Qutbiddin Mukhtori: Simple spelling rules won't make people literate.

The capital should be the center for the development of literary language.

On July 22, 1989, the first Law on the Tajik Language was adopted in the history of Tajikistan, recognizing Tajik as the official language of the country. Until a few years ago, this day was celebrated as the Day of the Tajik Language, but later the celebration was moved to October 5.

In any case, although the date of the celebration was changed, the historical significance remains the same. As Martin Heidegger said, language is the “house of being” in which we live. Therefore, regardless of the specific day or celebration, it is never too much to talk about the beauty of our “house of being” and strive for its further improvement. With this goal in mind, we decided to have an interview with Qutbiddin Mukhtori, Doctor of Philology and Professor at the National University of Tajikistan, which coincides with the anniversary of the adoption of the first Law on the Tajik Language in 1989.

"Oiina": Esteemed Professor, I would like to start our conversation by recalling one of your articles. The article, titled "Let's Debate!", was published in "Omūzgor." I would like to ask what the result of your call for debate was and whether the issues you raised were resolved?

Qutbiddin Mukhtori: Yes, that debate was primarily about the spelling of the vowel “ӯ,” if that's what you’re referring to, and it remains as it was. The discussion was about some people nearly denying the existence of this vowel in the Tajik language, but in the new spelling rules, this issue took on a different hue, which, in my opinion, is much better than before.

"Oiina": In the last decade, Tajikistan has twice adopted new spelling rules. The most recent rules have sparked considerable debate on social media. What is your opinion on this?

Qutbiddin Mukhtori: Essentially, as long as we are using the Cyrillic alphabet, we should have stuck to the spelling rules established during the Soviet era. Our primary focus should have been elsewhere, such as strengthening the teaching of the script of our ancestors, engaging the youth, and encouraging young parents to read more. That would have been more beneficial.

The fact that the issue of Tajik spelling has sparked debate on social media indicates that there are many competent individuals outside of the Committee on Language and Terminology and the working group on Tajik spelling. However, among them, the most problematic are those who insist on adhering to the Arabic spelling and pronunciation of borrowed Arabic words.

"Oiina": The latest spelling rules raise several issues that I would like to discuss separately. One of these issues is the removal of the letter “ӣ” from borrowed nouns. For example, “taksi” instead of “taksӣ,” “Tbilisi” instead of “Tbilisӣ” (Tiflis), and “Sochi” instead of “Sochӣ” are examples given in the spelling rules. While other nations adapt borrowed words to their own phonetic systems, how can we disregard our linguistic characteristics and write words in their original form? Isn’t failing to adapt borrowed words to the Tajik phonetic system a violation of the rights of the nation?

Qutbiddin Mukhtori: Yes, every language has its own phonetic system, and every word borrowed into the language is adapted to the phonetic system of the native speakers. For instance, in Tajik, two consonants do not occur together at the beginning of words, so people used to say “istakon” and “ustol” instead of the Russian “stakan” and “stol.” However, under the influence of the Cyrillic script, these words are now pronounced closer to their original forms by urban residents and the educated.

Similarly, demanding that “ид” be written as “ъид” and “муаллим” as “муъаллим” is incorrect, and in no other language is spelling based on the original language. For example, in Arabic, “gul” is written and pronounced as “jul,” and Persian loanwords are pluralized according to Arabic rules. Even Latin words, which have all their phonemes in Arabic, are pronounced according to Arabic phonetic rules: “kolba” becomes “qalab,” “mechanika” becomes “manjaniq.” There are many such examples. No Russian, Arab, Turk, or scholar from any other nation imposes such conditions. In Kazakh and Kyrgyz, there are many Tajik and Arabic words that differ significantly in pronunciation from their original forms.

"Oiina": Another issue is the use of the Arabic article “al.” According to the current spelling rules, it is written in two ways: either hyphenated from the noun or joined to it. What is your take on this?

Qutbiddin Mukhtori: Various principles are used in spelling, including principles of differentiation in writing, principles of writing words together, separately, or with a hyphen (there are other principles as well). The spelling of Arabic words with the article "al" follows these principles. I believe that since there are many borrowed words in Tajik from Arabic and other languages, we inevitably encounter difficulties in spelling them. On the other hand, it is very difficult to fit all words into specific rules because we have changed the Tajik script several times, and the practice of writing foreign words in the Cyrillic script is new to us. If the compilers of the new spelling rules had chosen one principle for writing these words, it would have been easier. However, we cannot say that choosing two ways of writing is wrong. Such an approach is also observed in the spelling rules of other languages.

"Oiina": Another issue with the current spelling is the letter “ӯ.” In the recent reforms, “ӯ” was removed from Arabic loanwords but remained in native and Turkic words. What is the reason for this change?

Qutbiddin Mukhtori: In Arabic, this vowel does not exist; it was introduced into the Tajik spelling rules during the Soviet era (1978) due to its representation as a long “u” (vav) in writing and its pronunciation as “ӯ” in some dialects of the Tajik language. The 2011 spelling rules contained the most problematic rules regarding this and other vowels. The 2021 spelling rules have brought more order in this regard.

"Oiina": Are you satisfied with the rule for the letter “ӯ” in the current spelling?

Qutbiddin Mukhtori: I am satisfied with the spelling of the vowel “ӯ.” Why? It now has a defined order. Simple spelling rules do not make people literate quickly; even if the rules are complex, they should have logic. The more complex they are, the more they contribute to the development of thinking. They should provide specific answers to questions like why it is done this way in one place and not another. Another question arises: how can ordinary native speakers distinguish between native and borrowed words? They learn this in school, memorize some words, and in the future, when necessary, refer to spelling dictionaries, which should be compiled.

"Oiina": There have also been suggestions that the use of the letters “у” and “ӯ” should be aligned with how these letters are written in the Persian script. That is, where “vav” is written in Persian, we would write “ӯ,” and where “vav” is not written, it would be expressed as “у” in Cyrillic. Could such a change eliminate the complexity of using these two letters in the Tajik language?

Qutbiddin Mukhtori: Since this alphabet has no connection with the Arabic-based Persian script, basing spelling rules on that alphabet using the Cyrillic script would lead to complications.

"Oiina": In general, some believe that until we switch to the Persian script, the spelling issues in the Tajik language will not be resolved. Is it really impossible to have flawless spelling with the Cyrillic script? If there is a solution to all the mistakes, what is it?

Qutbiddin Mukhtori: The problems with Cyrillic spelling are not strongly connected to the Arabic-based script. Switching from one script to another is not the solution to the issues with spelling rules. If we want an original script, we should refine and adopt the Middle Persian or Sogdian script. This would only be possible if all Persian-speaking people worldwide shared this view.

"Oiina": We see that borrowed words mostly enter the Tajik language through Russian. For example, the words “skinfhead” (originally English “skinhead”) or “second-hand” are not Russian, but because they entered the language through Russian, and since Russian lacks the letter “ҳ,” they have become common in this form. Therefore, I want to ask: is there a way to protect our language from the influence of Russian?

Qutbiddin Mukhtori: In essence, the influence of languages on each other is not a negative phenomenon. It is a sign of cultural exchange. However, the influx of barbarisms (foreign words) and vulgarisms (coarse, slang expressions) is concerning. The language is enriched and beautified by cultured and educated speakers, while uneducated and uncultured speakers make it streetwise and rough. As the late Professor Rahimi Musulmoniyon said, Tajiks didn’t even swear in their native language, but used words and expressions from foreign languages. The capital should be the center of literary language development, and in educational institutions and official workplaces, officials should be trained to conduct meetings in literary language.

"Oiina": My last question is: when will this problem be resolved? Or are such debates endless, and do other languages also face similar issues?

Qutbiddin Mukhtori: Let’s be content with the spelling rules we’ve adopted, teach them, follow them, and focus on improving the quality of education and upbringing so that they become more effective.

"Oiina": Thank you.