Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The UN will celebrate World Turkic Languages Day for the first time Culture and education
On December 15, the international community will celebrate the World Day of Turkic Languages for the first time. The corresponding decision was made at the UNESCO General Conference held in Samarkand in November. The organization considers this an important step towards recognizing linguistic diversity that enriches the common human heritage.
The choice of date is symbolic and has deep meaning. On December 15, 1983, Danish linguist Wilhelm Thomsen announced the successful deciphering of the alphabet of the Orkhon Inscriptions, one of the oldest known written sources. The inscriptions were created by the ancient Turks in the 8th century AD in the Orkhon Valley, in what is now Mongolia, and discovered in 1889.
Thomsen’s achievement provided invaluable insight into a linguistic tradition that today links dozens of communities across Eurasia.
Language family distributed on different continents
UNESCO emphasizes that languages belonging to the Turkic language family, such as Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, Turkmen and Uzbek, among others, are the mother tongues of more than 200 million people in an area of approximately 12 million square kilometers.
Rich documentary heritage in Turkic languages, as well as vibrant oral traditions are shared by more than 10 states.
Promotion of multilingualism and cultural dialogue
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan took the initiative to celebrate the World Day. It was supported by 21 countries.
By declaring December 15 as World Day of Turkic Languages, UNESCO emphasizes the importance of linguistic cooperation, cultural rapprochement and dialogue between civilizations.
The initiative is designed to strengthen international cooperation in the field of linguistic research, education and cultural exchange. UNESCO notes that this day will promote large-scale scientific research and the development of global dialogue aimed at preserving the Turkic languages. pm.
World Day of Turkic Languages is an important step towards recognizing the linguistic diversity that enriches our common human heritage.