The newly signed legislation regarding the revised version of the Uzbek alphabet based on the Latin script is officially scheduled to enter into force six months from now, on April 22, 2027. This move represents yet another attempt to conclude a long-standing language reform that has faced numerous bureaucratic postponements since the country's independence.

Under the provisions of the adopted law, official documents, national currency notes, and securities issued prior to the transition deadline utilizing the current alphabet will remain entirely valid and legal for circulation. Furthermore, state symbols, geographical nameplates, and organizational attributes bearing the old letters will be permitted to remain in use until they become worn out or until specific agency deadlines expire.

The revised alphabet configuration will reportedly contain 28 distinct letters and an apostrophe serving as a hardness marker. The previous iteration of the script featured 26 letters and three digraphs. Under the new rules, traditional digraphs such as Sh, Ch, Oʻ, and Gʻ are set to be replaced by specialized characters including Ş, Ç, Ö, and Ğ, while the Ng combination is to be completely eliminated from the official writing system.

Observers point out that the complete transition from the Cyrillic script to the Latin alphabet was originally slated for completion by the year 2000. However, due to persistent practical complications and a lack of systematic enforcement, both alphabets have continued to be used simultaneously across the country for decades, reflecting ongoing administrative hurdles within the state apparatus.

Source: www.gazeta.uz