A historic date
The choice of December 15 has its origins in a milestone in linguistics. On that day in 1893, Danish linguist Vilhelm Thomsen announced that he had deciphered the alphabet of the Orkhon inscriptions – some of the oldest known written documents of the Turkic language family.
His breakthrough opened the door to a deeper understanding of a language tradition that today connects dozens of communities across Eurasia.
A global language family
Turkic languages – including Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, Turkmen and Uzbek – are spoken by more than 200 million people in an area of approximately 12 million square kilometers.
UNESCO notes that these languages carry a rich written heritage, strong oral traditions and diverse cultural practices that are shared in many Member States.
The proclamation of the new Day followed a joint request from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan and was supported by 21 Member States, reflecting widespread recognition of the value of linguistic diversity.
Strengthening cooperation
says UNESCO the annual celebration is in line with the UN’s broader multilingualism agendaset out in General Assembly resolution 71/328.
By dedicating a day to the Turkish language family, the agency aims to promote linguistic cooperation, cultural exchange and dialogue between civilizations.
Planned activities include awareness initiatives, academic research and programs to protect Turkic languages and oral traditions.
Annual party
The day will be marked with exhibitions, lectures, literary events and artistic performances designed to showcase the historical depth and contemporary vitality of Turkic languages.
UNESCO says the commemoration is an opportunity to honor linguistic diversity as part of humanity’s common heritage and to strengthen international efforts to protect languages as essential vehicles of identity, knowledge and cultural expression.
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