On October 14 in Tashkent, the free national digital platform for the Uzbek language, til.uz, was presented. This portal aggregates diverse reference, scientific, and cultural materials, allowing users to utilize dictionaries, familiarize themselves with Uzbek folklore, and study various dialects.
The main goal of the project is to facilitate the preservation, study, and promotion of the Uzbek language, as well as to systematize knowledge about its diversity and richness, while ensuring free access to linguistic resources through modern digital technologies.
Kamoliddin Beknazarov, Chairman of the Board of HAYOT Foundation, emphasized the importance of language, comparing it to money and property: 'If the people lose their language, no amount of money will help recover what has been lost.' He noted that in modern society, there is a tendency towards errors in speech and writing on social networks, where the desire to appear modern leads to mixing Uzbek words with foreign ones, resulting in the loss of part of the linguistic heritage and history.
The portal provides resources for language learning and cultural acquaintance, including dictionaries, folklore, and information on dialects. Furthermore, it includes tools for processing Uzbek text, such as translation between Latin and Cyrillic scripts, as well as a search function that accounts for potential spelling inaccuracies.
All materials are available for free, and registration is not required to access the main resources. Veronika Komarova, Head of the Project Office at HAYOT Foundation, shared her experience: 'I came to Uzbekistan four years ago and really wanted to learn the Uzbek language. But detailed information about words... had to be gathered piece by piece from scanned PDF files on the internet, paper dictionaries, and Google Translate.'
She added that finding information about dialects was extremely difficult, which led to the idea of creating the language portal.
Komarova stressed that language is like a living organism and called on everyone to engage, inviting linguists, philologists, folklorists, and dialectologists to join the project to enrich it. The portal is aimed at a wide range of users: schoolchildren, students, teachers, journalists, and researchers.
Anyone interested can contribute: scientists can share knowledge, teachers can share experience, businessmen can provide resources, and technology companies can offer modern solutions. Even an ordinary user can support the project by spreading information about it. Continuous replenishment of materials and the addition of new sections are planned, including the creation of an AI development showcase dedicated to the Uzbek language.
The project is implemented within the framework of the HAYOT Foundation's CSR platform with the support of the National Center for Support and Development of Initiatives 'Renaissance', the insurance company Gross, and the National Association of Media of Uzbekistan. The airline Centrum Air serves as the official carrier, assisting dialectologists in trips across the regions of Uzbekistan to collect and study dialects. The technical partner is the Tilmoch translation platform, based on artificial intelligence for Turkic and neighboring languages, and informational support is provided by the Center for Media Content Preparation under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.