{"id":97416,"date":"2026-04-03T23:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T20:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/?p=97416"},"modified":"2026-06-11T23:17:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T20:17:03","slug":"the-idea-of-transition-to-the-latin-based-alphabet-in-the-light-of-the-book-the-first-turkological-congress-of-1926-in-historical-context-archival-documents-and-the-national-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/the-idea-of-transition-to-the-latin-based-alphabet-in-the-light-of-the-book-the-first-turkological-congress-of-1926-in-historical-context-archival-documents-and-the-national-press\/","title":{"rendered":"The Idea of Transition to the Latin-Based Alphabet in the Light of the Book \u201cThe First Turkological Congress of 1926: in Historical Context, Archival Documents and the National Press\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The First Turkological Congress, which occupies a special place in the scientific and cultural history of the Turkic world, was not merely a scientific meeting, but the beginning of an entire ideological, cultural and spiritual awakening movement. This magnificent congress, held in Baku in 1926, went down in history as a great intellectual platform where Turkic peoples united around the ideas of a common language, common alphabet, common history and common future. From this point of view, Professor Nadir Mammadli\u2019s work <em>\u201cThe First Turkological Congress of 1926: in Historical Context, Archival Documents and the National Press\u201d<\/em> is not only a historical study, but also a fundamental scholarly source that reflects the political, scientific and cultural landscape of that period in all its fullness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As one reads this book, it becomes clear that the First Turkological Congress was not simply an event that discussed the issue of alphabet change. The congress was a major intellectual assembly that sought to determine the future destiny of Turkic peoples. Issues such as alphabet, orthography, terminology, phonetics, dialectology, etymology, literary language, folklore, education, methodology, history and cultural integration were discussed there within a unified system. In fact, the congress was the first pan-Turkic academic platform that brought together all areas of Turkological science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The main ideological line of the congress was the cultural modernization and scientific integration of Turkic peoples. One of the principal tools of this modernization was considered to be the transition to a Latin-based alphabet. The author writes that \u201cthe issue of changing the alphabet can, in fact, be regarded as the beginning of a large-scale political process\u201d (p. 231). This idea reveals a very important point, because the matter was not merely about changing letters. It concerned the renewal of the thinking system of Turkic peoples, the establishment of a new model of enlightenment and integration with the modern world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each of the scholars who participated in the congress played an important role in shaping this idea. For example, Professor Bekir Chobanzade, speaking on the common features of Turkic languages and issues of comparative linguistics, scientifically substantiated that Turkic languages were connected to common genetic foundations. He showed that the Latin script was more suitable for the phonetic system of Turkic languages. Chobanzade\u2019s speeches aroused great interest among the congress participants. His works such as <em>Introduction to Turkic-Tatar Linguistics<\/em>, <em>Scientific Grammar<\/em> and <em>Turkish Grammar<\/em> are considered fundamental sources of Turkological science. The long discussions held after his speeches during the congress demonstrated the great scientific authority he possessed at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Kazakh representative Ahmad Baitursynov addressed issues of alphabet reform and national enlightenment. He believed that national progress was impossible without education in the mother tongue and a modern alphabet system. Baitursynov\u2019s works such as <em>Til-Qural<\/em>, <em>Alphabet<\/em> and <em>Adebiyat Tanytqys<\/em> occupy an important place not only in Kazakh linguistics, but also in the history of pan-Turkic enlightenment. It is noted in the memoirs of congress participants that Baitursynov spoke very calmly, yet extremely impressively, and his speeches were listened to with special attention in the hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The book provides a broad analysis of the problems created by the Arabic script for Turkic languages. In particular, the incomplete representation of vowel sounds, the discrepancy between writing and pronunciation, and the difficulties that arose in the process of reading and writing were among the main topics discussed by the congress participants. The author notes that \u201cthe lack of sufficient signs in the alphabet did not allow this issue to be solved consistently and completely\u201d (p. 233). For this reason, the congress participants considered the Latin script more suitable for the phonetic system of Turkic languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Orthographic issues were also seriously discussed at the congress. Professor Nadir Mammadli writes in the book that \u201corthography is not merely a set of technical writing rules, but an important system that ensures the functionality of language in social life\u201d (p. 232). This approach shows that the congress participants regarded writing as a means of preserving national identity. The speeches of Lev Vladimirovich Shcherba were especially noteworthy in this regard. He stated that writing should not be based solely on the phonetic principle; etymological principles should also be preserved. Shcherba\u2019s idea that \u201cthe most correct path is to combine phonetic and etymological principles\u201d is one of the main examples demonstrating the high scientific level of the congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most important features of the congress was that it was organized at a high scholarly level. Discussions there were conducted not emotionally or politically, but mainly on the basis of scientific principles. The section of the book entitled \u201cThe Problem of Writing and Orthography\u201d clearly demonstrates this. Professor Nadir Mammadli writes that the congress participants considered orthography not merely as a system of technical rules, but as one of the main pillars of national culture. The author notes: \u201cOrthography is not merely a set of technical writing rules, but an important system that ensures the functionality of language in social life\u201d (p. 232).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This idea shows that the congress participants approached the writing system as a means of preserving national identity. The proper formation of writing meant the formation of a people\u2019s system of thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with orthography, the book also gives special attention to phonetic issues. At the congress, the sound system of Turkic languages, the correspondence of vowels and consonants, vowel harmony and the way phonetic principles should be reflected in writing were widely discussed. The superiority of the phonetic principle was particularly at the center of attention. At the same time, the speeches of Lev Vladimirovich Shcherba also aroused great interest. He noted that it would not be correct to base writing only on the phonetic principle and that etymological features should also be preserved. Shcherba\u2019s view that \u201cthe most correct path is to combine phonetic and etymological principles\u201d is one of the important examples showing the high theoretical and scientific level of the congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue of terminology was also of special importance at the congress. The creation of a common terminological system was considered necessary for the development of science and education among Turkic peoples. It becomes clear from the book that the participants compared scientific terms used in different Turkic languages and supported the idea of creating a common terminological base. The discussions held in this direction had a serious impact on the formation of Turkological terminology in the later period. The speeches of the Uzbek representative Qazi Alim Yunusov were of special interest in this regard. He believed that common terminology was one of the main conditions for scientific integration among Turkic peoples. Yunusov\u2019s works such as <em>Uzbek Terminology<\/em> and <em>Language and Spelling Issues<\/em> are of great scientific importance in this field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor Nadir Mammadli also gives broad coverage in the book to issues of dialectology and dialects. The congress participants compared various dialects of Turkic languages and tried to identify their common and distinctive features. The main purpose here was to determine the common structural foundations of Turkic languages. The author notes that the agglutinative structure of Turkic languages, vowel harmony and the root-suffix system were important linguistic facts proving their connection to common genetic foundations. The book states: \u201cIn Turkic languages, the root and suffix remain unchanged in all cases\u201d (p. 234).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This idea formed the scientific basis for the concept of a common alphabet and a common writing system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the important directions of the congress was the issue of folklore and literature. The Turkish scholar Mehmet Fuat K\u00f6pr\u00fcl\u00fc spoke about the common literary heritage of Turkic peoples and emphasized the important role of folklore in preserving national memory. His works <em>The First Mystics in Turkish Literature<\/em> and <em>History of Turkish Literature<\/em> are considered among the most important sources of Turkological science. The congress materials note that K\u00f6pr\u00fcl\u00fc\u2019s speech was met with applause several times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Azerbaijani representative Salman Mumtaz addressed the issue of preserving the classical literary heritage. He noted that the collection and publication of ancient manuscripts were essential for preserving national memory. Salman Mumtaz\u2019s works such as <em>Sources of Azerbaijani Literature<\/em>, <em>Mirza Shafi Vazeh<\/em> and <em>Azerbaijani Poets<\/em> are important sources of Azerbaijani literary studies. His statement during the congress \u2014 \u201cIf a nation\u2019s book is not lost, the nation itself will not be lost either\u201d \u2014 was received with great applause by the participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Crimean representative Hasan Sabri Ayvazov addressed issues of enlightenment and cultural unity among Turkic peoples. He emphasized that Ismail Bey Gasprinsky\u2019s idea of \u201cUnity in language, thought and action\u201d constituted the main spirit of the congress. Ayvazov believed that a common alphabet would become the main means of spiritual rapprochement among Turkic peoples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">European Orientalists also actively participated in the congress. The German scholar Theodor Menzel spoke about Ottoman Turkish and ancient Turkic texts, noting that the written heritage of Turkic peoples was of great importance for European Oriental studies. Karl M\u00fcller shared his views on the phonetic system of Turkic languages and Altaic languages. The Chuvash scholar Nikolay Ashmarin tried to prove with scientific facts that the Chuvash language preserved ancient Turkic linguistic features. His multi-volume work <em>Dictionary of the Chuvash Language<\/em> occupies an important place in Turkological linguistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the noteworthy directions of the congress was education and enlightenment. The congress participants believed that the new alphabet would first of all create a major turning point in the school and education system. It was thought that the implementation of the new alphabet would help eliminate illiteracy, facilitate the preparation of textbooks and accelerate teaching. For this reason, the alphabet issue was directly linked to the enlightenment movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The book shows that after the congress, the Latinization process acquired a more systematic character. The establishment of the All-Union Central Committee of the New Turkic Alphabet in 1927 showed that this process had entered an organizational stage. This committee, led by Samad Aghamalioglu, carried out important work toward the implementation of the new alphabet in the Turkic republics. The author notes that \u201cthe alphabet committee carried out considerable work and held four plenums in 1927\u20131930 alone\u201d (p. 230). This fact shows that Latinization was not accidental, but a systematic state and scientific program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The work also extensively analyzes the attitude of the national press toward this issue. Newspapers and journals of the period presented the new alphabet as \u201cthe path of enlightenment and progress\u201d. In the Azerbaijani press in particular, the transition to the Latin script was emphasized as an essential condition for national development. In this respect, the book reflects the public thought of the period by relying not only on archival documents, but also on materials from the national press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most important ideological directions of the congress was the desire to create a common cultural space among Turkic peoples. The congress participants believed that a common alphabet would bring Turkic peoples closer to one another and form a unified scientific and literary environment. In this sense, the idea of a Latin-based alphabet was not only a linguistic issue; it was an important component of the idea of Turkic unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, as shown in the book, the Soviet authorities later began to fear this idea. The cultural rapprochement formed among Turkic peoples on the basis of a common script was considered dangerous for the central government. The author notes: \u201cThe mutual understanding formed among Turkic-speaking peoples on the basis of a common script was no longer in line with the interests of the central government\u201d (p. 232).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a result, at the end of the 1930s, the policy of transition to the Cyrillic script was implemented, and one of the greatest projects of the First Turkological Congress remained incomplete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet history has shown that ideas are never completely destroyed. The fact that the issue of a common alphabet has once again come to the agenda in the Turkic world today shows that the ideas of the First Turkological Congress are still alive. There is a strong ideological connection between the Common Turkic Alphabet project presented in 2024 and the New Turkic Alphabet adopted in 1926. This proves that the First Turkological Congress is not only an event of the past, but also continues to live in the integration processes of the modern Turkic world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor Nadir Mammadli\u2019s book once again shows that the First Turkological Congress was the historical mission of great intellectuals who thought about the common future of Turkic peoples. This congress was not merely a scientific meeting, but a manifesto of national memory, common identity and cultural integration. The renewed relevance of issues such as a common alphabet, common terminology and common cultural space in today\u2019s Turkic world shows that the great idea that began in Baku in 1926 continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From this perspective, the First Turkological Congress should be regarded not only as a congress of the past, but also as a congress of the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Chinara Yolchubeyli<\/strong><br>Lecturer at the Department of Humanities<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The First Turkological Congress, which occupies a special place in the scientific and cultural history of the Turkic world, was not merely a scientific meeting, but the beginning of an entire ideological, cultural and spiritual awakening movement. This magnificent congress, held in Baku in 1926, went down in history as a great intellectual platform where [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":97414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[97414],"footnotes":""},"categories":[115,172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-sdg","post_format-post-format-gallery","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97416"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97417,"href":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97416\/revisions\/97417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdu.edu.az\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}