“Mr. President Ilham Aliyev, in his speech at the 80th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), delivered very important messages regarding the protection of our native language. He spoke about the importance of protecting our language from foreign influences and keeping it pure. The fact that such a message was delivered directly by the head of state is clear evidence of how important and relevant this issue is. It is very gratifying that such an important matter related to our native language and national identity was brought to the attention of the public from such a high and respected platform, from the highest tribune. I would like to express my thoughts, considerations, and suggestions on this topic,” wrote Tale Heydarov, founder of the European Azerbaijan School, “TEAS PRESS” Publishing House, and “Libraff” bookstores, on his social media account, APA reports.
Tale Heydarov stated that the fact that the problem was raised by the President is by no means accidental: “Because the fact that this issue has been waiting for a solution for years, and has not been sufficiently discussed by the relevant institutions and individuals, still remains a major problem. What is regrettable is that this topic is not being presented and explained to society at the necessary level. This stems either from our indifferent attitude toward the issue in question or from our failure to realize to what extent our language has changed — more precisely, has been exposed to foreign influences and corrupted.”
Of course, the world is changing rapidly, and as scientific and technological progress continues, new terms, concepts, and words emerge. They originate in another language and soon become commonly used words around the world, gradually being easily accepted and understood by everyone. Other nations also have to adopt them into their own language family. We are no exception. In this sense, the adoption of new foreign words to replace those that do not exist in our language is by no means a fau< on the contrary, it is a factor that enriches our language and, in most cases, simply inevitable. Most of the world’s languages have gone through this experience. Since there was no need to assign national names to new technological inventions and products such as television, telephone, internet, computer, and others like them, we, like most nations, have added these words to our daily spoken language and vocabulary; and that is normal. Because language, which philosophy calls the “territory of national-cultural thought,” is a living organism. It must constantly develop, become richer, and expand through new and borrowed words so that this “territory of thought” also grows. Of course, this process must inevitably take place in our country as it does in others, but we emphasize that it should not happen at the expense of “draining the national energy” of our mother tongue or “damaging its ecology”!
Tale Heydarov also drew attention to the issues that cause concern.
“What is the main issue that causes concern here? The main problem is that, although our language is quite rich in terms of vocabulary and means of expression, we unnecessarily use borrowed or foreign words. If there are words that have been used in our language for centuries, what is the need for their equivalents from other languages to enter ours? This creates a threat to the purity of our mother tongue and, consequently, to our national identity. The President specifically drew attention to this important point. As our Head of State very rightly stated, ‘if there is an original word in the Azerbaijani language, what is the purpose of bringing in a word from another language to replace it?!’”
Unfortunately, such mistakes are very often made on our television channels, radio broadcasts, in the written media, on social networks, and in everyday speech. There are several reasons for all this. One reason is that our people watch foreign television channels and their programs and series. The continuation of this process for years results in people incorporating the words they hear every day there into their daily spoken language. The worst part is that the use of such words becomes normalized. Many people even think that this is how it should be, that this is the correct way. I believe that if local television and radio channels improve the quality of their programs — and in my opinion, the situation in this area has been improving in recent years — it will be possible to bring back most viewers to the local television and radio space. However, we have not yet reached that level. I think comprehensive measures need to be taken in this regard. Considering that there has been no serious intervention in this problem by local journalists and other relevant institutions, it is not difficult to understand why the situation has reached this point.
Another issue needs to be addressed: it is not appropriate to allow individuals who cannot speak literary Azerbaijani to appear on television and other broadcast platforms. Everyone who appears on screen or on air must show respect for both our language and our culture. People, especially the younger generation, learn by seeing and hearing, which is why it is important for speeches and presentations on air to be delivered in pure literary language. The more our literary language is used on air, the more people will comfortably accept it and make greater use of it in daily life. My suggestion is this: media organizations should pay serious attention to removing foreign words from our language and promoting this effort. At the same time, appropriate measures should be taken within the framework of the law against institutions that do not comply with these standards. Language is the passport of a nation. No one can treat it as they wish!” he emphasized.
Tale Heydərov stated that at the root of this situation is also the sometimes indifferent attitude of our society and ordinary citizens toward their native language: “Parents send their children to schools that provide education in various languages. There is nothing wrong with this. These schools sometimes offer better education and create opportunities for our youth to study at more prestigious universities abroad. However, in these schools, the Azerbaijani language is sometimes not taught at the desired level, and there are even schools where our language is not taught at all. This is the greatest disrespect to our language and, of course, a major flaw. Neither the relevant authorities nor parents should remain indifferent to this.
On the other hand, there is open disrespect for the Azerbaijani language in certain public places. In some companies, as well as in cafes and restaurants, communication with visitors and customers is conducted in another language. In many restaurants, there is sometimes not even a menu in Azerbaijani. What is regrettable is that such establishments often belong to businesspeople representing other countries, whereas in their countries, we would never even consider showing such disrespect for their native language. Are you representing your national cuisine in my country? Very well, you are welcome. But you must learn my language, just as I speak in your language when I am in your country. The reason these situations occur is that we do not demand this from them, nor from ourselves. In the city center, we often encounter advertising and announcement boards with business and establishment names written in foreign languages. Unfortunately, all these cases are neither legally punished nor publicly condemned, even though there are responsible authorities.
It seems that serious awareness-raising efforts in this area are now a necessity. Otherwise, we will lose a lot; if we leave these processes to their own course, we will endanger our language and, more broadly, our national identity. Experience shows that any problem, if not resolved, only grows. We hope that His Excellency the President’s important statement will both awaken us as a society and provide impetus for decisive steps to protect our language. The European Azerbaijan School and TEAS Press Publishing House will continue to contribute to this collective effort.”
