For nearly five decades, Uzbek linguist Dr. Bakhtiyor Karimov has worked quietly on an ambitious vision: the creation of a shared, auxiliary language for Turkic-speaking nations. What began as a spark of inspiration on a trolleybus in 1974 became a lifelong intellectual project shaped by history, hardship, and support from prominent regional figures.
Karimov’s idea, what he calls the “Averaged Turkic Language”, was born not from political ideology but from a desire to preserve and connect cultures. “If our children cannot access the world’s knowledge in their own tongue, how can they innovate?” he once asked.
A Lifelong Vision Conceived in Silence
The concept took shape in the shadows of the Soviet Union, where Pan-Turkic ideas were taboo. Karimov and his colleague Shoahmad Mutalov developed their theories discreetly, using mathematical models to explore linguistic convergence. They coined the term “Eesopic” to mask their proposals, likening it to Aesop’s allegories.
In 1980, Karimov presented his formulas at a Turkology conference in Tashkent, illustrating affinities among Turkic languages. The room, initially confused by the mathematical display, fell silent when the implications became clear: this was about regional unity through language. The session was cut short.
Still, in 1982, their paper was quietly published under the title Language Policy Solutions for Developing Countries, disguised as a study on African and Asian contexts. This allowed Karimov’s ideas to survive Soviet censorship and enter academic circulation.
From Perestroika to Independence
The late 1980s gave Karimov space to speak more openly. He published theoretical sketches under allegorical titles and refined his proposals, ranging from grammar convergence to script reform. After Uzbekistan’s independence in 1991, he carried his vision to Kazakhstan, where he helped establish a Turkology Center and spoke of reviving Chagatai, the classical literary language once shared across Central Asia.
Despite early support, funding dried up. At one point, he suffered heart trouble during a meeting and was left unattended in a hospital corridor until a local cultural leader intervened. “I owe my heart to the Averaged Turkic Language,” he later said, reflecting on how the project had shaped every corner of his life.
Digital Revival and Regional Interest
In recent years, interest in Karimov’s ideas has quietly revived. In 2022, a Kazakh team led by Dr. Miriyev launched OzTurk, a simplified digital prototype that uses linguistic inputs from various Turkic languages to create a common vocabulary. Though limited in scope, the program demonstrated the feasibility of Karimov’s concept.
The idea has even reached Turkish media, with headlines celebrating “A Bridge of Tongues for a New Era.” Yet formal institutional backing has remained elusive.
Karimov estimates that establishing an Averaged Turkic Language Institute would require just $3 million, $500,000 from each of six Turkic states. “That’s a small price to pay for preserving our languages,” he argues.
A Broader Vision
Karimov’s ambitions extend beyond the Turkic world. In 1992, he presented a similar proposal for an Averaged Iranian Language, drawing on shared roots among Persian, Dari, Tajik, Pashto, Kurdish, and other languages. His papers were later published in a respected philological journal, gaining attention from regional linguists.
He sees both projects as part of a greater vision: a “third Renaissance” in Eurasia, where auxiliary languages rooted in local traditions can unite people without erasing their cultural identities.
A Gift to Aitmatov
In 2004, Karimov was invited to the Ala-Archa presidential residence in Bishkek, where he met the late Kyrgyz writer and diplomat Chingiz Aitmatov. Presenting the last remaining copy of his 1992 book O‘rtaturk Tili, Karimov received public praise. “You have found a way to honor both our diversity and our unity,” Aitmatov said.
Looking Ahead
Now in his later years, Karimov hopes to see the Organization of Turkic States formally adopt the project and fund an international institute. He envisions a digital platform where scholars from Bukhara, Istanbul, and Osh can contribute to a shared linguistic future.
From a scribbled formula on a Tashkent trolleybus window to pilot programs in Kazakhstan, Dr. Bakhtiyor Karimov’s idea has endured. His work reminds Central Asia that cultural unity need not come at the expense of diversity and that even the most ambitious dreams can begin with a simple idea, carried quietly for years until the world is ready to listen.
By 2022, Dr. Miriyev and a team in Kazakhstan had developed OzTurk, a pilot model based on Karimov’s ideas. It allowed users, from Bashkir economists to Tatar geographers, to input word lists and grammatical rules. The program computed a shared vocabulary and grammatical core. Though preliminary, OzTurk showed that Karimov’s model could be implemented with limited resources.
Karimov’s ambitions later expanded to include Iranian languages. In 1992, he submitted a paper on an “Averaged Iranian Language” to the annual conference at Tashkent’s Oriental Studies Institute. Initially excluded from the program, he spoke during the discussion period. “You call Persian the language of Iran,” he told colleagues, “but what of Dari, Tajik, Kurdish, Pashto, Balochi, Ossetian, Luri?” His data stunned the room. The next year, he was invited to publish two papers in Contemporary Problems in Iranian-Afghan Philology, over thirty pages articulating the theory’s ideological and mathematical underpinnings.
In 1992, Karimov brought the project to Ankara, where TIKA’s president, Ümit Arık, praised the idea and approved a Turkish-language edition. Yet the local grant officer dismissed it. “Why build an Averaged Turkic Language?” he asked. “Let everyone learn Turkish in two months.” The grant was blocked.
Karimov proposed a modest plan: a $3 million, two-year budget, $500,000 from each of six Turkic states, to fund linguists and developers. “That’s nothing compared to the cost of losing our languages,” he argued. “If a merchant wants his name enshrined in history, let him fund it.”
By 2019, Karimov’s personal copy was worn and taped at the spine. He had overseen two expanded editions, one in 2008, featuring new chapters on script reform, and a revised volume in 2019. Turkish newspapers had begun reporting on OzTurk, praising it as a “Bridge of Tongues for a New Era.”
From a spark on a trolleybus window to a comprehensive linguistic theory, Dr. Bakhtiyor Karimov’s vision remains a testament to resilience, imagination, and the enduring hope of unity through language. With political will, institutional backing, and shared commitment, Central Asia may yet witness its third Renaissance, one built on friendship, mathematics, and the belief that no culture should ever stand alone.
