The Development of the Uzbek Language Resources on the Internet: Globalization and Problems

Today’s world is a digital, an online world. People continue to look to the internet for information, ideas, and topics of interest in different languages. In order to determine the extent of the needs of all languages ​​on the Internet, I turned to a rating of foreign languages, researched online today by Azizova Nasiba, Karshi State University, Lecturer, Department of National ideology, the culture and law. To answer the questions, -What languages ​​ are popular today? And what is their relevance? Is there demand for Uzbek language? - Let's try to take advantage of these "Yandex". Based on N. Azizova’s interviews during the month:

-              850 people are interested in Uzbek language and it occupies 28th place;

-              223 people have been polled with the requirement of the Uzbek language interpreter and it occupies 32th  place;

-              Uzbek language is on the 53rd place among the most common languages.

Thus, a lot of web sites relating to all spheres of public life, as well as translation programs for obtaining information about the culture of the Uzbek people for the people of other nationalities should be on the Internet.

As we can see, the result shown the development of Uzbek language resources on the Internet is critical in today’s world for almost any subject. There is a high degree of requirements of the Uzbek language on the Internet. And this process makes us think more deeply about the development of our language.

Therefore, a website for Uzbek Language development is critical to the success of any such project. Creating a website for instance, "www.learnuzbek.uz" for foreigners, not only has benefits for this audience, but also for our citizens who are not from Uzbek origin.  It is the key to make our language more famous!

The following are developmental areas which will be expanded through time to include much more information. The success of any such project depends upon “reaching” the target audience. Therefore, it has to be informative, interesting and intelligent in its approach. It must have a wide range of topics and skill levels to reach the widest possible audience and to have an impact upon them.

Popular sports and entertainment personalities should be included in any project such as this because of the simple fact that people will be interested in reading what they have to say… They should be given an opportunity to, in their own words, show how language played a role in their development as stars and heroes of the nation. Interviews with them, which can be video taped for maximum effect, would be very effective. A list of questions should be submitted to them in advance so that they feel they have the best opportunity to explain their ideas well. They should be interested in doing this because it will help the nation, and also because it will be good publicity for them. They will be seen as people willing to give of their time for the general good.

Figures in different aspects of Uzbek life like business leaders, cultural icons, governmental officials could list their favorite Uzbek literature and why they like that particular piece of literature and how it shaped their lives…Again, videotaping interviews would be very helpful since many people rely on video rather than written analysis. It is much easier to listen to someone talking about literature, as opposed to reading their views.

And also Akmal Nur, Alisher Alikulov, and other Uzbek painters can be interviewed and express how Uzbek culture and history have played a role in their development as artists. Uzbek artists have developed a series of paintings which visually describe an Uzbekistan culture that has long since disappeared, but still remains strong in the hearts and minds of the people. The Uzbekistan of today is a result of the cultural experiences of the past. These visual scenes can be cross-referenced with written material which will further stimulate the viewer to discover more of the Uzbek world.

There should be a section on the website where viewers can review Uzbek literature. This will facilitate other viewers to know more about what there is in the written world, which would be of interest to them to further explore. This literature section will be of great interest particularly if it is cross-referenced with the sports/entertainment figures reviewing their favorite Uzbek literature. This section should be a multi-faceted area because it will need to be receptive to many different age differences. Children’s literature, for example, would greatly add to the development of the language because if a child’s mind can be engaged at an early age, he/she will continue to expand their knowledge of the Uzbek language, society, and culture.

A forum page should be included in any overall website. Forums on different topics, where viewers can post their views on Uzbek culture, and where other viewers can respond to such posts. The more that the general public is involved in the content of the site, the better it will be received.  Items such as: “Today’s brightest stars of Uzbek entertainment,” or, “Who will win Uzbek’s next medal at the Olympics,” for example would generate interest in a wide range of viewers. The main purpose behind such forums and topics is to capture the imagination of the general public.

There needs to be a method where people can find resources on the net. There are many places on the internet which will deal with Uzbek language that will not be generally known to the people of the nation. Listing these resources and giving people the opportunity to post the places on the internet which deal with language development will greatly add to the general knowledge and interest of the public.

The most essential element in creating such a website is teaching Uzbek language courses online. The language courses can be divided in different level according to the learner’s knowledge on the language. They can be in such order:

Uzbek Courses

Elementary Uzbek I  

Introduction to Uzbek language; development of listening, reading, speaking and writing skills.
The aim of this course is to provide students with a general knowledge of the Uzbek language, as it is spoken and written today. During the classes, the spoken language of educated native speakers, as well as the contemporary literary language used in newspapers, books and other mass media will be emphasized. This course will familiarize students with the sound system, alphabet and the basic structure and practical use of the Uzbek language. Practice of all four language skills, listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing will be stressed throughout the course. Students will be exposed to authentic materials such as video clips and pictures showing the real cultural life of the Uzbek people during the classes. At the end of the quarter, students should be able to listen to simple conversations, read and understand short texts, engage in brief conversations on simple everyday topics, and write short, simple essays on familiar topics using the structures and vocabulary introduced in class.

Elementary Uzbek II  

Continued study of Uzbek Language, with appropriate cultural background; further development of listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills.

The aim of this course is to continue instruction in the general knowledge of the Uzbek language, as it is spoken and written today. During the classes, the spoken language of educated native speakers, as well as the contemporary literary language that is being used in newspapers, books and other means of mass media will be emphasized. This course will increase students' knowledge of the sound system, alphabet and the basic structure and practical use of the Uzbek language. Throughout the course, practice of all four language skills:  listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing will be stressed extensively. Students will be exposed to authentic materials such as video clips and pictures showing the real cultural life of the Uzbek people during the classes. At the end of the quarter, students should be able to listen to more complex conversations, read and understand short and medium sized texts, engage in brief conversations on more complicated everyday topics, and write short, simple essays on familiar topics using the structures and vocabulary introduced in class.

Intermediate Uzbek I  

Continued study of Uzbek Language, with appropriate cultural background; further development of listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills.

The aim of this course is to continue instruction in the general knowledge of the Uzbek language, as it is spoken and written today. During the classes, the spoken language of educated native speakers, as well as the contemporary literary language that is being used in newspapers, books and other means of mass media will be emphasized. This course will increase students' knowledge of the sound system, alphabet and the basic structure and practical use of the Uzbek language. In addition, this course will introduce students to the Cyrillic alphabet, which, although not the official alphabet of the Uzbek language, is still widely used throughout Uzbekistan and among the Uzbeks of neighboring countries. Throughout the course, practice of all four language skills, listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing will be stressed extensively. Students will be exposed to authentic materials such as video clips and pictures showing the real cultural life of the Uzbek people during the classes. At the end of the quarter, students should be able to listen to more complex conversations, read and understand short and medium sized texts, engage in longer conversations on more complicated everyday topics, and write short, simple essays on familiar topics using the structures and vocabulary introduced in class.

Intermediate Uzbek II  

Extensive reading from literary texts, with practice in conversation and composition.

The intermediate level course aims to increase students' fluency in oral expression, develop their listening and reading skills, and extend their understanding of the fundamentals of the grammar and literary language of Uzbekistan. The 4-skill comprehensive approach will be used in the course and a communicative approach will be taken, which opens a wider perspective on language learning. During the course, students will learn grammar and vocabulary. There will be extensive conversation and reading practice which use journals and newspapers that illustrate modern life and language in Uzbekistan. Students will use the Internet, Carmen, and email to print out teaching materials and turn in their assignments. Also, this course will give the opportunity to watch Uzbek videos, TV programs and listen to audio tapes made in Uzbekistan.

Intermediate Uzbek III  

Continued reading from literary texts, with further practice in conversation, composition, and translation.

This intermediate level course aims to increase students' fluency in oral expression, develop their listening and reading skills, and extend their understanding of the fundamentals of the grammar and literary language of Uzbekistan. The 4-skill comprehensive approach will be used in the course and a communicative approach will be taken, which opens a wider perspective on language learning. During the course, students will learn grammar and vocabulary. There will be extensive conversation and reading practice which use journals and newspapers that illustrate modern life and language in Uzbekistan.

Students will use the Internet, Carmen, and email to print out teaching materials and turn in their assignments. Also, this course will give students the opportunity to watch Uzbek videos, TV programs and listen to audio tapes made in Uzbekistan.

As there is the need of the Uzbek language interpreter, www.learnuzbek.uz  can include a section- online translator that will help learners of the Uzbek language, the people who could do his/her research work in this language and so on.

It is known one of the most effective methods of learning languages is watching films in that language. And in this process movies with subtitles play a great role. For this reason there should be a section on films which will facilitate language development.

The single most important part of any such development on the internet must be that it is an ongoing project. It cannot just be put up once and then left in its original state. There must be continual monitoring and updates to keep it current and topical. This means that it is critical that it be funded properly and that a competent overseer of the project be appointed to monitor such a website. Language development is not a one step process. It is an ongoing, step by step process. Success in such a development will be a long range goal. It will not happen immediately, therefore a commitment to sticking with the guiding principles of this project is critical. In Uzbekistan, websites such as www.Ziyonet.uz , www.Arxiv.uz, www.fikr.uz, and other ventures took, in some cases, years before they became successful. But the developers of such projects had a vision and stayed true to that vision. Uzbek language development will require the same kind of commitment and patience. I believe that this project has great value for our society. We are a new nation. We, as Uzbeks, whether we be of Uzbek, Tajik, Russian or other ethnic origins need to develop a "National" sense of ourselves. The creation of a website dedicated to such a project will have positive results in the creation of our Uzbek nation..!

References:

1.      Research work “Globalization and Problems of Development of the Uzbek language” Azizova Nasiba, Karshi State University, Lecturer, Department of National ideology, the culture and law, Uzbekistan.

2.      http://nelc.osu.edu/courses/uzbek