
identified. Such words are Turkic names that have existed in the Uzbek language since ancient
times. These words form the ancient layer constituting the main basis of the Uzbek language's
lexicon. Subsequently, elements of other, i.e., foreign languages are sought in the lexical
composition based on which languages the Uzbek language has historically been in contact with.
From this point of view, for example, it is lawful to search for ancient Uighur, Sogdian, Chinese,
Arabic, Mongolian, Persian language elements, and other language elements in the lexical
composition of the Uzbek language. These languages influenced the lexical composition of the
Uzbek language at different times, to varying degrees, and in various ways. Accordingly, the
number of words that have entered the Uzbek language also varies[4.56].
The population living in Central Asia has a long and ancient history. Their languages have also
undergone a complex development process. The languages of the Turkic tribes and clans here
have been in contact with Iranian languages that have lived in these regions since ancient times.
The Arabic language influenced the Uzbek language not only as the language of Islam but also
as the language of science, the language of official-administrative style, and the language of
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artistic literature. The borrowing of words from Arabic was particularly strong during the Uzbek-
Arabic bilingualism period (7th-9th centuries) [5.111]. Thus, socio-political processes that
occurred in the history of the people left their traces in its language, including in pseudonyms.
When analyzing Uzbek onomastic units, particularly the system of pseudonyms, we fully feel the
trace of these historical processes. The historical-etymological foundations of onomastic units,
especially the vast majority of pseudonyms, are related to the Arabic language. Arabic elements,
although not reflected to this extent at the toponymic level, formed and shaped a specific
onomastic system in the emergence of personal names and pseudonyms. Interestingly, this
system is still actively used today.
Another part of proper nouns is characteristic of Iranian languages. This includes the roots of the
ancient Khorezmian language, which has been recognized as a substratum layer, which can also
be found in the onomastic system.
In addition, there is a group of names characteristic of other non-related languages that lead us to
the era of Alexander the Great, ancient Chinese sources, and materials of Indian folk oral
tradition.
The process of choosing a permanent pseudonym is a process that involves research and
hesitation, and its selection is directly dependent on several factors (symbolic, profession,
birthplace, character traits, etc.).
When choosing a pseudonym, wordsmiths mainly paid attention to it being broad and
polysemous, and not previously used by others. However, the absence of press and publishing
did not allow for systematizing and coordinating this work. Therefore, many writers created
under the same pseudonym without being aware of each other.
All words in a language constitute its lexical richness. The lexical richness of a language
increases through two sources - internal and external sources. Word formation through the
internal possibilities of the language (by adding affixes and compounding words) and borrowing
words from dialects are considered internal sources, while borrowing words from other
languages is considered an external source. As a result of borrowing words from other languages,
a native layer and an assimilated layer are distinguished. Uzbek, Turkic words are referred to as
the native layer, and words borrowed from other languages are referred to as the assimilated
layer.
Uzbek literary pseudonyms can be divided into the following lexical layers:
I. Pseudonyms belonging to the native layer.
The native layer includes words belonging to the
Uzbek language, as well as words common to Turkic languages. There are quite a few words
common to Turkic languages in the lexical composition of the Uzbek language. Words that are
directly native to the Uzbek language consist of words formed on the basis of the internal
possibilities of the language. In this, three situations are observed:
1.Pseudonyms formed from original Uzbek words using affixes (suffixes) in that language: such
as
Elbek, Oybek.
2.Words formed as a result of adding Uzbek affixes to words borrowed from other languages are
considered Uzbek: such as
Durbek, Julqunboy Xurshidiy, Kamiy.
3.Words formed as a result of adding an assimilated affix to a word borrowed from another
language are considered Uzbek: such as
Navoiy, Lutfiy, Muqimiy.
Pseudonyms belonging to the native layer can also be identified by knowing that they do not
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have the following characteristics:
1) Pseudonyms beginning with the sounds v,z,l,g are not Uzbek: such as
Lutfiy, Zavqiy, Vosifiy,
Gulkhaniy.
2) Pseudonyms containing f, h, ’ are not considered Uzbek: such as
Foniy, Ahmadiy.
3) In Uzbek pseudonyms, vowels do not come side by side: such as
Foiz Buxoriy.
4) In the root of Uzbek (Turkic) pseudonyms, consonants do not come side by side: such as
Qutb,
Fazliy, Charxiy.
The native layer of pseudonyms also includes names that arose as a result of the historical
development of the Uzbek language, along with being common to most Turkic languages.
General Turkic pseudonyms trace their origins back to ancient times. Such pseudonyms can be
observed in use from ancient sources like Orkhon-Yenisei inscriptions, “Devonu Lug‘otit Turk”,
“Kutadgu Bilig”, “Qissasi Rabg‘uziy” up to works belonging to the modern literary language.
Pseudonyms such as
Oybek, Cho‘lpon, Elbek, Yashin, Uyg‘un, Turdi
belong to the Turkic layer.
The roots of pseudonyms belonging to the native layer in the Uzbek language are mainly
disyllabic, partly mono- and trisyllabic, and words with four or more syllables are very rare.
The consecutive occurrence of two consonants within a monosyllable is not characteristic of
Turkic languages, including Uzbek.
In ancient Turkic (at the initial stage of the Uzbek language’s development), word-forming
suffixes were more numerous and varied than they are today. Many words that are divided into
meaningful parts today were formed during the ancient Turkic period.
II. Pseudonyms named based on words borrowed from the Farsi-Tajik language.
Farsi-Tajik words have been present in the lexicon of the Uzbek language since ancient times.
Words beginning with the consonants ch, l, g, z are mainly considered Farsi-Tajik: such as
Charxiy, Xurshid, Kamiy, Barno, Devoniy, Gulkhaniy.
III. Pseudonyms formed based on words borrowed from the Arabic language.
The Arab conquest of Central Asia (8th century) led to the influx of many Arabic words into the
languages of Central Asian peoples, and they took firm root in the lexicon of the local languages.
The majority of pseudonyms in the Uzbek language consist of words borrowed from Arabic.
This can be explained by factors such as our homeland being under Arab rule for some time, and
consequently, Arabic being the language of science in the Middle Ages. Words borrowed from
Arabic served as the basis for the emergence of pseudonyms in our language such as
Navoiy,
Muqimiy, Nodira, Bobur, Fitrat, Bayoniy, Munis, Sakokiy, Tabibiy, Uvaysiy.
By studying the historical-etymological aspects of Uzbek language pseudonyms, the following
conclusions can be drawn on this issue:
Currently, in the Uzbek literary language, pseudonyms belonging to the native layer, as well as
pseudonyms belonging to the assimilated layer, are actively used, and they are distinguished by
their lexical-semantic and stylistic features.
In general, the study of the lexical layers of pseudonyms serves to determine their etymology and
allows for establishing mutual relations between languages. Etymological observations and ideas
related to the etymology of Turkic languages are of great importance in clarifying the nature of a
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particular language, including the Uzbek language.
References:
1. A Concise Dictionary for Uzbek Classical Literature. Compiled by P. Shamsiev, S. Ibrohimov.
- Tashkent: UzFA, 1953.
2. Dictionary of Navoiy’s Works. Compiled by P. Shamsiev, S. Ibrohimov. - Tashkent: Adabiyot
va San’at, 1972.
3. Explanatory Dictionary of the Language of Alisher Navoiy’s Works. III. - Tashkent: Fan,
1984.
4. Uzbek Language Lexicology. -T., Fan, 1981.
5. Begmatov E. Lexical Layers of the Modern Uzbek Literary Language. -Tashkent, 1985.
