The Azerbaijani language served as a lingua franca throughout the entire Transcaucasus, Daghestan, Eastern Anatolia, and generally in Iran before being replaced by Russian in the 16th to 20th centuries. Similar to French in Europe, Azerbaijani was seen as a prestigious language and served as the language of communication among different ethnic groups in the Near East. In the 19th century, after the Russian occupation of Transcaucasia, Azerbaijani was taught as the education language in schools opened by the Russians.In the "Review of Russian Possessions in the Caucasus," published in 1836, it was stated:
"The dominant language in Shirvan is Turcoman, used in Azerbaijan, and commonly referred to by us as Tatar… This language, called Turkic in the Transcaucasia region… is distinguished by its great pleasantness, musicality, and, if we add to this the ease of its study, it is not surprising that it is as widely used there as French is in Europe."
According to A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky’s account in the story "The Red Shawl": "The Tatar language of the Transcaucasian region differs from Turkish, and with this language, like French in Europe, one can travel across the whole of Asia from end to end." A similar thought was expressed by the economist A. von Haxthausen, who traveled through the Caucasus in 1843–1844. He wrote: "This is the language of communication, trade, and mutual understanding among the peoples of the southern Caucasus. In this respect, it can be compared to French in Europe. Moreover, it is especially the language of poetry." The Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, states: "simplicity and accessibility have made this dialect an international language for the entire eastern Transcaucasia."
While in Tiflis, Lermontov began to learn Azerbaijani. In 1837, in his letter to S. A. Rayevsky, he wrote: "I’ve started learning Tatar, a language that is as necessary here, and in Asia in general, as French is in Europe—it’s a pity I won’t finish now, but it could come in handy later…"
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Posted by Leamsezadah
4 Comments
That’s exactly why I get annoyed when our people don’t respect our own language and opt to speak Turkish. It’s alsi frustrating to see Turks disrespecting&joking about our language. While Turkish has been taught to a large portion of Anatolian population by the Turkish state after the republic, Azerbaijani was the prestigious language and the lingua franca of all the peoples of the region. We speak a language known as the “French of the East,” and we should appreciate its value to the fullest. We should strive to create beautiful works in it as much as possible.
This is interesting, I always thought that Persian was the lingua franca of the region since it was the official language of various dynasties that ruled the Caucasus,
Great effort of word picking to differentiate from Turkish. Azerbaijani Turkish is still French of Caucasus. That doesnt mean anything when it comes to why you guys should opt for Turkish.
There was no such language known as ‘Azerbaijani’ until the late 1930s. The term ‘Azerbaijani’ is a term created by the Soviets. The language was simply called Turkish, the people speaking it were called Tatars. Please correct this part since this can mislead people.
Goyushov, Altay (26 September 2018). “The Language of Azerbaijan: Turkish or Azerbaijani?”. Baku Research Institute.
‘However, in 1936–1937, the situation changed fundamentally. Even though there was no explicit mention of an enactment of state language in local Azerbaijani laws, the term “Turkish” was substituted by “Azerbaijani” in state and court documents. Later in 1956, “Azerbaijani” was given the status of the official state language of Soviet Azerbaijan’