Изучение о каракалпакской национально-языковой ситуации в Республике Узбекистан

A study on Karakalpak ethno-language situation in Uzbekistan

The Karakalpak people are the titular nation of the Republic of Karakalpakstan which is the only local autonomous republic in Uzbekistan. The Karakalpak language is similar to the Kazakh language. They declared their independence in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In January 1993, a treaty was signed to define Karakalpakstan as an autonomous entity of the Republic of Uzbekistan only for 20 years. However, it still remains as a local autonomous entity within the Republic of Uzbekistan regardless of their will for the independence. The Uzbek government never allows Karakalpakstan to be independent, but the Karakalpak people insist on their independence, or a merger with Kazakhstan and even with the Russian Federation, based on the merger of the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine with the Russian Federation. It is obvious that this conflict results from the establishment of an artificial border and the forced migration policy towards inhabitants by Stalin during the Soviet Union. This situation strengthened the function of Russian language as a communicative language. Currently the republic of Karakalpaksan receives more influence from the Uzbek language and culture. The status of Russian language, which was a way of communication with the peoples in the Soviet times, has been weakened. It is certain that one should pay more attention to the conflicts between the Uzbek government and the Karakalpak people regarding the independence movements of the ethnic minority and their mother tongue.