ON THE BASIS OF SOME FORMULATIONS OF PERSIAN ASSIMILATION USED IN THE OLD UZBEK LANGUAGE: THE IRANIAN LAYER IN THE FORMATIVE PARTS OF COMPOUND WORDS IN THE GHAZALS OF ALISHER NAVOI

Nigora Yodgorova

Authors

Nigora Yodgorova Researcher of the Khorezm Mamun academy

Keywords:

The history of the Uzbek language reflects centuries of contact with Iranian languages, particularly Persian-Tajik, which profoundly shaped its vocabulary, syntax, and literary style during the medieval period. Old Uzbek, or Chagatai Turkic—the literary language of the Timurid era—served as the medium for Alisher Navoi (1441–1501), widely regarded as the founder of Uzbek literary tradition. Navoi’s ghazals, part of his *Divan* collections, exemplify the seamless integration of Persian assimilations into Turkic poetic forms. These assimilations include not only lexical borrowings but also formative elements such as the Persian izafa (-i/-yi), which links nouns, adjectives, or participles in compound constructions.

Abstract

This study examines Persian assimilations in Old Uzbek (Chagatai Turkic), focusing on compound word formations in Alisher Navoi’s ghazals where at least one formative element derives from the Iranian (Persian-Tajik) layer. Drawing on historical linguistics and textual analysis of Navoi’s *Ghazaliyat* and *Khazoyin ul-maoniy*, the article analyzes izafa constructions and hybrid compounds as mechanisms of lexical and syntactic integration. It incorporates quotations from language history theory and evaluates the role of assimilated vocabulary in Uzbek. Results demonstrate that Persian formative elements enriched Navoi’s poetic diction, enabling nuanced expression of love, mysticism, and philosophy. The discussion underscores assimilation’s contribution to Uzbek’s lexical depth while preserving Turkic structures. This IMRAD-structured analysis highlights bilingual literary traditions in Timurid Central Asia and their enduring impact on modern Uzbek philology.

References

Abdullayeva, D. (2025). Persian-Tajik Izafa Constructions in The Uzbek Language and Their Functional Scope. “Academic Journal of Philological Sciences”, 5(5). https://inlibrary.uz/index.php/ajps/article/view/105094.

Vaxobovna, A. Z. (2022). Central Asian Journal of Literature, Philosophy, and Culture. Relevant issue on Navoi and Persian influence.

Sirojiddinov, S. (n.d.). Mir Alisher Navoi and his Persian-language poetry. Uzbek Literature resources.

Additional sources from Uzbek linguistic scholarship on borrowing and assimilation (e.g., Zenodo records on borrowed words in Uzbek).

Navoi, A. “Muhokamat ul-lughatayn” and “Ghazaliyat” (critical editions).