CHAGATAY LANGUAGE AND WRITTEN MONUMENTS: AN INSIGHTFUL LECTURE AT THE NATIONAL LIBRARY

On November 6 at 18:00, the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan hosted an informative and enriching open lecture titled “The Development Stages of the Chagatay Language.” The event brought together young scholars and readers interested in Turkic philology and written heritage, marking an important moment from a historical and linguistic perspective.

The lecture was delivered by Professor Zubaida Shadkam, Candidate of Philological Sciences and Director of the Research Center “Written Monuments and Spiritual Heritage” of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. She provided an in-depth overview of the formation and evolution of the Chagatay language and its significant role within Turkic civilization. The lecture also examined the language’s contribution to literary tradition and its cultural-educational influence from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

During the presentation, medieval texts and written monuments in Chagatay—considered a “golden bridge” of medieval Turkic literature—were analyzed in detail. Professor Shadkam introduced new data and concrete examples illustrating the stylistic, phonetic, and lexical features of ancient manuscripts, thereby enriching the scholarly perspective of the participants.

This exploration of Turkic cultural development and civilizational continuity inspired the audience and broadened their academic horizons. Participants gained a renewed understanding of the depth of medieval Turkic written tradition and the contemporary relevance of the Chagatay language in modern Turkology.

N.N. Kairanbayeva