Given the data I have gathered and the interviews I have conducted regarding the development of English in Uzbekistan, I have gained the insight that Uzbekistan is in a period of linguistic development that is relatively new. As the Uzbek language and identity were not fully identified until the Soviet era, the domination of the USSR moved the country into its first true linguistic period, in which the Uzbek language was refined and standardized and Russian became the lingua franca for the various ethnic groups of the region, as well as the language that bound Uzbekistan to the rest of the Soviet Union.
The fall of the Soviet Union has lead to the most important linguistic developments in Uzbekistan since its incorporation into the country in the earlier part of the century. Since the dissolution of the strict communist society that actively played a part in regulating language, the new country of Uzbekistan sought to integrate itself more into the developed world, pushing new languages such as Spanish, German, and most importantly, English.
English quickly became an important language in the country, and from what I have gathered from the interviews and data I have collected, it will only become more important. Although Russian is still widely spoken as a second language, I believe that Uzbekistan's desire to modernize will push English to a position of competition with Russian. The Russian language has already provided the impetus for the development of Uzbek English as it has contributed many of the linguistic processes that generate this type of English; however, I believe that due to the relative newness of the country and the recent memory of the USSR, Russian will continue to play more significant role than English.
I would like to thank Margarita Danielyants, Erkin Mukhammedov, and David L. Chiesa for their participation in my interviews, their unique experiences with regards to Uzbekistan and Uzbek English provided insight that was integral to the development of this project.
The fall of the Soviet Union has lead to the most important linguistic developments in Uzbekistan since its incorporation into the country in the earlier part of the century. Since the dissolution of the strict communist society that actively played a part in regulating language, the new country of Uzbekistan sought to integrate itself more into the developed world, pushing new languages such as Spanish, German, and most importantly, English.
English quickly became an important language in the country, and from what I have gathered from the interviews and data I have collected, it will only become more important. Although Russian is still widely spoken as a second language, I believe that Uzbekistan's desire to modernize will push English to a position of competition with Russian. The Russian language has already provided the impetus for the development of Uzbek English as it has contributed many of the linguistic processes that generate this type of English; however, I believe that due to the relative newness of the country and the recent memory of the USSR, Russian will continue to play more significant role than English.
I would like to thank Margarita Danielyants, Erkin Mukhammedov, and David L. Chiesa for their participation in my interviews, their unique experiences with regards to Uzbekistan and Uzbek English provided insight that was integral to the development of this project.